Wild, Wet, Windy, and Cold for Good Measure

It is clearly now winter, the weather has turned cold, it is windy, and very wet. I have noticed that my walking has declined, there are now simply less daylight hours to get outside, and even if I was so inclined the driving rain will probably put me off. On the bright side I am spending more time in the gym. I am working quite hard on my end of term essay, more of that later, but going to the gym and exercising hard during the middle of the day is really good. It cleanses the mind, gives me ideas, and makes the afternoon’s work much easier.

To get out of the house we went on spec to the cinema on Friday night, we watched Bridge of Spies newly released that day. Firstly let me thoroughly recommend this film, it is really good entertainment, the two hours in the cinema went really quickly. The story although well known is played with verve, the cinematography is superb as you might expect with the directors and writers. The acting is interesting in that a stage actor and a film actor, take the two main roles, watching the contrasting techniques is fascinating. It really evokes the Cold War era.

This weekend was our grand daughter’s birthday and in addition she was performing in a show. So it was with the rose tinted spectacles of all grandparents that we watched her dressed as a reindeer and Frosty the snowman and sense the gathering excitement as the birthday approached.

So back to that essay, this is the real thing and what I will be marked on at the end of the first term. I have done a huge amount of reading and have many ideas; it is now just a question of getting it down on paper in some sort of structured way. It is a different sort of pressure than work, there is much more personal pride at stake so the pressure is I think more intense. Still onward and upward, it has to be submitted in exactly one week’s time.

To end with an interesting and little known fact. When the first trains travelled between England and Scotland they had to be stopped at the border for the travellers to be searched. This was because the duty on spirits between England and Scotland was different and there were fears that people would be smuggling cheap whisky into Scotland!!!!

A Holiday in South East Scotland

We have been enjoying a family holiday on the South East Coast of Scotland. We usually have time in Northumberland at this time of year, however on the suggestion of our daughter we hosted a family get together at the weekend and have stayed on for the rest of the week. We are staying in an ultra-modern beach house in Coldingham Bay, so modern that it was described in the Mail Online as a carbuncle. I though rather like the nickname that the locals have given it, Tesco-by-the-Sea.

We had a great weekend with three generations of the family. We provided the house, the children made sure that there was plenty of food and booze. The grandchildren just turned up and were their usual entertaining selves. As the house is almost on beach great fun was had building sandcastles, playing beach cricket, and in Thomas’s case building a bonfire. It is a delightful unspoilt spot, except for the carbuncle of course. It was also a great house as there was plenty of room for everybody. On Saturday evening there was the added bonus of a firework display on the beach hosted by the local school for which we had ring side seats.

Since the activity of the weekend Marion and I have been relaxing and exploring an area that we do not know well. There are some great cliff top walks, quite demanding as they go up and down into and out of unspoilt little coves. The views from the tops of the cliffs are quite stunning, north to the Fife Coast and down the coast as far as Bamburgh.

The coastline is dotted with small workaday fishing villages like St. Abbs and Eyemouth, where there are still large working fishing fleets. In land we have driven to Coldstream and our find of today Kelso. This is a place straight out of the pages of Country Life. I spotted at least three shops where you could buy hunting, shooting, and fishing gear. We saw a man going about his business in plus fours, while the wearing of tweeds was obligatory. Never mind we found a great local pub; it served fantastic beer from the local Tempest Brewery (the barman was very free with his samples). The lunch was really good made from first class local produce particularly the local fish.

We are now battening down the hatches as a storm is forecast for tomorrow. No problem, I shall walk in the morning and we will have some lunch out.