SAWMILL COTTAGE – DALMAHOY ESTATE

SAWMILL COTTAGE – DALMAHOY ESTATE

After resuming our relationship Hamish decided it would be a good plan to rent a cottage with the thought that I should move away from Cringletie. (date ……….) He wanted me to out move first. I approached Lady Morton (known to my family and mother-in-law to my good and old friend Lady Aberdour – Mandy) She very kindly offered me at 2 bed cottage at Sawmill and also offered one to my good friend Beryl Tough. Hamish paid the rent for several months and then I eventually moved out. I had applied for a position with Challenger UK (an Event Management company based in Polmont) This position took me all over the country for several days at a time. Hamish was not at all pleased with the fact that I worked and phoned me at least 2-5 times a day. I also called him but he frequently called me when I was not in my office in Polmont. He always telephoned me relentlessly when I was out of reach (see separate note ‘Controlling Behaviour’)

Within days of moving into the cottage Hamish and I more or less lived with each other. He would maybe spend most of the nights at Sawmill but would slip by his marital house (13 Comely Bank) and see the children, sometimes putting them to bed and then come to Sawmill for supper. Eventually it became a habit for him to leave from the cottage in the morning and I would expect him back for supper except for the occasions when he was working out of town and staying overnight in a hotel. He very rarely lived at Comely.

Hamish suggested that it would be a good plan to rent a small flat close to Mary Erskine’s (Mhoraid and Cathleen attended) in order that he could have regular contact with them. We found a flat in Easter Belmont Road (two bedroomed) smaller than Sawmill – a tight squeeze. Kitchen, sitting room, dinning room together. I was introduced to the children very quickly. He had the girls (I think every second weekend and once a week). I had been made redundant and Hamish preferred that I did not work as he suggested I could help him with his secretarial work and that there was plenty to do with plans that concerned out life together in the future. Gradually the girls stayed over two nights and I took over taking them to school and collecting them. I also took them to the marital house (Comely Bank) and then subsequently to their mother’s new home in Ravelston. During that period I looked after the girls welfare.(see separate note EG’s Role in Bringing up Mhoraig and Cathleen). Hamish was often away on business. I basically lived with Hamish attending to all his needs and that of his children, cooking, shopping, taking them to the dentist, doctor and taking them to their various activities, e.g. Brownies, skating, ballet, swimming etc.

I used to sit the car park and collect the children as it was so very difficult to go up to the classrooms and collect the children as their mother worked at the school as a Teacher’s Assistant. There were a number of problems which arose as a result of her involvement with the school that Hamish was not happy with.