Radio Lady here! Greetings from Scotland -- where it's cloudy and

[Radio_Lady]

raining, and the forecast is for more of the same for the whole week. Ah, well, it's still better than being at home.

Here's our place for the week: http://www.theedinburghresidence.com/ Cheerio from Edinburgh! I hope I get better at understanding the Scottish dialect! I thought Irish and Australian accents were tough (at least, we always have to fire up the "closed captioning" on their movies). "Hey, you guys speak funny...!" I'll bet they're saying to themselves.

Tonight, we'll both try to squeeze into one regular full/double bed! Like this one:



In peace,

Radio_Lady

[kay1864]

1. Nice! Hope you're having fun!

Stay away from that "haggis" stuff though :P

How long are you in Scotland?

[Radio_Lady]

3. One week and then on to London-town!

Thanks for all your help, too. You'd be proud of us. We each have just one piece of baggage, plus two tote bags.

Quite a challenge, packing light, but well worth it.

Oh, by the way, I didn't get to reply about Hanford, OR. Suggest you post in the Oregon forum also. I guess it's been a toxic storage facility for a long time. There is quite a bit about its history on-line. The rivers in Oregon are a mess -- wish we could do better by the world we live in.

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[commander bunnypants]

4. mmmmmmmmm

Haggis

Have fun

CB

[Radio_Lady]

7. Been there, done that (with the haggis, I mean) -- described as...

"sheep offal" -- guess that means "sheep guts" but not sure...

Maybe it's supposed to rhyme with "awful" for some reason or not! Want some?




Photo courtesy of this provisioner: http://www.wjmacdonald.com/Default.asp?Page=21

[RebelOne]

6. Hey, haggis is good. Or was, since I am now a vegetarian.

I was in Scotland and had haggis and it was quite tasty. Go for it, RadioLady. Try it, you'll like it.

[Radio_Lady]

9. No problem, RebelOne! Here's a VEGAN haggis recipe, no kiddin'!

Recipe is here. By the way, I'm using http://www.google.co.uk for my searches in Scotland!

http://www.veg-world.com/recipes/haggis.htm

[Blue-Jay]

2. If you go to Dunblane, say hello to Aunt Maggie from me.

(Great Aunt Maggie, actually) Give her a hug, too. It's been too many years sinve I've seen her.

Also take a walk down Daurinn Road (locally known as the Darn Walk). Beautiful historic scenery. It goes right past the Dunblane Cathedral which is a must-visit type of place.

[Radio_Lady]

10. We're in Edinburgh for the week (no car) -- but here's the cathedral!

Dunblane Cathedral, built upon a Christian site first established by Saint Blane around the year 600, is one of the few surviving medieval churches in Scotland. It is home to a Congregation of over 1200 members and serves the parish of Dunblane and its surroundings. Dunblane Cathedral is part of the Church of Scotland and Presbyterian in its constitution. This website contains information about every aspect of the Cathedral's life, through which we wish to foster a close affinity with everyone in our community. Our worship and all our activities are held open to anyone who might wish to participate as a member or a friend, and whether or not you have any formal Church connection you are invited to share in any part of our Congregational life and to seek the help of this church if it can be of any service to you.

From the church's web site: http://www.dunblanecathedral.org.uk/

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. My dear Radio_Lady!

Well, at least the rain is foreign!

Sounds like you're having a blast......

Enjoy your trip....and take lots of pictures!

:hi:

[Radio_Lady]

11. Weather update: Saturday was beautiful! The clouds cleared and

the sky was bright blue. Temperatures were a little chilly -- maybe high 50s or low 60s. The forcast was for 13 C. and my husband keeps trying to translate into Fahrenheit -- ever the mathmetician!

We walked several miles along the Water of Leith river walkway, visited the villages of Dean and Stockbridge and had a yummy lunch -- chicken with cranberries on brown bread, with a little salad and LICORICE tea! What a treat!

"Walking Tour: Water of Leith Walkway (signposted)and follow the river. This is Edinburgh's principal river and, although not as grandiose as the Thames, the Clyde, or the Tyne, it was of enormous importance to Edinburgh’s economy providing the power for over seventy water mills used for grinding corn and flour, paper-making, washing and waulking (fulling) cloth and pumping water for tanneries and polishing ornamental stone."



From this site: http://www.townhousecompany.com/see_and_do_in_edinburgh/activities/walks.html

[Bossy Monkey]

17. Yaay! I was just going to recommend the Water of Leith

and was looking for a link with pictures. So glad you found it on your own. Pretty, innit?

[Radio_Lady]

20. Thanks, undisclosed... My husband is a superb travel guide --

the engineering guy who flushes out all the tops things to do when we're on a trip.

If the weather cooperates tomorrow, we're going to finally walk on the Royal Mile. Today the streets were clogged with happy Scots viewing a parade and celebrating their soccer ("football") win!

Looked a bit like St. Patrick's Day here! Here's some information on the "squeaker finish":

Hearts win Scottish FA Cup in penalty shootout Saturday May 13, 07:47 PM

GLASGOW (Reuters) - Hearts lifted the Scottish FA Cup for the first time in eight years with a 4-2 penalty shootout win over third division Gretna at Hampden Park on Saturday.

The score was 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra time.

Hearts had Paul Hartley sent off in the final minute of extra time for kicking Derek Townsley and earning a second booking.

[Bossy Monkey]

23. I know nothing about soccer but was in Naples when Forza Napoli

won the Italian title in 1987; talk about a happy riot! Sounds like your experience was similar.

[Radio_Lady]

46. 80,000 people jammed the streets. The Hearts had won!

I don't understand it, but they won because they had fewer penalties.

[Mutley]

8. I hope you're having fun, RadioLady.

:hug:

[Radio_Lady]

12. Thanks, mutley. We bought tickets to "Carmina Burana" for Tuesday!

16-20 May
Andalusian Images of Carmina Burana
The internationally famed La Cuadra De Sevilla return to Edinburgh with this eclectic mix of flamenco guitars, Spanish dancing and two Andalusian stallions.
7.30pm Mats Thu & Sat 2.30pm
£11 - £25.50

[flaminbats]

13. Edinburgh is great...

let us know what time at night it finally gets dark outside! I went there years ago in June..the sunlight was still visible in the horizon, past 10 pm..for hours after it set!

I would love to see Edinburgh in the winter.

[Radio_Lady]

19. Close to the Arctic Circle, Flaminbats! 18 hours of sun in summer;

with only six hours of "night" when the sun is briefly below the horizon. You have to keep the blinds drawn or else it's like the movie "Insomnia" with Al Pacino. (See: http://www.us.imdb.com/title/tt0278504/ )

Of course, this reverses in winter, when it is said you must play golf between 10 AM and 2 PM -- or you lose track of the ball in darkness on either end. I've wondered what it might be like here in December -- twilight daytime for just six hours -- and January -- but we've chosen to come here twice in the month of May!

What an extraordinary city! Today the Edinburgh soccer team won the Scottish cup and there was a big parade for the winning team. Knowing little or nothing about the game, we elected to walk up to Calton Hill to view it from on high. We could hear the Scots screaming for their winners! Must be like the Superbowl to them.

The weather today started clear and sunny, but by 2 PM it had clouded over and was still in the 50s. The guys and gals who came to the parade were all dressed up in scarfs, hats and ski jackets. This is supposed to be the sunniest two months of the year (May and June). Oops!

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[Evergreen Emerald]

14. You lucky dog!!

Have a great time!

[Radio_Lady]

22. Appreciate your post, Evergreen! Hope you get here someday, too!

BIG picture of Edinburgh Castle:

[Evergreen Emerald]

28. Beautiful castle.

I would love to go to Scotland and Ireland (and Wales). I actually have traveled to Europe on three occasions. I cannot wait to take my daughter. Thanks for the picture. I hope you have a great time.

[Radio_Lady]

30. How old is your daughter? Do you have roots -- or relatives -- here?

We haven't been to Ireland or Wales and probably won't choose to go there.

I'd like to visit Germany and Switzerland, but probably won't make it -- however, we do have plans to try and get to Australia and New Zealand. We'd probably have to plan on being away at least a month for that to work.

Enjoy your day (oops, yesterday) -- Mother's Day!

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[tigereye]

37. that is stunning!

sounds like a great trip!

[Radio_Lady]

47. We're under clouds, but had some "sun splashes" today.

It's warmer than yesterday. The high yesterday was 52 F. in May!

[NewJeffCT]

15. Cloudy & rainy here in New England for the last week

and for the next several days, it seems.

I hope you're at least having some fun, despite the weather.

[bigwillq]

16. Doesn't it suck?

It was alright today. The sun was actually out but then it got cloudy and chilly.
I can't wait for summer.

:hi:

[Radio_Lady]

24. May and June are supposed to be the sunniest months...

Today started sunny for a couple of hours.

However, it makes us feel just like we're at home. Lots of fireplaces and cozy cups of cappucino to keep going. It started out clear today (Sunday) but got cloudier. Not much rain to speak of. I actually like walking in cooler weather.

[SeattleGirl]

18. And greetings to you, RL!

Is THAT what your room looks like? It's beautiful! Hope you are having a wonderful time! :hi:

[Radio_Lady]

32. The rooms are fantastic, Seattle Girl. The building is from the 1800s,

but of course, everything has been gutted and made more modern.

The ceilings are easily 20 to 25 feet! Made of white plaster decorated with small flowers, fluting, fleur-de-lis, mortices (I hope those are the right words to describe these).

The bathroom has a huge tub and of course, there's a BIDET. The only problem is -- I don't really know how to use the darn thing. I guess a woman just squats and washes -- the last one I saw was in Paris years ago and it had a middle spigot which sprayed UP. Too bad Americans don't use them!

Maybe there are some instructions on how to use it! Very handy -- I once priced one for our house and they wanted about $8000 to put it in.

This is cute:

[SeattleGirl]

44. That picture is a crack-up!

And the hotel sounds just heavenly!

[Radio_Lady]

48. I thought about doing my hand laundry in the bidet, but --

it's too low!

There are a total of 29 rooms in this hotel. It's in a quiet residential neighborhood designed with streets shaped in "crescents" to allow for small green parks with trees and flowers in the center of many blocks. What a great idea!

[billyskank]

21. Hey! You're within a thousand miles of me!!

:hi:

[Radio_Lady]

25. You're still in Bedford, UK? Is that a thousand miles from here?

[billyskank]

26. Yes, I am. And no, it's less than a thousand miles

from there! :)

[tjwmason]

27. Welcome to the U.K.

:hi:

Edinburgh is a really beautiful city - I hope that you enjoy it.

If you're having trouble with the accents - thank your lucky stars that your in Edinburgh, the Eastern side of Scotland has far more gentle accents than the West, even I (a Brit who lived in Scotland for 4 years) have trouble with Glaswegians from time-to-time.

[Radio_Lady]

33. Yes, I really have to listen HARD to figure out SCOTTISH-english...

There are vacationing groups here speaking languages I've rarely heard -- and some of the people are from Glasgow. I really can't make heads-or-tails of some the varieties of the English language.

One of our friends, from China, says that their language can change from one valley to the next valley and the accents are all different.

In peace,

Radio_Lady

PS. This morning, the birds started chirping at 3:45 AM! Put a pillow over my head and went back to sleep.

We didn't see the sun today, as it was overcast and rainy, but we still walked the Royal Mile -- or at least most of it. Holyrood Castle is CLOSED to the PUBLIC until June 14th because one of Queen's entourage was there. It was pretty cold, but we got to the Edinburgh city museum and went into several "closes" and got some nice photos.

Late in the day, we decided to hit the Odeon Theatre for a showing of "American Dreamz" -- not bad! It's now 9:15 PM or 21:15 European. Still pretty light outside!

[auntAgonist]

29. ah Edinburgh, where I was born ..

I still have relatives there too. My childhood friend and I are meeting in Niagara Falls Ontario on June 8-9, having not seen each other in 40 years, it should be interesting.

Have you visited Greyfriars Bobby yet? Such a sweet story of love and devotion.

:hi:

aA

[billyskank]

31. Hi aA!

:hi:

[auntAgonist]

41. hiya billy!

:hug:

[Radio_Lady]

34. Last time we were in Scotland, we learned about him!

http://www.greyfriarsbobby.co.uk/index1.html

"Let His Loyalty and Devotion be a lesson to Us All"



You might also be interested in another dog named "Bobbie" -- this story is local to Silverton, Oregon -- of a dog who found his way home.

http://www.silvertonor.com/murals/bobbie/bobbie_wonder_dog2.htm

[auntAgonist]

42. a visit to Greyfriars Bobby was the last

thing I ever did with my dearly loved Grandad. He's been gone for MANY years now. He died when I was about 16 years old. I never saw him again after we left Scotland in '66.

greyfriarsbobby will always live in my heart with the memory of William Braby, my granddad.


:)

aA

[Radio_Lady]

49. Glad you got to know your grandfather --

I watched the BBC program "Fathers and Sons" last night. Link to the UK site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/waughs.shtml

There are some brief videos if you care to run them. The shows are all about the legacy of the writer Evelyn Waugh, as seen through his own writings, as well as the eyes of his son, grandson, and other descendants. I found it completely fascinating! Not sure if they will run in the US.

My grandfathers both lived in Pittsburgh. When we moved to Florida, I was only 3 1/2, and I never saw either of them again. Both grandfathers died quite young, and I remember my father crying on a sofa when he got the news of his father's death. The only thing I recall of my maternal grandfather was sitting on his lap while he smoked his pipe. Martin Kovacs was the owner of a pharmaceutical company; my paternal grandfather ran a milk, butter, eggs, and cheese dealer who delivered the items in a horse-drawn carriage.

In peace,

Radio_Lady



Auberon, Alexander and Evelyn Waugh

[Radio_Lady]

35. AuntAgonist, here are some photos especially for you tonight:

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[auntAgonist]

40. great shots ..

I recognize the 1 O'clock Gun in the first picture, the third is looking toward the Castle and in the foreground Waverly Station taken from the street I think. The 2nd picture I don't recognize but it is beautiful!

thank you for sharing these :)

:hi: :yourock: :hi:

aA
kesha

[tenshi816]

36. I spent New Year's Eve in Edinburgh once.

The Scots really know how to celebrate New Year's Eve and it looked as if the entire city was outside in the streets partying. Quite a night.

How are you getting from Edinburgh to London? By air or by train?

[Radio_Lady]

50. Train on Friday -- seemed easier than going by air, and we wanted

to see some more of the UK countryside.

[tenshi816]

51. Is it a direct train to London

or are you making any other stops on the way? I ask because I live near Leeds (in Yorkshire) and would love to have an impromptu DU meet-up if you're going to be anywhere in my area on your way down to London! I always enjoy reading your posts.

[Radio_Lady]

53. I'll have to look at the tickets -- and thanks so much for asking.

My husband is back in the room this evening while I play on the computer.

I will endeavor to get you an answer tomorrow morning, as someone is waiting here to use it now.

This is very sweet of you!

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[Radio_Lady]

55. Tenshi816, please refer to my private message. Thanks...

This photo from your web site is breathtaking!

[tenshi816]

64. Thank you!

It's the view from the back of our house - next time you come to the UK you'll have to let me know in advance so we can arrange for you to see it in person.

[NV Whino]

38. The last time I was in Scotland

I and the friend with whom I was traveling ended up at a great B&B in Pittlochary. Sp? In the morning we discovered another couple had arrived... from Australia. We had a very interesting conversation translating from Scot to American to Aussie and back again.

[trof]

39. Are you doing a Scotch Whisky tour?

I would seriously like to.
:-)

[Radio_Lady]

57. Here's the whisky story, in full, told here for the chuckles...

First, you must understand that I have never drunk scotch or whiskey or brandy or anything like that in my almost sixty-seven years of life. It has a very bitter medicinal flavor for me.

Last tour in Scotland, we went to Glen XXXX (don't remember the name). We walked through the distillery and it was all very interesting -- the vats, the hops, the tubes, and so forth. It was a beautiful day and we got to feed the ducks in a small pond outside.

Then, our guide invited us in to the CASK ROOM, and began to explain the aging process, etc. eight years here, ten years here. Suddenly, I was almost overcome with the alcohol smell in the air. I felt faint and told my husband to hold on to my arm. Next thing I recall was him walking me out to the door where I sat down until the lightheadness passed! The tour went on without me and my husband rejoined it. We met in the "gift shop" where we were offered a generous taste of the product in a paper cup. I gave my cup to my husband and he enjoyed both his and mine very much.

OK. So I don't drink. But I've also learned I cannot tolerate the odor of it in a huge whiskey cask room, where the alcohol even permeated the air.

Signed, Radio_Lady

"Just a wee beer or two and you can have your way with me!"

[swag]

43. Nice gig. Glad you're having a good time.

Sorry about the weather. You're from Oregon, though. What do you care about weather?

[Radio_Lady]

58. We're formerly from New England. They have had flooding north

of Boston, Massachusetts -- the worst in decades!

Photos at: http://www.boston.com/news/weather/gallery/tuesday_flood/

No rain today in Edinburgh, Scotland -- it was even sunny and warm enough at lunchtime for us to enjoy a lovely lunch at Greenmarket Square. Then we toured the Museum of Scotland -- just beautiful, inside and out.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

45. Hi RadioLady!

Hope you're having a blast! Have a good pint of ale for me, ok? :toast:

[Radio_Lady]

59. Beer OK with you? See my tale of woe whisky story, in post 59 above.

[redqueen]

52. Color me green!

The Scottish accent is my very favorite, always wanted to travel there...

:hi:

[Radio_Lady]

60. Hope you get here, Red Queen. Sometimes here I think I'm listening

to English, but maybe it's Finnish. Who knows?

You have to listen very intently, I'll tell you that, and get some folks to repeat themselves a few times. Then, it clicks!

And what about that Australian accent? OMG!

[Arugula Latte]

54. Radio Lady -- Hate to tell you this, but,

you might have heard that we're having wonderful, beautiful, warm, sunny weather here in Portland ...

Still, we don't have centuries of years of history to bask in, do we? .. Have a great trip! :hi:

[Radio_Lady]

61. Yes, we've been following the GOOD WEATHER through emails from

my daughter in Beaverton. I'm glad that is so, actually. Her mom and stepdad left for Scotland, and then her husband left for St. Louis, Missouri for a four-day trip, leaving her alone with the two grandkids age 5 and 8. I'm just glad they can play outside and not drive their mother too NUTS!

Thanks for the weather report, Oregonian. Yes, this place has had civilization for a very long time -- before the Christian era, for sure.

Remember, I'm from Florida, which was settled by the Seminoles and the Spanish conquistadores, but everything constructed there was was mowed down in the huge 1929 hurricane -- and now the place looks totally different than when I grew up there in the 1950s.

Compared to that, this place is REALLY old!

[Fridays Child]

56. Hey, wait just a dogone minute! What about our agreement that...

...you would take me with you to Scotland (That I'd like to make with you now...retroactively...please?)?

Hope you're having a wonderful time!

[Radio_Lady]

62. We've got a couple of pillows and a sofa. C'mon over Wednesday and

Thursday, but you have to be out by Friday morning. OK? 'Cause we're leaving on a JET TRAIN, don't know when we'll be back again... Seriously, I do hope all of you get to this beautiful place. It's quite a place to see -- but taken me almost "three-score-and-seven years" to see it.

[Fridays Child]

63. LOL!

That's an oldie! All my bags are packed...lalala... :D