Tide's In

It's not often I manage to see the yachts floating in water at Fisherrow and not keeling over in oozy mud with the tide well out.
I had persuaded his Lordship to drive down to Aldi at Musselburgh to buy some pots of lavender, and this was too good a chance to miss.

On another tack so to speak, I seem to be turning in to one of those old ladies who sees fit to discipline children running riot in stores and other places.

I don't really want to be one, and it's not as though I don't try very hard to ignore screaming, tantrum rigid toddlers or ones who are helping themselves to fruit in priced punnets while their young Mums feel free to shop in peace; and it's not as if I haven't shopped myself with several small children in bygone days and know that it's perfectly possible to keep children under control with a bit of input, but when you're trying to chose a pot of lavender and there is a 5year old trying to pull roughly at the flowers in as many pots as she can reach, while her mother stands and ignores the situation, then the red mist descends and out come the words "Don't do that' which are considerably milder than my feelings , but are effective in stopping the child in question who now looks at me as if I have horns growing out of my head and stops. Even better, the mother doesn't hear and so doesn't hand bag me for telling off her child. Mission accomplished.

Having bemoaned the lack of neighbourly spirit in the area of the Dower House, I had coffee outside at the nearby cafe with two neighbours this morning and enjoyed the experience. Perhaps other older people on the site feel the same and we can get together more often.
I don't want to have a 'pop in to each other's houses at all times' kind of relationship, just a friendly neighbourliness which contributed to the pleasant atmosphere at the old castle.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm pacing Voeckler up the Alps this afternoon.