We had a wonderful trip to Edinburgh last weekend to visit with some church friends we had not seen in several years. They originally planned the trip around his work meetings(which got cancelled). They already had grandparents coming to watch the children, and they had enough points to cover their own flights and hotel…so they came! We met up with them Friday night at a little French restaurant. It was a relaxed dinner and the food was so good. Then we met at the Castle Saturday morning and got our tour headphones and saw everything there was to see, including state jewels and armor, exhibits of military memorabilia from many wars etc. Yes, you could have spent all day there!
We walked towards the Scottish museum and ate at a place called Mums Great Comfort Food. It was so delish. Guess we had worked up quite an appetite! Then we spent a few hours at the museum, which was all about the history of Scotland. Wish we could have stayed longer…but we wanted to walk to the village of Dean, which is a very old Germanic part of Edinburgh, where the buildings have a somewhat Bavarian look. We found it just a mile off Royal Mile. We walked along the bubbling creek for another mile or so, enjoying the wide paths and picturesque views. The river Leith flows through Edinburgh and is called the Water of Leith. I think having bare trees gave us better views. Then when it was time to start finding our way back to the hotels- I kind of knew I had finished walking. I was totally done. So we got an uber back to the hotel. I wish it wasn’t necessary, but it was. So I took a rejuvenating hot bath as John toured the Mile to find a wool flat cap that fit him. He has been on this quest for months. Yes, he got a beautiful one. Then we met our friends for 1 more dinner at our favorite burger place called Byrons. It was perfect. Great food, pints and milkshakes! It was raining as we headed back to our hotels. Another full day! Sunday morning after breakfast John headed out to climb Arthur’s seat, while I rested some more. His views were spectacular, and winds above 25 mph. Then we had a light lunch and caught the train back to Peterborough.
This morning I ran a quick early trip to the grocery store, my last in a while, I’m guessing. I going to isolate, and try not to get the corona virus. What with my various conditions and immunosuppressant drugs, its not wise for me to be out and around. I’ll either get groceries delivered, or John can take the list. I’ll still go walking in fields and parks, but less around town. No dancing or thrift shopping for me. Luckily I have patterns and fabric, and I need to make up some baby clothes for a friend expecting a girl this summer. Never too early to create cuteness, right?
Some sewing people have made their own masks…so I’ll try that out. They say the best 2 fabrics are t-shirt cotton and linen like kitchen towels. Guess you could wear one artistically coving the lower half of your face. HA!
I think our trip to the states this spring is in jeopardy, and there is nothing we can do about it. No panic, but we will stay safe and watch for this thing to run its course. Beach trip, meet ups and all, just might not happen for us. But…guessing at least the Georgia kids can drive there and enjoy the sun and sea!
A paragraph about the corona virus here in the UK. I know I’m new to this country, and am an optimist at heart, but I think things are going to go badly wrong here. The NHS is only testing people who fit a small window of criteria. So; no virus here, nothing to see. They don’t want you to come to a doctor office or hospital, just stay home until you recover. I’m not suggesting you test everyone, but how about testing people with strong symptoms of high fever, cough and breathing problems? I do hear that the NHS has not nearly enough ventilators for this pandemic. Boris Johnson has offered to pay British companies who would be willing to make some. Or do people just die because the virus weakens their lungs, and that’s all there is to it. NHS has a fatalistic view of life here, that I don’t share. Anyway, John is finding out at work if we have any alternatives should we get sick. Anyway, it brings me back around to where isolation is the best thing for me now. We may already have been exposed last week, by the dad who rode in our car a few days after his daughter came down with it. The daughter is still extremely sick, fevers staying around 104 for several days. The medics have checked on her, and did give her some penicillin, but didn’t take her to the hospital. She is still gravely ill, and our prayers are with her and her family that she will start recovering soon.
Spring has sprung here, with temps still in the 40’s. Seems like each day we get a beautiful mix of clouds sun and rain, but the countryside is greening up and is spring fresh. I wish you all good health and no ill effects of the Ides of March! (A little Shakespearian humor, sorry)
Till next installment…no panic peeps, just breath and live calm.