Paradise!

For the last 5 days we have had absolutely perfect weather in west Scotland (and most of the UK)!  Perfect = sunshine and temps in the mid 70'sF all the way up to 80F.  (23-27C)  This is supposed to last until Tuesday when it cools off quite a bit.

A few recent pics

The Vic 32, coal powered steam boat

Vic 32 going past our house

Supermoon - but a few hours early

Magnolia tree and azaleas in our garden

Grandson!

Danny's daughter Kathleen gave birth to a wee boy over the weekend.  This is Danny's first (biological) grandchild.  The darling's name is Mason and he's gorgeous!

While visiting we took some nice walks around the city centre.

Visit to Stirling

Danny and I celebrated our 12th anniversary by an overnight trip to Glasgow followed by a trip to Stirling the next day.  We hadn't been to this ancient town for quite a few years.  Since we pay zero for the buses and are members of Historic Scotland, the trip was fairly low cost.  The benefits of being a pensioner in Scotland!

Some links:
Stirling Castle

Argyll's Lodging near the castle

My photo album of Stirling

An old home in Stirling

Tapestry

Argyll's Lodging

Stirling Castle

A Stirling church

A collage of some of the ceiling carvings in royal palace

Flowers and French

Took a wee walk around the garden today to see what was blooming.  Here's a few of them.

Dicentra spectabilis - Bleeding Hearts

Dicentra spectabilis - Bleeding Hearts

Kerria

Tulip

Trillium

I've been working on learning French by using the Rosetta Stone programme.  It teaches based on the idea that learning a language like a child does is the best way.  You learn by listening and seeing photos and figuring out the meanings intuitively, like a child.  

This was fine in the beginning of the programme, but I figured out later on, I'm not going to learn like a young child.  I'm going to learn like an adult.  I need to know the grammar rules, etc as I'm going to be comparing this language to my native language.  So I'm supplementing my Rosetta Stone (which is completely in French) with some online lessons and a grammar book.  

I hope to practice what French I've learned on a trip to France next spring.  Good incentive!  I'm hoping to spend a week at Plum Village Buddhist community near Bordeaux, and then spend a week exploring Dordogne with Danny afterward. Looks totally charming!  It would be very rewarding to be able to communicate effectively in French whilst there!

London

Photo albums here

Danny and I just returned from spending 4 nights in London.  My favourite city.  We were able to find a good train fare with our Senior Railcards so travelled first class.  We booked Virgin Trains and were offered complimentary food and drink on a frequent basis.

On Thursday night we attended a sold-out appearance by Zen Buddhism Master, Thich Nhat Hanh, at Southbank Centre.  It was a long evening but we both enjoyed listening to this very wise man.  I especially enjoyed the chanting which took place later in the evening.  TNH who is known as Thay (teacher) is a lovely, vibrant man and it's difficult to believe he is 86.  About Thich Nhat Hanh   Although he is soft-spoken he has a magnificent energy and presence which filled the auditorium.  I've been tossing around the idea of attending a retreat at Thay's community in France and feel I'm long overdue and am planning on booking one for next spring or summer.  Plum Village

Friday morning we went on a walk not far from our hotel to the Smithfield area to find the plaque which commemorates the execution of Sir William Wallace (Braveheart), Scotland's national hero.  Smithfield Meat Market was built in the 1850's and has beautiful ironwork.

Smithfield Market

Smithfield Market

Later we visited Danny's old school - Ayland's in Enfield.  We stayed all afternoon and into the evening and very much enjoyed our visit with dear friends.

Lovely daughter of our friends Roni and Bill - Lucy and her hyperactive puppy, Bingo:

Saturday we wandered around different areas of London taking photos and in the afternoon I attended a group meditation and talk held by Thich Nhat Hanh in Trafalgar Square.  Even though it was very cold and cloudy I truly enjoyed being there.

Sunday we returned to Southbank Centre for Bach St Matthew Passion concert which took about 3 hours in total.   The performances were spectacular and emotional.  We had a two hour lunch break and many of those attending brought picnic lunches.  This concert is one which Danny attended almost every Palm Sunday while he lived in London.

Typical tourist photos.....

Our hotel

We stayed in a new hotel - Tune - which is a 5 or 10 minute walk from Liverpool Street Station which is located in The City.  I found good reviews from previous customers and with such a good price and location we decided to chance it.

Tune Hotel - London Liverpool Street

• Double room
• Comfortable bed although the mattress was a bit too firm for me
• Good shower
• Clean
• Very small but we spent little time in the room
• No closets, cupboards or dresser, however there was sufficient room for clothing and bits and bobs and there was a rod with 5 or 6 hangers for clothing.  The bathroom had a long shelf with plenty of room for toiletries.
• Our room was in the basement with no windows which is a much cheaper rate.

Price:  the price fluctuates with the time of year and March is off-peak.  We paid 43 GBP per night but also paid 7 GBP per night for a package which included towels and toiletries, wifi, satellite tv and a hairdryer.  There are no tea/coffee making facilities in the room.

So for a total of just over 200 GBP we spent 4 nights in an ideal location in the centre of London.  The neighbourhood was quite nice with refurbished flats on the narrow, cobbled road our hotel was on.  This was an off-peak rate and summer rates will be much higher, but still lower than other hotels.

Trip to Uganda

Our Ugandan daughter, Doreen, will finish university this May/June.  We are very proud of her.  Her graduation ceremony will be held 16 Jan 2013.  We are keeping an eye on the price of Emirates tickets in the hope they decrease a bit.  Our plans are to spend 3+ weeks in Uganda visiting friends, taking Doreen to the national parks, etc.  

Our dear friend Mushabe has offered to drive us around or let us use his car.  

We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone again and visiting our second home!  

Our girl in London 2010

A trip to Morocco

For my 60th birthday Danny and I and friends took a 10 day trip to Morocco.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely and are already thinking about a return trip.  I have written a blog detailing the trip

Morocco travelogue

Photo albums of Morocco

A lovely visit.....

We spent two days this week visiting our dear friends Linda & Ron who live about 2.5 hours away in beautiful Perthshire.  Great company, great food, great drinks!  On the way home I got a few photos at Killiecrankie.

On a visit to the used bookshop at the Pitlochry train station:

I've applied for and received my bus pass which entitles me to ride free on all buses in Scotland. Anyone 60 and over is entitled to one.  Due to our location I am also entitled to a ferry pass which I can use on our local ferries, one of which is free and the other will charge 60 pence with the pass.  

On Friday we are heading to the airport hotel and will catch our flight to Morocco on Saturday morning.  This is our first trip there so it should prove interesting.

London trip!

Yesterday we discovered that a concert Danny wants to see and a monk I want to see are in London at the same time.   Can't be a coincidence, so we've booked a trip! Hotel, tickets, train are all booked.

I'm very happy to be taking the train instead of flying, especially in first class!

On the 29th of March Thich Nhat Hahn will be speaking at Southbank Centre.  The talk is titled True Peace and Happiness in the Here and Now.

The 31st of March will feature TNH leading a Sitting Meditation in Trafalgar Square.  Better remember a cushion to sit on!

More on this incredible Zen monk, Thich Nhat Hanh

At Southbank Centre on the 1st of April we'll attend St Matthew Passion by the Bach Choir.

Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre