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Thurs 11/23: Thanksgiving at Dan & Ange’s. Visit to “garden center”…
Fri 11/24: Morning call at Anne and Gordon’s on Theresa’s last day (borrowed Lego box, ate cakes, tried on Ange’s cape), then Morpeth, bookstores, bagpipe museum.
Sat 11/25: Northumberlandia park walk with Dan and Ange (and Skylark).
Sun 11/26: Morning long walk to sea, with unidentified dark black/violet duck (may be eider), return trip detour for Cathy and me to get groceries, and afternoon/evening rugby in Newcastle with Ange’s brother Chris and sons Joseph and Ollie.
Mon 11/27: Ashington. Down day on expected rainy weather. Was actually rather nice; walked upriver a bit, saw Gray Heron, unidentifiable duck, mole holes, loon (“diver”), had cappucino/cocoa, back and Lego-ing, put up Christmas decorations, Indian food delivered. From Dan and Ange: alabaster scarabs for kids; for family, tiny bit of 7B yo meteorite Australia 1969, Murchison meteorite.
Tue 11/28: Newcastle. Took bus into Newcastle, walked bridges (got cache at center span on main bridge), saw site of Thomas Bewick’s workshop (bird illustrator) and the Vampire Rabbit, walked cathedral (organs, not that John Hancock, construction, etc.), walked around (closed that day) castle keep, marveled at mix of old and new architecture, met Dan for lunch at market, saw (free) museum with tank, Baby Austin, and tons of cool stuff, cocoa, department store (Fenwick?), split return home (C and S met Ange at bus station while Dan drove me, M, and D to pick up groceries). Last night with Dan before his trip to Denmark at O’Dark Thirty. Polled tired kids for trip to Edinburgh vs. maybe stay around town–kids surprised us with unanimous yay for Scotland…
Wed 11/29: Edinburgh. Prebooked car to Morpeth train station cancelled last minute; I was able to raise a Blue Line taxi at last minute on second attempt, and even then that only could take four of us; Ange saved the day after her morning walkie with Skylark by taking S separately. Train delayed by 10m and we all made it in time with a few minutes and one train (to Aberdeen) to spare. Train ride was lovely; M wanted to play cards rather than look but I got a few glimpses in the light of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the line north along the Firth of Forth into Edinburgh. Arrived Edinburgh Waverly, made note of the Christmas market that Ange had told us about, and found our way to the Royal Mile and thence to the castle.
Castle was amazing–were there from 11:30 until they essentially kicked us out at 5. Got to hear, not see, the One O’Clock Gun, have lunch onsite at cafe, see much of the castle although it felt like whirlwind (weapons and history and Crown Jewels, oh my). Amazed at how much of the history of this castle is of the English as much as the Scots, and the multiple uses the castle has been pressed for.
With two hours before train time we stopped at a woolery (prices on bagpipes not as prohibitive as I’d feared), made way down to Christmas market where we got scarves, dinner, and pictures, on to catch train back to Morpeth and cab back to Ashington uneventfully.
Thu 11/30: Ashington. Down day with Ange still featured a walk in rain/snow, down by riverside and loop return thru town by co-op and neighborhood. Packed, cleaned, and laundered, thank you notes to Anne and Gordon for Legos, fish & chips & haggis delivered for dinner, and I got to see most of an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race with Ange, for which I had many questions but tried not to badger her when she was exhibiting a cough that later turned out to “be Covid”.
Fri 12/1: breakfast of leftover fish & chips, haggis from night before, and on to the return journey home.
Kevin Wilmeth 