Flodden 500 years on

My blip is of the smallest visitor centre in the world, in Branxton, Northumberland.

I had been looking forward to today's excitement for many years - ever since I realised that the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden would fall in my lifetime. The official commemoration date is Monday 9th September, although whether or not this is exactly 500 years since the day of the battle itself is up for debate due to calendar reform in Britain in 1752. Earlier this week I had been really worried that we wouldn't make it to check out the commemorations. Would we have recovered sufficiently from the colds that we'd been suffering? Yes - hurrah!

My family has a connection to Branxton, the closest village to the site of the battle: three of my cousins were brought up there, and the back garden of the cottage in which my grandmother spent her final years backs on to the Flodden battlefield. One of my cousins, his wife, and their three children still live in the village. So as well as seeing the sights today, we also spent some time with my family.

First we visited Etal Castle, an important site in many Anglo-Scottish conflicts. Here we enjoyed the story-telling of a costumed actor, performing as part of the Flodden commemorations. Then we headed over to Branxton where we met my cousins. They took us up to the battlefield and the excavations, and then we returned to the village to watch readings from a new play entitled Towards Flodden in the marquee that is "hosting" many of the commemorative events.

I see that they have already captured the happenings in Branxton on 7th September on the Flodden 1513 web site. If you look very carefully at the photo of the audience watching the play, you can just see a head and shoulders shot of Mr hazelh in the front row to the right of the pillar. (I'm sitting to the right of him, but I'm obscured by my cousin E's head.)

We had to rush back up to Edinburgh as soon as the play was over to get ready and then head out again for the silver wedding anniversary party of our friends L and T. It was a great evening to top off a fantastic day.

By the way, my next major historical appointment will be in 2025. Then I shall be heading to Stockton-on-Tees to join in the celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the world's first publicly subscribed passenger railway. I vowed to do this back in 1975, when I was 12. Anyone care to join me?

Exercise today - tramping around historical sites and ceilidh dancing at L and T's party.