A Family Affair

I see it's three weeks since I last posted a blog. In that time I have managed a trip to Beverly in south Yorkshire with Kenny Bell to visit his brother Cliff and his wife Margaret. Cliff and I have been lifelong friends so it was nice to get the opportunity to visit them. Beverly is a lovely town with the Minster totally dominating the skyline for miles around.

On returning from Beverly on the Wednesday I had a nights rest replenished my travel case with fresh clothes and headed for Haddington the following afternoon. It lifts my heart to see Joe and Sandy. Sandy had just acquired a hamster which he has named Erin "because it's a girl Granpa". Erin was afforded state of the art Hamster accommodation with lots of rooms and tubes to scurry about in. As all of this is made of clear plastic Hoover the cat on longingly licking his lips.

Neil had an all day meeting in Edinburgh on Friday so I travelled in with him by train with the intention of having a wander round taking photographs. I had an excellent day visiting various places of interest on and around the Royal Mile. I spent a very interesting two hours in the National Museum of Scotland which has recently been refurbished. This is a vast museum and to see all its exhibits properly would take a couple of days. The downside of the day was, with all the walking about I did it did the arthritis in my foot no good at all so I was more than pleased when I met up with Neil at Waverley Station.

St Giles

"shall I open an account or not"?

Edinburgh Castle

 

Entrance to Greyfriars churchyard

National Museum of Scotland

I used to have one of these

and I used to operate one of these

Individual crosses meticulously being prepared for armistice Sunday at the foot of Scots monument  

Yesterday it was the turn of Neil and the boys to visit me. Neil and I had arranged to go to see Georgie Fame at the Buccleuch Centre. As Kate was committed to working a night shift at her job as a nurse she couldn't accompany them so Eileen Barnfather kindly baby sat for us. The concert was a real treat. Georgie played some classic tracks by Mose Allison, Ray Charles, Hoagy Carmichael among others and at the same time giving an entertaining and amusing account of his career. His sons James Powell (drums) and Tristan Powell (guitar) accompanied him so it was very much a family affair this weekend.
  
Joe and Sandy were keen for me to take them for a walk before lunch, so wellies on off we went.

This is what went out

This is what returned

Never the less it was all good fun and what's a little mud to a little boy?