Another rather patch entry, reconstructed from memory in parts.
In general
We returned to North
Berwick after travelling round for the festive season. Time for some
new year's resolutions: lose weight and get fit again, and get on
with finding a job! The agencies and job sites were showing more
activity, and I focused in on job priorities to target the right
companies and jobs. Hopefully it'll pay off! Ness got back into
swimming, doing 50, 60, 70 lengths several times a week while I
opted for the nice little health suite at the local pool, sweating
it out in the sauna and steam room. We also went for regular walks
along the great beaches here, which has been a great way of building
in a break from the admin and job hunt. Every time we go out for one
of these walks it hits home why we have moved here - the fresh air,
open skies and wide horizons, especially looking out towards the
Bass Rock and the open North Sea beyond. We also made sure that
we're taking advantage of the cultural side of Edinburgh, whether
it's just going to the pictures or seeing a performance of some
kind. With Mark and Eliza we entered the local Cinema Club's quiz. I
had banked on a total annihilation of the opposition with Eliza's
encyclopaedic knowledge of films, but the quiz was targeted at a
rather older audience, with most of the films dating back to the
early days of the talkies! Despite this we (Eliza!) still managed to
put in a pretty creditable performance. We went for walks in the
Lammermuir hills. The first one was across lonely moorland near
Gamelshiel Castle (only two walls remain) and Whiteadder Water
(pronounced locally as "whit'dder", virtually omitting the "a"). We
met a grouse shooting party, in their green tweed and guns. The next
walk we did was a slightly longer one to the ruins of Hailes Castle
and up Traprain Law, from where we had some fantastic views over the
surrounding landscape and North Sea.
Scottish
weather
During November,
December as well as in January, we have had a fantastic range of
weather. On the one hand we've had the glorious clear sunny bright
days, with intense blue skies and sharply defined horizons, and
coasts and islands brilliantly lit up in the low-in-the-sky sunshine
which lights things up from the side rather than from above (am I
making sense?), colours looking so vivid, the greens very green, and
even the grey rocks. When the wind blows from the west or north-west
(usually) on a day like this we could see the white foam-heads of
the waves as the spray is blown back (the waves rolling off the
north sea into the Forth), and across the Forth you can clearly see
Fife, for now an undiscovered bit of Scotland for us. On other days
we have had stormy weather, with gale force winds buffeting the
house, and heavy downpours of rain, gusting and fierce weather, with
brooding dark clouds overhead. Fantastic! Only on a few a rare days
has the weather been of the just ordinary greyness we used to get in
London, when nothing seems to stir. I just love this new environment
we have picked for ourselves. And that's just the ordinary stuff, in
and around North Berwick and Edinburgh, nothing compared to the
mountain weather I have experienced out walking with Mark, or what I
imagine the west coast and remote islands have to offer. Can't wait
to go and see them!
Edinburgh
Over the past few
months we have managed to get to know a bit of Edinburgh, going out
for drinks and dinner, with Mark and Eliza or just on our own. We
have been to the cinema quite a few times, to the Vue at the Omni
Centre and the Ocean Terminal in Leith. I had hoped that the latter
was a seafront development a la Halifax or Cape Town's waterfront,
but in fact it is just an enclosed shopping centre and entertainment
complex, with no possibility to go outside for a walk along the
waterfront. The Omni Centre is in the centre of town and easy to get
to, as is pretty much everywhere in Edinburgh, whether by car or by
train/bus. Where else have we been? To a few restaurants here and
there. For example, in Leith we went to a Greek (?) restaurant
called [SOMETHING] and nearby, on a different day, we popped into a
snug pub, which has a very decent-looking dining room we haven't
tried yet. Other spots have been more in the centre, a few places on
Thistle Street, like the Thistle pub, a great find, and Dusit, an
excellent Thai restaurant just a bit further along. Other places we
have explored are the Polish deli and the Chinese supermarket, both
on Leith Walk. I renewed my passport at the Dutch consulate based in
a small old house on Thistle Street, tucked behind the Standard Life
offices. We also made it out to visit the famous Edinburgh castle at
some point this month. It was a freezing cold day, and grey skies
and dark clouds made for an atmospheric visit. From the cafeteria we
could see the North Berwick Law quite clearly. Christmas fair,
lights and market, and Christmas shopping
Stirling
One weekend we drove
out to Stirling, to visit the castle on a cold, rainy, sleety day.
We drove to Stirling, about one and a half hour from North Berwick,
and had a pub lunch before going into the castle. The pub was called
... [NAME?], with a roaring fire inside, and I had a great pint of
Scottish ale and we had tasty sandwiches. Then we visited the
castle, just in time to join a tour, along with about twenty or
thirty others, mostly young travellers on their backpacking route I
got the impression, and mostly foreign tourists rather than Brits.
The castle itself was very much a place of history, although large
parts of it were currently being restored and only the great hall
and a chapel were fully decorated. Ness had to dash off but when she
came back we revisited the rooms and then took a look in the
regimental/military museum, which brought to life a past of military
campaigns from South Africa, the Boer Wars, to Afghanistan (?),
Europe, Sudan (?), and so on, and lots of valiant and heroic deeds.
Fantastic museum, with all the regimental paraphernalia, standards,
costumes, plaques and silverware presented by the officers, and so
on.
Fri 25 Jan
In the morning we
went for a nice warm swim and sweat, and later in the day finally
tackled the Law as it looked like a fine day. It was cold and clear,
perfect. We made a packed lunch and flask of tea and in the
afternoon made our way to the top, via a rather steep route as I
failed to spot the much easier path. At the top it was very windy
and cold, and without shelter we didn't stop for lunch but just
headed back down after taking some pictures. On the way down we did
manage to find the path, handy for future runs! The Law is pretty
badly eroded in many places, in part no doubt due to the many
walkers following different routes rather than sticking to a single
path, but I also noticed a large number of rabbit and fox holes all
over the place.
In the evening we
saw an RSAMD performances at Festival Theatre: l'Heure Espagnole and
Gianni Schicchi, followed by curry across the road.
Sat 26 Jan
Ness was in
Solihulll. I went to my Coastal Skipper course, and it was nice to
meet some other people and get back into the sailing jargon. The
others on the course are Eric (Commodore) & Jane Robertson, Niall,
an engineer who used to design & build boats but now deals with more
conventional construction projects (such as the property
developments along Leith harbour), Mike, a local IT specialist who
has a lot of business from the local golf clubs, and Jim and Sally,
a couple from Edinburgh who have got into sailing recently, got
themselves a boat and seem quite happy pottering about along the
coastal waters, doing the sort of thing I hope Ness and I will be
able to do one day.
Sun 28 Jan
Coastal Skipper
course.
Mon 29 Jan
?
Tue 30 Jan
Sat in front of
laptop most of the day. Morning beach walk, swim/steam
Wed 31 Jan
Job apps, sat in
front of laptop most of the day. Ness went for a swim, and
afterwards we went for a lunchtime beach walk.
