Whew!

So after my last post the gentleman who runs the B&B made us all breakfast…eggs laid by his chickens, meat bought from local butchers, the whole works…all excellent. Some juice, coffee and a stroll through their lovely gardens and we were off.

We drove through some pretty countryside and then continued north on the M1, past Sheffield and Leeds, past the Angel of the North, to a farm just north of Neecastle owned by friend of in-laws. Sort of. Anyway, they’ve become the adoptive UK family of my brother and his girlfriend. Their house and farm are beautiful, and they (and their daughter) took care of us and entertained us wonderfully, putting out a delicious lunch and keeping us in stitches. We couldn’t stay long, but it almost felt like leaving home to drive away. I hope to return there one day.

So, after a little unsteady navigating, we find our highway and head north toward Scotland. Just before we crossed the border you could see the change in the terrain: hillier, with more sheep and heather. So, pretty much as expected. But no less beautiful. I take one last piss on the English side of the border and we press on.

A quick stop for pictures of an abbey on the Jed River, a dash along the highway into Edinburgh past rolling hills and grazing sheep, some zipping up and down the cobblestone streets until finally we made it to the hotel. We got checked in, but Nellie and I had a problem: our room wasn’t made up. We ran downstairs and they quickly changed our room. We get to the second room and…it’s a wheelchair access room, which has no tub, which my wife won’t stand for. We go back to the desk, and they very apologetically make it up to us: a suite. So I write this post, sitting on my sofa, watching Wimbledon in surround sound, my feet scrunching a decadent rug. Beauty.

And now…a pub (or two)!!!