Marjorie's ramblings

By walkingMarj

Eyemouth fishing disaster

This is a back blip. I forgot to take the connection for my iPad with me to Berwick and no one else had the appropriate cable to loan to me.

Twenty of us took the bus from our hotel to Eyemouth and then walked back on the coastal path.

In the morning, we were shrouded in sea fret. It was uncomfortably hot because we wore waterproofs and it was 100% humidity. By lunchtime, the fret had burnt off and the afternoon was lovely.

In Eyemouth there is a 5metre long sculpture called Widows and Bairns commemorating Black Friday in 1881 when 189 fishermen were drowned off shore during a severe storm

Many of them drowned within full view of their families on the shore.

The tragedy left 78 widows and 182 fatherless children in the town.

The sculptor's creator was Jill Watson and it was unveiled in 2016.

We enjoyed the view of the coast and the sea. The highlight for many was watching the amazing engineering work on the East Coast mainline. We saw a piece of machinery that is used to lift the old concrete sleepers and lay the new ones. Noisy, but even I thought it was worth watching!

In the evening John Johnson told us a top secret tale about the role of the Oanie tribe in WWII. (John knows all about this tribe and has told us hilarious tales about them over the years.) You had to be there. John Arthur led the singing of Cushy Butterfield. There was great enthusiasm but a number of different keys!!

It was just lovely to be with friends and be totally relaxed.

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