Warrington

Tonight we are in the Village Hotel in Warrington. We are on our way to Bath to stay a week or so with my sister, her husband and family.

It's been a while since we have been this far down the M6. When our family were younger....much younger....this was our route to South Wales.

We had many a wonderful holiday with Sally and Cerdin Jones on their farm in Llandysul.

There was torrential rain for most of the journey, which made motorway driving difficult because of surface water and especially spray from lorries.

It's quite a complex here..Hotel...Pool, Gymnasium,restaurant and bar.

Sat Nav made finding it so easy.

Tomorrow after breakfast, we will head south again towards Bath, probably stopping off in Tewksbury

New Shoes

I am now the proud owner of a pair of MBT shoes. John brought them for me from America. They are a special kind of shoe that give you a work - out as you walk. The shoes do not have a flat sole. They have a curve. Apparently it makes you work harder when you are walking, exercising lots of muscles.

You certainly notice it when you are wearing them. And standing still is a skill. It is quite difficult. I think I might look as though I have had a little too much to drink...even when stone cold sober.

It's also very difficult trying to take a photo with them standing a strong wind. I've tried.

But I love them. They are very comfortable. And even better, they are twice the price in the UK as they are in USA. So I don't feel too bad about receiving them as a present.

The rain has hardly stopped in the last 3 days. Oh for a dry day.



I'm going to do an article for the local newspaper about John and the Fringe show.

Madonna and Edinburgh Again!

I went back through to Edinburgh this afternoon to see the show "Mercy Madonna of Malawi. I've mentioned it in an earlier blog. One of my talented sons...John...wrote the non African words and music.
I took along Fr Austen, a priest from Malawi. He enjoyed the performance and spoke to the cast before and after the show. He recognised one of the drummers, having seen him drum in Malawi.
I got a lollipop from Madonna. She gave me one at the last show too....I might pout them on e bay......
John leaves for San Francisco on Wednesday. He has prepared a stand in guitarist for the rest of this month. John will be back in September for a play in Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre.

our street is floodlit tonight. A huge film crew are at work at the end of the street. Lots of trucks. lights and police. No idea what they are filming. Taggart? But if I can get near tomorrow, I'll find out. Watch this space.
The video is from show as audience leaves...sorry it's side on......oooooops.

Athelstoneford, Niglel Tranter, and England

Today was a wet day...very wet. But we didn't waste the day. We first headed towards Athelstonford. Near this little town, way back in the past,the early Scots fought a battle against the Saxons. Just before the battle, the white X cross of St Andrew appeared in the sky, and the Scotls won the victory. Hence the Saltire....the Scottish flag...white X cross on a blue background.

In the Church there, I found an exhibition on the life and work of Nigel Tranter. He was a Scottish writer of Historical stories that merged fact and fiction. His stories are worth the reading.

Next we visited Hailes Castle, in a remote hillside. It is 12th Century.It once belonged to an English family, but it was taken from them after they sided with the English in the wars of Independence. It ended up the property of the Earl of Bothwell, the man who forced maryQueen of Scots into marriage.

Then we headed south to England to visit Berwick Upon Tweed. It has been alternatively in Scotland and out of Scotland throughout history. It is now an English town with a long history of death and destruction.

Then we headed back to Edinburgh.

Photos show Athelstoneford, Tranter, and Hailes castle.

Haddington

Today was another glorious sunny day. So we headed off on "The Saltire Trail" from Mussleburgh to Haddington. It is only about 27 miles. We didn't stop at any of the small towns, but went straight to Haddington. I had read that there are over 250 listed buildings in the town. They are everywhere to be seen. You can tell by the roofs, windows and walls. Some are even painted as they would have been 400 years ago or so.

Haddington has suffered from being so near to England. King Edward pounded the town. So did King Henry during the "Rough Wooing."

There was a Franciscan Monastery here before the Reformation. An Episcopal Church stands on the site. I could find no trace of the Monastery. When it stood, it's Church was called "The Lamp of the Lothians"

St. Mary's Church of Scotland in the town uses the title. It is apre reformation church. The inside has been remodelled, but the exterior goes back to before the Reformation. I was surprised to find a statue of Our Lady inside, in the Lauder Aisle. But an Episcopalian told me it was allowed "on suffrance". He told me that at one time the Church was Episcopalian, but that "they" would deny it.

So I asked at St Mary's.....and they did! They admitted though that it was originally a Catholic Church.

Pictures show river Tyne and steets and buildings in Haddington

North Berwick Tantallon and Dunbar

Today we travelled along the coast heading ever so slightly south. The weather was really nice....sunny and warm.
We had a leisurely day of it. We stopped briefly at Aberlady, then went on to North Berwick. We had lunch there, pottered round the shops, then headed further south towards Dunbar. Just outside North Berwick there is an old volcano, which has been used throughout history as a powerful vantage point. See the photo.
Then we stopped at the impressive Tantallon Castle. From the castle there is a wonderful view of the Bass Rock. It looks white. But that is simplt from the number of birds nesting on it. See the photo.
We went on till we reached Dunbar. Dunbar is the birthplace of John Muir, who did much to establish National Parks, especially in America.
All in all...a great day.
Tonight, as the sky is clear, I am going to try and capture some shots od th Meteor showers.

Mercy Madonna from Malawi

This afternoon we took the bus into Edinburgh to see the Madonna show. It was easier to go by bus than try to find parking space.

We had read the reviews, but the actaul show was much more thought provoking than I had imagined. You are asked to consdider the rights and wrongs of adoption of Malawi children by Western people. The number of orphanages in Malawi is growin due to poverty. But is adoption like this the answer? That is the question posed. Was Madonna's money - in this case- the deciding factor. We are told the Mercy's father did not want the adoption, but he couild not afford lawyers.

If you are in Edinburgh, please go and see the show, which tells the story form a Malawian point of view.

This is the Malawian cast, with John in the middle. John was musical director and wrote some of the words and music for the show.

Edinburgh Days

We are house sitting near Edinburgh....just up the road from Mussleburgh.

We met John today at the Brunton Theatre, where he was reading for an audition for a play next year. Fingers crossed.

He had to get back to the city centre to prepare for the Mercy Madonna From Malawi show at the Festival. We are going to see it tomorrow.

I took some photos today. These are form the garden of where we are staying. The plums are delicious!

Garden Days

We have had a fairly busy week of it. Have been up and out by 8 am most days. Car matters, hospital matters and so on. We have also had a few really hot sunny days. I got the grass cut and some garden tidying too. I also took a few photos of flowers and butterflies. We have a fair number of butterflies visiting our garden. We have a plant that attracts them.

It's Edinburgh next week....house sitting. Should be fun. Lots to see and do. The Edinburgh Festival has started, and the borders are within easy driving distance.

Photos are of our garden.

I haven't written for a while. We have been busy. We got a plumber at last and now we again have a shower that works perfectly, and doesn't scald us.

We got a joiner to put a pull-down ladder into our attic. So now we have easy access, and can begin to go through the jumble up there.

Yesterday was a beautiful hot sunny day. We were in Edinburgh for the TFP monthly meeting. We ate outsdie after the meeting. The boys from the TFP Academy in Pennsylvania were there and gave a presentation about their activities in London. They alose visited France and Germany, and then spent a week in Ireland.

This morning, after having my car serviced, I helped deliver the boys and their teacher to Glasgow Airport. They caught a flight to London, and from there another flight to Newark. Then a 4 hour drive to the Academy.

They have a 3 week break before school restarts at the end of August.

John called today from London. He had just arrived from San Francisco, and was boarding the Edinburgh flight.

He is here for 2 weeks for the Festival show "Mercy Madonna of Malawi"

Then he will fly back to USA, and return again in September for the Royal Lyceum show, "Confessions Of A Justified Sinner."

It's all go isn't it!