Hey Guys!
Just a short update - Last night we got word that Mikes Granny - ie the one we stayed with a little while ago - has been taken to hospital and undergone urgent surgery on her stomach - She is apparently already ordering the nurses around so she must be feeling reasonably well however could you guys please remember her in your prayers and mike as well that he can deal with the extra worry and stress. It does cause some changes to our accomodation plans as mike's aunty is coming to stay with granny (She lives in France) but these are nothing that can't be overcome!
That was the end to what had been a really nice day - we went on day tour up into the highlands, up to Loch Ness, we saw the Battle of Bannockburn site margo - didn't get to stop but passed on your regards from the bus as we passed! - had whisky tasting in a town called Spean Bridge - YUCKO. Eww it was gross. The heather cream was much better. don't think i will be making a habit of whisky drinking! We have managed to strike the 2 nicest days in Edinburgh/scotland that they have had all summer. I even got a little sunburnt on my arms! So the heather was out and blooming - looking very lovely in the Sun however the one time it did cloud over was as we were going past Ben Nevis so we didn't get to see the UK's tallest mountain.
The night of the 23rd we had the tattoo. Now imagine a long cobbled street with big stone buildings on either side packed from side to side with a mass of people and puncutated every 5 metres or so with a person shouting what took me several goes to understand as 'tatto program'. this was the site of the people walking the royal mile up to the castle esplanade where the tatto is held. They smoosh you into the seating like sardines in a can. i was sitting, no wedged is a better word, between Mike and a big german man and we had to sit with shoulders overlapping ie one shoulder sits behind the person the person on your left and one shoulder sits in front of the person on your right. Well all i can say was at least you didn't get cold.
The tatto itself was pretty cool, we didn't walk away awestruck but it was still a very entertaining night. There was a group from a military music conservatorium in Russia that were very entertaining with their dance moves, a girls highschool band and drill team from Taipei that was brilliant, a pipe band from China, a brass band on horseback, a motorcycle youth team who did all sorts of amazing tricks and of course the mass pipe bands and the highland dancing girls. They did a history of music's roles in the wars, ongoing wars included and they had an amazing light/graphic show projected up onto the face of the castle. pretty impressive. Oh and i must'nt forget the military steel band from trinidad and tobago which was complete with harry belafonte tunes and two people doing the limbo with the cross beam lit. wow.
Okay, that's all for now, we're flying out to Ireland at 10pm tonight, arriving in Shannon at 11.30pm - we're going on Ryan Air so any prayers for baggage arriving with us would be much appreciated!!
Thanks guys,
Tune in next time for 'to be sure, to be sure'
love KJ
|
