Sightseeing

What a long day we've just enjoyed - beginning in the dark on the 7am ferry and ending with the 8.30pm ferry home - taking our grandsons out for a day in Edinburgh. The main object of the day was to take them to Surgeons' Hall Museum, a wonderful collection of historical specimens, skeletons, bits of skeletons, information and exhibits. They loved it, and it was well after 2pm before we all declared ourselves starving and headed off for pizzas and - in my case anyway - a restorative Merlot. The photo shows us revived and looking over one of what I consider the most extraordinary features of central Edinburgh, where the Grassmarket plunges down from the level we were on and gives a view to the towers of George Heriot's School. Mr PB here is pointing out to the chaps where he used to attend classes in one of the tower rooms; I think they were expecting him to produce a Harry Potter style wand ...

As for the rest of the day - I've eaten more cake than I have in years, but suspect the sugar kept me going; I've skipped down the Mound to keep up with the boys; I've climbed to the top deck of a couple of buses; I've attempted to tie a surgeon's knot but suspect my patient would have bled to death; I've applied Compeed to a blistered heel. Oh - and played Cluedo for the first time in my life.

I've also discussed Brexit with the boys - amazingly informed and articulate on the subject at 8 and almost 10 years old - and enjoyed myself enormously. But now I need sleep - and preferably not on the computer keyboard...