Caravan of the year - first time in 2016

 

Stonehaven - home of the gulls.

 

The start of 2016 - Nothing happened

Nothing happened in January or February. March was fairly quiet too.  

These are the hills with snow on.

Happy Christmas - 2015

So another year is ending - and we will finish with a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

We wish you a wombling merry Christmas 

and a happy new year.

Especially Brian, Sharon and family. 

Thanks for the card.

We shun the £2 chocolate orange.

We will wait for the £1 chocolate orange to come back into season.

University days - the happiest time of your life?

Warming up for the planned departure of child 2 to a university far, far away - we made it to our third University open day. This time we went to St Andrews. It is a quiet town in Fife when child 1 is not staying there.

I also popped in to the chapel to see that it was still there.  I played here in the school windband many years ago. I remember that the floor has gratings with the heating pipes underneath, and these gratings have holes big enough for a music stand leg to slip down.

 I know the embarassment of losing the entire concert's bassoon music across the floor.

It looks the same now as it did then.

 

In remembrance

When at school, I once took part in the remembrance service at St Andrews war memorial. It was a freezing morning, and I was playing the snare drum. No gloves! 

This year, we went to the short ceremony in Bannockburn, where the wreath-laying was in the pouring rain.

 

The sights and smells of Cologne

Every year, the education system in Scotland stops for a brief week (two for the fifers) so that teachers can jet off to warm and sunny destinations. 

We like being the exceptions - if it means that we can take the luxury caravan back to Germany for a few days.

I am unsure what the cow was doing.  

 

Mr and Mrs Mozart were shopping.

 Earlier we had spotted them handing out chocolates to sell the overnight rail trip to Vienna. I spat mine out - it had hidden marzipan poison in it.

Swinging in the trains

Trains run on tracks. Have done for years. That's how it works.  Everyone knows this - except in Wuppertal.

There, the train runs under the tracks, and swings as it scoots along over the river.

I will update this page when I can find my camera pictures.

We are sailing (please don't call this a cruise)

The romance of the seas was sadly lacking as we travelled from Newcastle to Holland.  Our cheap cabin was lower than the freight traffic, and hotter than a swedish sauna. The aim was to shortcut the route to Tonisforst in Germany - rather than heading to Hull and crossing to Rotterdam, why not save 150 miles and cross locally.  

Next time, I'm going to Hull!