So Here's To You Mrs Robinson

“There were lovely things in the world, lovely that didn't endure, and the lovelier for that..." from Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon

Hi there,

My mother Pauline Elizabeth Robinson passed away earlier this week after a short illness. I’m pleased to say her passing was about as peaceful and painless as is possible. She spent her last few days at home in the front room, facing the lovely view over the River Spean towards Ben Nevis you can see below.

She was well looked after by my dad, brother and sister with help from a great many local friends, carers, nurses and doctors. Although, thanks to Covid, I was not able to be there, we were able to talk and share memories online multiple times over the past few weeks. Towards the end, Mum spoke of how grateful she was for having a had a wonderful life with a many great friendships and how in they end she was ‘more scared of falling than she was of dying’. Here she is a few weeks ago with my brother Neil up by the Commando Memorial near her home.

I thought I’d use this newsletter to share a few pictures, links and memories. It’s not meant to be definitive, so apologies in advance to anyone or anything missed out (and any mistakes).

While you read, you can have a listen to the tune “Mrs Pauline Robinson”, an accordion piece written and performed by the irrepressible Fiona Young, who very kindly recorded a solo concert for mum to listen to in her last days.

Mum was born a few years after the war in Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway in the South West of Scotland, an area she returned as often as she possibly could. It’s a lovely area and well worth a visit if you’ve never been. I recommend the Seaward Caravan Site where I spent nearly every summer holiday when I was young.

We often visited the beaches at The Dhoon and Carrick which were some of mum’s favourite places in the world; she used to cycle out there with her friends to swim, play and hang out when she was young. Here are a few paintings of Kirkcudbright and the surrounding area by mum’s cousin John Hastings and her late Uncle Jack Hastings (top left) (these and more including great paintings including several of Hong Kong on John’s website here).

Kirkcudbright is known as an artist’s town with many small galleries and studios. Many painters such as the Glasgow Boys and Scottish Colourists moved to the town attracted to the light, landscape and attractive buildings. One artist who lived down the street from Mum was Cecile Walton (below left), a noted Scottish symbolist artist. According to mum’s sister Edith, Walton had something of an open house for local children to come and play. Mum was quite a bold six year old and apparently cajoled Walton into painting her portrait. The picture disappeared for many year but when it reappeared, the portrait of mum as a little girl (right) was often mistaken for my sister Kirsty when she was little.

After leaving school, Mum moved to Ayr to train as a nurse and then took nursing jobs in Glasgow, Guernsey in the Channel Islands, across the sea to Dublin (maybe the start of her love of all things Irish) and then back to Glasgow again. Clearly she had a whale of a time partying and having fun in swinging sixties. Edith told me of a mysterious older South American boyfriend who she may have come close to eloping with but, thankfully for me, she decided to stay in Scotland. Here’s a few pictures of those exciting times!

Then, in the autumn of 1973, while working at the Vale of Leven Hospital near Loch Lomond, mum met a handsome young English doctor who invited her out for a drink. At first she wasn’t that interested, until he mentioned having a spare ticket for a concert by the American folk singer Tom Paxton at the recently opened Apollo Theatre in Glasgow (to quote Spinal Tap “don't look for it, it's not there anymore” though if you really want to, I think it is where the Walkabout Pub is today). She jumped at the offer and the rest is history. Below is the actual ticket from that night.

Quite an incredible line up of bands at The Apollo that autumn! Still Tom Paxton must have worked some magic as Mum got engaged to that young doctor Chris a few months later and within a year they were married and moving to Fort William in the Highlands, where dad had already spent time as a medical student attracted by the amazing climbing, friendly locals and wonderful weather(?). I can’t find any footage from the concert but here’s Tom Paxton on The Old Grey Whistle Test with ‘Whispirin’ Bob Harris from earlier the same year. Mum and Dad would go back to see Paxton play multiple times in Glasgow over the years.

I’ve now lived outside the UK for the best part of 15 years but I’ve still managed to stay close to mum and dad with my normally annual trips home. Over the years I’ve brought back first my wife Jane, then Ollie and then Ashley. Every time mum pulled out the stops to make us feel fully at home and get to know Jane and her grand children very well. Here we are outside the old house Arkaig Cottage which they only recently left after 40 years, going down a tin mine in Cornwall and umm… being attacked by a stuffed bear in a party hat by Loch Lomond.

Mum also embraced travel throughout her life. She had a real love for some of the islands around the Mediterranean; travelling to Queensland in Australia to see Uncle David, Auntie Dot and my cousins Steph and John and going camper van-ning around New Zealand with Dad. She walked the West Highland Way from Glasgow up to Fort William a few years ago and was a key mover behind the Fort William Walking Club. She’s been out to Asia multiple times: firstly to visit her cousins John and Roland in Hong Kong back in 1990 but returning for multiple times to visit me. In Japan, she rode the bullet train, bathed in steaming hot onsens, climbed up a volcano but I think her favourite was singing Brownie songs like ‘Ging Gang Goolie’ around the irori campfire while staying in the Chiiori House in Iya Valley back in 2003.

Mum came out to China at least five times. She’s hiked along the Great Wall, met Chinese Opera stars, explored the karst peaks of Yangshuo and the amazing Himalayan landscapes of Juizaigou. She met Jane’s Mum and Dad several times and explored the hutongs in Beijing where Jane grew up. As a keen cook, she was very open minded and tried everything from proper Peking Duck to Sichuan Hot Pot to her favourite Xibei food from the North West China. She wasn’t too keen on the roast donkey meat served up after a long bus jouney into the mountains though! Here are some pictures from Mum’s last visit to Hong Kong where we went pink dolphin spotting and explored the islands around Sai Kung. She also got to visit Ollie and Ashley’s kindergarten to see Ollie’s historic victory in the Easter Bonnet competition and do some Easter egg rolling in the park near our apartment.

Mum was a voracious reader and lover of stories. She was a particular fan of crime and detective fiction but I remember her telling me her favourite book when she was young was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Later when I was taking my Highers in English and going to study, she suggested two of her other favourite books: Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon and Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton.

Drama was a big obsession with her weekly fixes of Eastenders and River City as well as Casualty and its many off shoots. I have her to thank for my love of film after she took me to see the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom thinking she could fall asleep but ending up gripping my hand with excitement! Like her dad, she also took to the stage a few times including a panto with Kirsty and an unknown show (possibly The Jungle Book) where was dressed up as a crow!

If I had to choose one word to describe mum is would be ‘caring’. She was of course a carer by profession as a nurse. However, throughout her life she dedicated all her time and energy to caring for others: for her parents Grandpa Sam and Granny Marie who came to spend their final years with us in Fort William; for her beloved Aunty Betty Dawson who she visited regularly in Oban; for my dad’s parents Grandpa George and Granny Joan Robinson who passed away just over two years ago. Whether in person, by phone, Facebook or mail, over the years she has also cared for her sister Auntie Edith, her children Vivian and Gordon and their children Lucie Rose, Eilidh and Mhairi, for Uncle Dave and Aunty Dot and cousins Steph and the much missed John in Australia. Here’s a video about NHS nurses that mum shared on her Facebook page earlier this year which reminded me of both the importance of care and the need for us all to recognise, reward and celebrate the hard and demanding work of caring.

Anyone and everyone who passed through Arkaig Cottage over the years has been the recipient of mum’s care: whether it was just a cup of tea and biscuits, some freshly baked scones or disappearing off to rustle up a lasagne, pot of homemake soup or a full three course meal at one of her many dinner parties. We are all glad her care will form lifelong memories for her four grandchildren Sam, Ollie, Ashley and Lizzie and for welcoming Jo and Jane to our family. But most of all I want to recognise the care she has shown for her children: Neil, Kirsty and myself and for my Dad for well over 40 years. I think if we could wish for anything, it would be for more time to show her the care that she showed us over the years. And the chance to taste her mince and tatties, amazing curries, stovies, lentil soup, Christmas pudding or sherry trifle one last time!

“Maybe I've a reason to believe/We all will be received/In Graceland” Paul Simon

Mum loved music throughout her life from The Beatles and Rolling Stones back in the sixties to her annual pilgrimages with Doreen Young and others to the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. In July 2012, my sister Kirsty and I met up with Mum in London to see Paul Simon performing in Hyde Park. This was his 25th anniversary tour of the ‘Gracelands’, which mum had bought and played repeatedly in the car after hearing it playing in John Menzies (or possibly Woolworths) in Fort William back in 1986. I think her favourite song was Homeless featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo played here with the sun setting over London. So have a watch, raise a drink for Mum and if you squint carefully, you might spot her singing along and having a dance at the back of the crowd!

Many thanks again for all the cards and messages of support we’ve received from all over the world since Mum’s passing and to ‘Magic’ Dougie Cunningham for his great photo shoot of the whole family (almost) a few years ago. If you’re on the lookout for a Christmas present or calendar for 2021, this one should be perfect.