Heading North

London’s streets and tubes were curiously quiet (relatively speaking) and we got to Kings Cross, had breakfast, bought lunch and found our seats with twenty minutes to spare. A broken down train outside Retford added an hour to the journey time but we were in good company; we chatted much of the way with a delightful young couple sitting opposite, who were travelling with their eight month old baby. Hopefully they didn’t find us too boring or annoying. You do wonder as you get older. “O wad some Power the giftie gie us, to see oursels as ithers see us!" as The Ploughman Poet famously said.

We didn’t have too long for sightseeing but managed a walk up to the castle, and took in St Giles Cathedral which is beautiful inside.

Edinburgh was doing the "four seasons in one day" thing and we managed bright sunshine, hail, biting winds and dull skies, all in the space of the three hours before meeting up with our old friends R and S who scooped us up into their warm car and took us home. Had an absolutely lovely evening of good food, beer, whisky and conversation before tipping into bed. Much of the talk was about the benefits and ironies of an active third age - the joy of having more free hours to indulge your passions and the slightly unnerving speed with which time passes.

Good day. Very good day.