Almost

Only 2 more sleeps.... :o

Leaving do

If you are in Edinburgh and did not get an evite for our leaving do, my apologies. We would like you to come to our place so we can see our friends before we leave. It will be next Saturday, 28 July 10am-4pm. Email me if you can come or need more details.

Also, take a look (or another one if you already have) at our sale: http://carbootsale.blogspot.com We still have so much to sell! I will be willing to ship most items, but will have to add shipping to the total price. Some things have been reduced and I will consider any offers (we just need to get rid of this stuff!).

OUCH!

Orange really mucked up our internet service...

Josh called them Wednesday to ask them for whatever postage thing it is we need to send back our broadband box thingie. They thought we wanted to break our contract, incurring a £190 fee for breaking early (contract ends 4 Sept). Josh could not get it through to them that he fully intended on paying through to the end of the contract, but that we were moving and needed to send the box back early.

He finally gets a supervisor online. This guy says, "Ok, no problem. We will send you what you need, no fees charged, and since we cannot charge you for usage you did not use we will be sending you a cheque for that last month." YAY! Even better than we thought!

Yesterday I am using the internet in the morning, but cannot connect all afternoon. When Josh gets home from work it is still not working. He debates calling, wondering if there is just a server problem that will get fixed soon. I talked him into calling since he will be working all day the next day and I need the internet for planning and such.

So he calls after tea. He is told that our service has been canceled. OOO! I very rarely see Josh as hot as he was last night! And on top of all of the frustration it seems that the call centre is in another country, so he is trying to explain to this non-native english speaking person that there was a miscommunication problem and how vital it is that we have internet NOW for our upcoming move.

He asks for a supervisor. After some investigation it seems that the person Josh spoke to the day before was not allowed to do what he did and the system knew it. The system just shut us down completely. They say it will take 10 days to get service back to us. Uh, and we leave in HOW many days?! Josh explains again that we leave on the 31st and it is vital for us to have internet. So this lady offers us a free month of dial up. WOO-HOO!

We have been spoilt by broadband the last 2 years that dial up just seems DREADFULLY slow. So this means we have to limit our internet usage. We are not clear on if the "free" means that all calls are free as well. Calls are charged per minute here, even for local. And since it take about 4 minutes just to get into my inbox, well...This means no uploading of photos as well. :( I had so much that I needed to catch up on, too. Who knows when I will be able to share our photos of our most recent excursions. And our upcoming holiday to Mull.

Well, I really ought not to be updating my blog now. It is morning and calls are a bit cheaper at night. But I type quickly...

I just had another thought! I can't visit other blogs!! Especially ones with lots of photos.

Ah, poor me. I sure do lay it on thick, don't I? ;)

The Return to Glencoe

The week after we went to the borders with Michelle and Paul, Sam and Peter took us to Glencoe. Let me just say we have been spoilt by our friends! We have been to Glecoe twice. I fell in love with it the first time. But our visits were just to one spot, the same one, and just for a few minutes for photos. I had been wanting to return to spend a bit more time there.

We first stopped at the Visitor Centre where there was a nice lookout point and a big natural display of Glencoe as well as the history and a video about the massacre.

Our picnic spot at the visitor centre

When we were done with lunch we inteded to head out for a wee hike. But nature had another plan. We were hit with a downpour of rain. At least we were still in the car. So we decided to sit out the rain (hmmm...this sounds familiar).

The rain stopped and we started up to the waterfall. I didn't realise the walk was going to be straight up the entire way! I puffed on my inhailer, but I was still so out of shape and embarrassed that I was slowing everyone down. In the end we didn't make it all the way up to the waterfall, though we got a good way there. We weren't even sure if there was a path to the waterfall. The midgies were eating at Peter and me and it was starting to rain again.

After our walk we headed to the King's House Hotel for tea. This is one of the stops for folks doing the West Highland Way, so we saw some tired walkers there.

Thanks, Sam and Peter for that adventure!

The Borders

I am having a hard time keeping up with this blog now. I am trying keep up with another blog to sell our things here: http://carbootsale.blogspot.com/. I am also enjoying the warmer weather we have been having. I just can't attach myself to the computer when it is nice out. Especially here when the weather can change in a second. Just recently we were going to go out for a walk but for some reason Josh wanted to wait a bit, can't remember why. He said something about how nice and sunny it will be when we go out. I said, "Josh, we are in Scotland!" He knew that what I meant was "It may be sunny and warm now, but in just 5 minutes it could be cold, windy, and rainy." I am seriously now exaggerating by how quickly the weather changes. So everyone that lives here knows that if it is now out, you better get out there NOW to enjoy it. :)

So, speaking of weather, we had a nice wet day for our trip out to the border abbeys a couple of weeks ago. Our friends Paul and Michelle wanted to take us to a part of Scotland that we hadn't seen yet. The border abbeys are, obviously, on the borders (of Scotland and England, for those who may not know). I don't know much of the history of them, but I do know that being on the borders they were prime target to be ransacked by the English. I am sure I will provide a few links here and there, so if you are so inclined you can read up on the history.

Jedburgh Abbey was the one that I had seen a lot of pictures of and really wanted to see, so that was our first stop. I didn't really get many pictures because the audio tour thingie was handheld, making it difficult to keep up with everyone else and snap some shots.

After being drizzled on throughout the tour we decided it was time to eat lunch. We found a dry spot (under a pavilion) and spread out our picnic. I guess Paul is like me and goes a bit overboard with the food planning, so we definately did not starve!

After drying out a bit we got on our way toward home. On the way we decided to make a little detour to Dryburgh Abbey. It was anything BUT dry. We waited in the car for a few minutes for the downpour to let up a bit. When it was a little less wet we hopped out to take a look.

I am really suprised that I didn't find too much mention that this is the burial place of the beloved Sir Walter Scott.

You can see Josh is getting wet. We got so tired of WET. But you learn here that if it is raining, you just get on with it. If you wait for it to stop raining, life will pass you by!

Thanks, Paul and Michelle for taking us to see the borders!

Strawberry Shortcakes!

I have not posted about any of my baking fun in a while...well, because I haven't done much baking. I was so depressed and stressed from work and other things that I wasn't in much of a mood to do anything, even though baking can be very therapeudic for me.

We have finally be getting some really great weather, which puts me in the mood for summer foods. And what says summer better than strawberry shortcakes! Well, maybe not for your british folks, but we Americans get very excited about strawberry shortcake.

I baked my own shortcakes and whipped up my own whipped cream. I am a convert. I don't know if I will every buy Cool-Whip when I am back in the States.

I am looking forward to getting back to a summer of plentiful fruit. We haven't had much in the last 2 years because the fruit here is either pretty expensive or it just doesn't taste good. The nectarines, plums, and peaches are sold rock hard! I only recently discovered that they sell a small package of 'perfectly ripe' necartines and such for a more dearer price. I don't understand why they can't just sell them all 'perfectly ripe'! I will miss the british berries, though. They are so scrummy! (weird that I just used that word) I just bought a package of british raspberries and ate them all by myself! Not a single tart one in the bunch. And so sweet!

Last Day

My last day of work was on the 4th of July. It was very uneventful. No tears were shed, except for a customer or two, and Brett who was getting used to his free drinks. :)

Since no one planned a leaving do for me, Josh took me out to celebrate. It was a dual celebration for the 4th of July. We had Mexican! Yum, yum! Something you don't find too often here. And this place has been sitting under our noses all along! We went to the Blue Parrot just down the road from us. They have fun eclectic decor. From the outside it looks like something from Mexico with their colourful painted grates covering the windows. Their loo is located outside in a wee shed. Oh, and they have a fake blue parrot in a bird cage to greet you as you enter.

This was one of the rare times I felt full upon leaving a restaurant here in Scotland (the portions here are much more wee than we Americans are used to). Josh got a burrito and I got chicken fajitas. I can't really get used to the way they serve up their chicken for fajitas here, in large chunks rather than thin slivers. I still cut them small.

Oh, we had chips and salsa to begin with (not complimentary like many Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurants we are used to). The salsa was called spicy, but I had to ask because spicy by Scottish standards is kinda wimpy, even for me. But it really was spicy! And good!

Afterwards it was still so nice out (we are just now starting to enjoy a bit of summer here in Scotland, we get a bit of sun each day and sometimes the temps get up to 70!) that I just couldn't bear to go inside. Despite our full bellies we went for a bit of a walk on the River Leith. I will miss the river.

My Last Week

Today was the first day of my last week of work. Wednesday is my last day. Yes, my independence day is Independence Day. ;)

We had a bit of an adventure. I actually didn't serve any customers today. I would have been greatful for this in weeks past, but as all of my customers are morning regulars and I only have one more morning this week, I was quite sad to think that I may not see any customer if Wednesday happens to be their off day.

I don't know why I always get the pleasure of these early morning adventures...

We arrived to a burnt out door...oh, wait, that was January. Everything seemed fine when we arrived. We went to clock in but it seemed that the newish barista may have punched in the wrong code to the office door and locked us out. Ok, I will clock us in for the appropriate time. We go upstairs to do some opening duties. I am concerned that I may not get all of my duties done downstairs in time to open at the right time (these customers start beating down the door if we do not open at 6:50). I do down later to try again. Nope. Later. Nope. I was sure it had been the right amount of time for the lock to time out. I tried for 20 minutes to no avail. Everthing is in the office. We cannot open without getting in there. Everything including phone numbers.

We get our jackets back on and head on up to the nearest Starbucks. I used to work with the ASM on shift so we have a bit of a banter. Then he laughs at me when I can finally tell him that we are locked out of the office. So I call my manager and write down some other phone numbers.

Back at our store I try the door again just to see. No access. So I call maintainance and have a bit of a laugh with the guy because I was suprised at the cheery greeting he gave me (I had to ask him if I had the right number). I tell him my problem, tell him we can't open, and he says he will have a locksmith call me to see if he can talk me through an override for the code. While we wait, we clean.

My manager shows up. We clean...and we clean. Despite the sign on the door the customers still jiggle it, wondering why it does not open. Some beg us to just make us a drink anyways and they will give us 10 quid (tempting...I might have made out pretty big today if my boss wasnt' there!). We clean. They can't figure out why we can't open if we are all there in plain view.

After 2 1/2 hours we wonder what is up with the locksmith. A call like this would go on an emergency call, which requires a response within 2 hours. My manager calls maintainance. They say, "Oh, you aren't trading??" Uh, we said earlier that we could not open. "Oh, well we will have to send someone from Glasgow. It should be 2-3 hours." WHAH!!!! If they would have responded when we first called they could have been here by now! Ok, so we clean some more.

Our 11:00 barista comes in and we decide we should have lunch soon. At 11:30 my boss says I can go home. YAY!

So I will find out tomorrow when we were finally able to open. Unfortunately there was probably so much food that had to be thrown out because we would not have been able to sell it all without the morning rush.

I wonder if I will have any more adventures this week...

Kinda sad

Maria and me

We are starting to get down to a lot of 'lasts.' Today was the last day I would see Maria. She is flying back home to Spain on Sunday. Today was also the last day I would get to work with any of my favourite colleagues. Maria is gone, Josh is LONG gone, Sylvain was on holidays this week and we are not scheduled to work together next week, Danny is on holidays next week. So that's it.

This move is sad and very different than our move here. When we came here, though we were sad to leave family and friends, we knew that we would see them again. Now we are leaving a place we are not sure that we will ever see again, and we are leaving people we may never see again. If we do, it would require an awful lot of traveling on someone's part.

I am starting to say good-bye to my customers, too. Some of them say they will be sure to come in Wednesday morning for my last day.

Frolicking sheep

I really, really want one of these for a souvenier. http://www.jamespirie.co.uk/standrews/product.cfm?ManID=7&GrpID=0&Group=&CatID=0&Start=1&PageNum=1&ProductID=404

I just can't bring myself to pay those prices for a wee mug. And I mean wee! Highland Stoneware is a good investment, but I wouldn't just stick it up in a cabinet somewhere. I would want to use it and of course I will end up chipping it.

We are going to end up coming home with plenty of other souveniers.

me@work

Very exciting, indeed.

I don't have any pictures of actually doing work. Maybe that says something.

There has been a group of us leaving, so we have been bringing in our cameras to capture our last days. It's been fun to get pictures of the people I have been working with the last 1-2 years.

I don't know why I chose to pose with a milk pitcher and an espresso cup.
Maria and me on her last day.

Nevermind the shiney faces. It was hot and we just finished a rush.

Maria's last day was last week. She is going back home to Spain.

Danny, me, Maria. This again was on Maria's last day.

Josh's leaving do. He recently went back to Canada.

The misty Isle of Skye

And it is not for no reason that this isle is called misty

As I said in a previous post, we decided at the last minute to do a 3 day tour of Skye. Agian, with Rabbie's Trail Burners. They have really good tour guides! Our guide this time was named Richard and he told stories about Scottish history nearly the entire time. They were all bloody because as he said, there are no nice stories about Scotland.

Our tour was lovely, except for the torrential rains on Thursday, the day we toured the island. But by Thursday afternoon the skies cleared and the sun shone (off and on, and rain off and on). That is why they say 4 seasons in one day in Scotland.

On the tour with us was a group of 5 from Malaysia. We learned on the last day that in that group was a couple on their honeymoon! They were also in the hostel with us, in the same room. Now, it's nice to travel with family, but I couldn't take them on my honeymoon with me.

I don't really remember all of the names of places and the exact sequence of things. It is hard to describe the trip, so I will just let you see some of the pictures and see for yourself how lovely it was. I will try to explain some of the pictures when I get them on flickr. It might not be until tomorrow, though, as I am getting ready for work just now.

Can anybody tell me what this looks like?

Can anybody NOT in Scotland (or the UK for that matter) tell me what this looks like?

Eilean Donan Castle

Kilt Rock

You can't see it here because this is when we had the torrential rains, but this is called kilt rock because of the creases in the rock, which look like a kilt.

Portree (the royal port)

Where we stayed

Neist Point

Glen Coe

Much more foggy this time.

And now, time to go home

So then, it was time to say good-bye to my parents. I don't have any pictures of us on this day. We had to get up before the sun, so I wasn't about to risk the wrath of those with blood-shot eyes.

It was so nice to have my parents for a visit, and we were so glad that they enjoyed the trip. This was their first flight ever and we were so worried that it would end up being traumatic for them. I am glad they came in April, too. They were thinking of coming in June, but seeing this weather now, I am so glad they came when they did. We have had about 2 partial days of sunshine in the last month!


We got to enjoy a nice sunrise on the bus ride back in to Edinburgh.

Day 6

I think I must have gotten my days mixed up because I thought the last day was a free day. But anyways, here it is. The last thing we went to see was Rosslyn Chapel. No, I have not read The DiVinci Code. I just know that it is a very ornate chapel and if was high on my dad's list of priorities.

My parents got to enjoy their first ride on the upper deck of the bus. It was here that they saw just how close the busses come together and my mom could not help but panic every time.

Though it was much smaller than I imagined, it was really a lovely chapel. So much work went into the intricate carvings that covered the entire interior. There is so much meaning in the carvings. If you can I suggest reading a bit about it. I couldn't really find any links that went into the detail of the carvings, but here is a start:

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/roslin/rosslynchapel/

https://www.rosslynchapel.com/htm/architecture.htm

And again, like always, vitis flickr for more pics.

Day 5

Today was the big, much anticipated tour to the Highlands. We chose to go with Rabbie's Trail Burners (notice the pun, Robert, or Rab Burns is one of their celebrated author's). There are so many touring companies in Edinburgh. We are glad we went with them because the tour was more intimate. Only 15 people to a bus (our tour happened to only have 8).

First of all we had to make a stop at St. Giles to see John Knox's grave. The first time we were there it was hidden under a car. Yep, carpark #23 and a simple unmarked plaque.
So then we hopped in a minibus and headed off to the highlands. It was good doing this with a tour guide. Don't have to worry about maps and figuring out what the road signs really mean. It was especially good in the highlands as the roads are very narrow and twisty.
Our first stop was to visit a beloved heilan' coo (highland cow) named Hamish. He gets so much attention.

My absolute part of everything we saw during this whole week was Glen Coe. It was so stunning and haunting. I wanted so badly to go in and explore some of those hills, but it was only a quick 10 minute stop. Glen Coe will always haunt me.

Other than it's spectacular beauty, Glen Coe is famous for the Glen Coe massacre. We heard of many battles between the clans on our tour (a bloody, bloody history Scotland has), but this one is very well known because the MacDonlands had given highland hospitality to the troops that had slaughtered them. It was an unwritten rule to always provide hospitality to those who came to your door, even if they were an opposing clan, as the Campbells were to the MacDonalds. And in return, those who accepted the hospitality were not to do any harm to their hosts. The weather in the highlands could be very severe so this hospitality could be very vital to the lives of travelers.

We reached our destination: Loch Ness. Our stop on Loch Ness was Fort Augustus. Loch Ness is not just a wee loch. It is 23 miles long. It is the largest loch in Scotland by volume and contains more freshwater than all of England and Wales combined. Though it is only 1 mile wide in some parts, it is very deep. Its deepest point is 754 feet. The depth of the loch leads to many stories about what could be lying at the bottom of the loch. Including Nessie. And look! We even got a peek at her!

Please take a look at flickr for many more stunning photos of our tour.

Remember, there is more than just one page. Click on the little numbers at the bottom of the flickr page to see more pics.

Happy Father's Day!

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Is Ecover really best?

When I was on my detox diet I decided to buy some eco-friendly cleaning supplies. I thought that if I was detoxing then I should be aware not only the toxic stuff I digest, but also the stuff that I put in the air and in our clothes. I bought Ecover hand soap, dish soap, multi-purpose cleaner, and laundry detergent and fabric softener. I felt that the laundry stuff was the most important right now as it is what we put in our clothes and our clothes are on us always.

Anyways, I noticed that when I do the dishes or clean the bathroom I have to use twice as much soap or cleaner as I would with the other stuff to get the same results. So I am wondering if this stuff really is more earth-friendly. Will twice as much of the more 'friendly' chemicals do just as much damage as the 'non-friendly'?

I am also wondering how much our footprint will change when we move back to the States. Some things here are sort of forced or automatic. We do not have a car. We do not have a dryer. A lot of shops do not offer you bags or you may have to pay for them. One of our larger grocery stores offers 'points' if you bring in your own bags. And they certainly wont bag it for you! Our heating is hot water and I love that you can put it on a timer to just have it come on once or twice a day for an hour or so.

I know that when we go home we will be driving a lot more. It is just not as easy to walk places as it is here (or take the bus). I will probably still try to do some of my grocery shopping without a car, or try to pick things up on my way here or there. I plan to use my own bags. I am really used to that. I will probably get strange looks when I start to frantically pack my own bags. I'll have to get used to someone else doing it for me again. While I do miss having a dryer, I will probably just use the dryer on a lower setting for a shorter time and air dry the clothes the rest of the way (I am just tired of crunchy clothes, sometimes smelling of mould if they don't dry fast enough). I now have my 'woobie', my beloved hot water bottle. And I drink tea a LOT more, so I will utilise those methods of keeping warm rather than turning the heat up. We will see...

Carboot Sale

I set up a blog to help sell (or sale) our items off before moving. If you are located in Edinburgh please take a look. If you are not in Edinburgh and are really interested in something I may be able to arrange shipping. I am DESPERATE to get rid of things (though some things are difficult to part with).
http://carbootsale.blogspot.com/

Another move from the 'nanny state'

Crackdown on middle class wine drinkers
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article1884492.ece

This article from the Times says that the government is trying to crack down on excessive drinking. Good on them! I do think there is a problem. I question their motives and the way they are going about it, though. A tax on wine is supposed to curb the drinking of those who sip wine at home, causing health issues, costing the NHS money. And that is just it. 'costing the NHS money.' One of the things you get with universal healthcare (and I love free healthcare, not looking forward to paying for insurance, doctor's visits, prescriptions once we get home) is a lot of laws that are supposed to keep the general public in better health. Hmmm, maybe they should be cracking down on chippies... ;)

It seems to me that a more effective approach would be to crack down on public intoxication. It is not illegal to be publically intoxicated. Last night as we were walking back late from the cinema we had to dodge drunks who were inclined to nearly fall on us as we walked by. Some looked sick and I was worried they would keel over and vomit on my shoes. I told Josh that we were probably one of the few out on the streets who weren't drunk or nearly drunk. And these weren't the drunks on the road that I would have pictured a couple of years ago (dirty, scruffy middle-aged men in flannel shirts and torn jeans, had their licence revoked, live with mom). These were professional 20- and 30-somethings, even teens (it is legal to drink at 16), men and women, a lot of women. There are a lot of fights when people are drunk. I saw a lot of tension between strangers as we walked by. There are very, very strict laws on the weapons you can carry - nothing, really (absolutely no guns allowed ever, no mace, no knives other than a wee non-locking pen knife), but people coming up with their own weapons to do combat with a fellow drunk. They are using broken beer and wine bottles to stab when they can't use a knife.

The article said that they are also going to require labels on bottles and signs in pubs stating the units of alcohol per glass because people are just not aware of how much alcohol is in a drink. I am sorry but people just need to be told that they need to take responsibility for their actions. I laugh at a mental picture of someone throwing up on the curb (there is a LOT of vomit to be dodged on a Saturday, Sunday, or even Monday morning...heck, ANY morning), cursing the pub for not telling them that the amount of alcohol they drank was going to make them drunk. Drinkers ought to be responsible for their own actions, listening to their own bodies and being aware of when they are getting to their limit. Your mind will tell you when you are having too much to keep all of your faculties.

I find that people are very responsible about drink-driving. There is zero tolerance so most people will plan ahead for this. They will walk home, call a taxi, or there will be one designated driver. But beyond this there needs to be more responsibility with how much one drinks and how it will effect their own health and their behaviour in public. I am tired of dodging vomit on the sidewalks.

Ok, that's me done bletherin'

Sometimes they really make you smile

I have been telling a few of my customers that I will be leaving soon. They frown and say that I will be missed. Two-grande-skimmed-cappuccinos came in today. When I told her about my leaving she stuck her lip out and said, "You are the best cappuccino maker in Edinburgh! What shall I do!?"

Thunder! Could it be?

I thought I heard a low rumbling noise and thought, "Is that thunder?!" I have only heard thunder a couple of times since we moved here. And I think I have only seen lightening once. I sometimes forget that it exists. So I ran to open our french doors. Sure enough! It is thunder! It sounds like it is many miles away, but it still brings up those memories of sitting on the front porch to watch the rain storms in the summer. I love that fresh smell and the feeling of the cooling mist from the rain.

The thunder is becoming a bit more frequent and the clouds are very gray overhead. Maybe we will get a storm! Naw, it will probably just pass right over.

It is strange what a different view we get from our windows. The windows facing south reveal a very gray, stormy looking sky. Very ominous. The windows facing south show a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds.

MTA: I just saw lightening and the thunder is getting louder and more distinct! It smells like rain! :) Only, I hope it's not raining in 4 hours when Josh has to walk home.

Rude customer of the month award

Customer comes in. I was actually in a pretty light-hearted mood for my first day back from holiday. I greeted her with a smile, as I always do, and said, "Hi, there! What can I get for you?" Not smiling or greeting me she says, "I want a coffee." Still smiling I say, "Ok, what size?" Rolling her eyes, shaking her head, and flailing her arms about (clearly this is a tough question) she says, "I don't know! Small!" STILL smiling I say, "Ok, a small drip?" (No, I wasn't calling her that) She says, "Yeah, an americano." For those of you who are not coffee drinkers or those of you who only have YOUR drink and don't know what else exists, an americano is espresso with hot water. So I say, "Oh, you would like an americano?" This is appearantly too much for the customer because she begins convulsing and saying, "Whatever, whatever! I just want coffee! What is it you are talking about!? Just give me coffee!" Uh-oh, I have one more question for her and I am not sure she can handle it. "Are you sitting in or taking away?" She screams at me, "Taking away!" So I give a look to the girl on till and proceed to take a tall cup over to the columbia shuttle (drip coffee).

I start to get the coffee. I hear a customer come in and she greets the rude customer by name. I recognise her voice as tall-single-shot-black-americano-in-a-grande-cup-and-skinny-blueberr-muffin (Yes, that is how we know our customers). After a moment I hear Maria say, "Which kind of muffin?" And she stares Maria down and litterally screams, "I SAID A SKIIIIINNY ONNNNE!" So I stop what I am doing and stare her down. Maria very politely says, "Which kind of skinny one?" and actually starts to list them. She said blueberry so Maria goes to get it. I am still staring at her and she looks at me, then quickly looks down. I am tired of being treated like crap and I am trying to think of what to say to her. Maria is flustered and grabs a plate to put the muffin on. Rude customer is about to pull her hair out and hisses "I SAID I am TAKING AWAY!" Regular customer and I make eye contact and she looks a bit bewildered. She talks to rude customer. Rude customer says she is having a bad morning. This is my cue. I bring her coffee over to her (not including the addition of saliva that I wanted to make) and say, "You ought not to take it out on us. We are just trying to get you what it is you are wanting." She shouts at me saying that she just wanted a skinny muffin. I say that we have several skinny muffins. And she declares herself the winner of this battle by wobbling her head around and shouts, "WELL, I didn't know THAT!!" and turns to regular customer.

Day 4

Finally, chapter 4 of the story of my parents' visit!

Calton Hill is a lovely place to get great views of the city. The views rival those from Arthur's Seat. Well, it's practically right NEXT to Arthur's Seat, but you don't have to huff and puff your way up there. There is a nice little drive way and we were perfectly happy to take the taxi up.

This is one of the most popular, if not THE most popular views of Edinburgh. Too bad there was still just a wee bit of haar hanging about, but the views were still lovely. My dad was inspired to break out into a photo shoot with my mom. :)

After this we took a wee walk down Prince's Street and over to Prince's Street Gardens. It was such a lovely day and everything was in bloom!

From there we went straight to the Queen's palace, Holyrood to make sure we had plenty of time to see it (we spent too much time in the castle on Friday and they were closing by the time we made it down the Royal Mile). Unfortunately they don't allow pictures inside.

This one was a first for Josh and I. I am not much for wealth and glamour, even if it is the royalty, but I really enjoyed the history. In one of the rooms it is said that one can still see the blood stain that was spilt by David Rizzio, the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots. Here is a brief story of what happened: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rizzio

I'm not sure I spotted the place of the stain, but I had a good guess.

Outside the palace is Holyrood Abbey, founded by King David I. Here is a link to the story: http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/Castles/Holyroodhouse.htm

It was lovely to walk the gardens of the palace. I could just imagine myself as a courtier in centuries past.

After the palace we made another trip back up the the castle. The photographer in my dad wanted to get better shots over the walls. No, not with the cannons! Though I had my canon. I am so not funny! Like I said earlier, there was still a wee bit of haze, but the views were WAY better than the white wall we had to look at on Friday.

When we were done in the city we went home to prepare for Sam and Peter. We enjoyed their company for dinner. Sam brought over some amazing puddings for the British experience. If I remember correctly, she made rhurbarb cobbler, Bramley apple cobbler, and chocolate bread and butter pudding. It was yummy! And my dad even tried some! Shocking! I think my parents could have sat up all night just listening to Sam and Peter talk. :)

Again, please, Please, PLEASE hop on over to flickr to see the other pictures. I don't think I am getting much traffic over that way. I am not proud, but I do love pictures and I do like to share the wonderful things that we get to see. There are quite a few pages now of photos from this holiday.