Silly faces

Silly pictures from a silly family. Where do they get their flare for the dramatic? Oh, I guess it's us. The MySpace poses are very common when photographing teens. They purse their lips seductively and make a sideways peace sign as illustrated above. It's so lame.

Bon Voyage, Uncle Scott

Edinburgh Castle

It's a sad day, today. Weather's no good either. I'm off to the pub.

The students are back

High Street, Oxford
"The High", site of many town and gown battles, leaving hundreds dead at times... tales that no longer feel disproportionately violent to the situation at hand


We've always lived near college campuses so you would think student behavior couldn't surprise me anymore. However. As the girls and I passed over the Folly Bridge yesterday a.m., I was surprised to see two gigantic picnic tables, a smaller table and all its chairs and multiple flower pots floating below us in the Thames. A late night student piss-up likely turned to vandalizing the patio of the Head of the River Pub. As I headed back south after dropping off the kids, I peered over the bridge again to see the entire mass of furniture had congealed at a corner where the patio and the bridge meet, waiting patiently for the pub to open. The pile, which looked a bit like the battlement in Les Mis, sighed, "no, no, this isn't the first time....that's why we developed this clever strategy to cuddle up to this bit of the patio so as not to drift away..."

The American students have also arrived, and I know that not only by their accents and their herd-like meandering. It's the jogging. They're doggedly determined to maintain the set pace (cardio! cardio!) through the crowded sidewalks, the ridiculous road construction with the sidewalk closures, the bus exhaust and the ankle breaking cobbles, while the florid parks and river trails sit just off to the left and right. Poor stupid dears. While the buses (bless them) continue to make way for me on my ever decreasingly wobbly cycle (today, I led the peloton up St. Aldates; three bikes and a double decker bus), the students aimlessly wander out into the bike lanes all over the city and eventually I suppose will end up ass over teakettle from a collision with my bike. It is conceivable that a bunch of students may rise up in anger, pick up me and BlueBess and toss us into the Thames. I guess I'll just drift over to the edge of the Head of the River until somebody fishes me out. "...Pint of bitter please? And would you be kind enough to get an oar or something to help me out? Cheers."

I can say with all of the students back and all the energy and life and excitement they bring to the city, I will rise up with the townies as necessary.

Sir Roger

Sir Roger and the Americans


Today, Scott and I took a lovely bike ride along the Thames, lunched in town on a delicious baguette of goat cheese, fig chutney and rocket and then waited a brief hour to meet Sir Roger Moore at Borders bookstore in Oxford. He was gracious and patient and in a fabulous suit with his lovely wife at his side. Scott handed him the book to be signed and said, "Oh, it's upside down..." to which Sir Roger replied, "That's alright, so am I." I stood there mute with a gigantic grin on my face looking perhaps like Scott's special sister. We came home and celebrated with martinis and beef.

Shaken not stirred

Alnwick Castle and Garden

This castle was actually our last destination this weekend, so continue to scroll back for pics and stories from Edinburgh.

The Duke of Northumberland and his family actually live in this castle (pronounced 'Annick') in the winter and one of the pages told me the castle is very popular for hunting parties. So Remains of the Day! While the family enjoy very modern accommodations at the top of the castle, they do use some rooms downstairs such as the library and occasionally, the grandest of dining rooms. The library is gigantic, with an equally gigantic bar and roaring fireplace and very comfortable furniture and family photos everywhere. Never mind the four stuffed pet dogs positioned around the room on sofas and carpets. I didn't ask. The oldest son is an honorary page to the Queen and reportedly dating Kate Middleton's sister. It is as close as I will ever come to the Royals and I relished every moment. Being born in a station of life far beneath what I feel is my true station (rich and royal), it is a daily struggle for me to live amongst the little people. The page also told me that the new name for butler is "household controller".

We had so much fun poking around inside and out of this wonderful castle where both Quidditch and Whomping Willow scenes were filmed for the first Harry Potter movie.

The gardens are a separate trust and therefore entrance fee (not cheap either) which was a bit irritating as it seemed one admission price should be enough-- dear Duke, greed is not attractive when one lives as one does. The garden is dubbed the Versailles of the North by the NY Times (one of the only times in my life I have been to one of those random destinations they seem to pick for the travel sections), and while the blooms were past their prime, there were still bees, butterflies and rose blooms a plenty. It wasn't warm but it was sunny and we enjoyed the fountain, a garden maze, hundreds of varieties of roses and a garden full of poison plants (guided only) including belladonna. That was fun and got me thinking...

North Berwick, Scotland

Bass Rock from North Berwick beach

Rocky shoreline


We started our drive south along the coast away from Edinburgh and stopped here to see the beach, Bass Rock (famous for puffin breeding grounds) and the Seabird Center. We did see two puffins flying and that was delightful. A quick walk on the beach and shells stuffed in my pockets, we headed south for Alnwick Castle where scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. More pics to come.

Beachcombers

Too cold for humans

Edinburgh MSG free

Edinburgh Castle from Prince Street Gardens

The Royal Mile

Chip the Bruce storms castle with plastic sword as hordes of tourists flee behind him

Fighting breaks out between the Clans

Castle successfully conquered, renamed Hunter Castle
King Chip, bonny brother and successor to the throne, Prince Scott, Princesses Olivia and Allison and of course, THE QUEEN

My love affair with Walkers salt and vinegar potato chips abruptly ended this weekend because I think they had pickled my brain over the last seven weeks. Seriously, I had a thing for the zing of those Walkers' chips, provided presumably by the heaping teaspoons of MSG in every bag. Maybe, just maybe, MSG has been the cause of my vague perpetual headache, nausea and unwell feeling that I had naturally attributed, as a person would, to a new fast growing brain tumor. Chip has always been such a strong support during all of my hysterical, fake health scares over the past 25 years and hopefully he solved yet another Julie health mystery as we left for Edinburgh and I reached my big paw into the chip bag five minutes into the drive while complaining of my nagging headache. Today I am jonesing. But we are looking into the methadone equivalents for me in other brands of chips, without MSG, as well as a day treatment program.

Well, we loved our trip to Scotland 22 years ago and loved it again this weekend. The people are friendly, the buildings are historic, beautiful and heated (take a memo, England) , the Scottish history and people are crazy (I am quoting the Greyfriars Church docent, a Campbell, who proudly told the story of how the ancient Campbells enjoyed a meal and drink provided by the MacDonalds before slaughtering them all in their sleep) full of emotion and murder and treachery against one another unless insulted by non-Scots. Then they all will band together and come after ye. Our two days were filled with walking the Royal Mile and surrounding city sights, exploring Edinburgh castle, having a pint in old Bennets Pub, lunch in The Whiskey Connection (where I drank a potent beer called Innis and Gunn that was oak keg brewed and tasted like whisky--weird, but in a good way), a view of the New Parliament building which the locals hate (google it if you like architecture--Olivia in her words, "It looks like a Tiki Tiki Bar"), thousands of cashmere scarves brushed against my cheeks but none purchased ( can't pull trigger on gifts for self-aargh, banking crisis!), a tour of the Greyfriars Church and cemetery where the Disney story of the little dog comes from.




Greyfriars Bobby, a little terrier, lay upon the grave of his former master for 14 years, keeping guard and all the while being cared for by the locals until he died. He was secretly buried in the cemetery near his master (dogs not really allowed) and now there is a tombstone marking his grave. Would Minnie do the same? Oh, that's funny.

It wouldn't be Scotland if you didn't see one of these

Windy wedding

The Nans

Wee lad in a kilt

Like everywhere else, Saturday is wedding day in Edinburgh, even at the castle. If you wait for a sunny, warm day, you just wouldn't get married. This hearty family withstood the most ridiculous wind for their wedding pictures, and the bagpiper just kept playing to keep warm I guess. The nanas' hats flew off repeatedly and everybody's kilts were flying up (rumors not true--black briefs are all I saw).