Bagpipes out my window

And I'm not sure why. Things are always happening here. Och, lads and lassies, y've missed me.
Well, I'm back and have had adventures!

After finishing another excellent book, a Quebecois police procedural mixed with a 'cosy' called 'Still Cold' I have finally stirred. I slept through Easter - woke up about 3 in the afternoon. Easter Monday is a holiday here so lots of stores were closed, but the modern art museum was open, so I wandered in there a bit.

Wednesday I went to Edinburgh to locate the picture described in Early German Painting from 1350-1550 so I could see if it had a date. I validated my train pass and took the 45 minute ride to the Capital. Before I went to the National Gallery, I went to the Scottish Academy exhibits. Very much fun. Lots of mixed media work. Took some pictures of penguins covered in mirrored tiles.

Now you can walk underground to the National Gallery - this must have been the big project they were working on the last time I was here. I located the research center, figured it was the place to begin. Logical. I spoke to the head librarian 'I am the Library' she said. At first she was a bit cold, but I'd done my homework and gave her the correct title, etc. Their books are cataloged on 3x6 pieces of paper held together with screw posts (Yikes!!). She found the book on the shelf and I located the picture on p. 65. Now my mission was really to find the picture in the collection and look at that, not the black & white book illustration. Well, what a hunt! Penny (she had warmed to me), the assistant (I am not really the Library?) and me watching, searched their in house data base, another art data base and guess what? The damn picture isn't in their collection. As I was leaving Penny said, "Well, you'll have to call the Thyssen and tell them they are wrong!" I said, don't worry, Tom speaks German. We ended on a happy note even though the trip was for nought.

Feeling a bit peckish and it being about 5, I decided to go to that culinary delight, Spud U Like for a baked potato. Yum, coleslaw and cheese. Oops, too much onion in the coleslaw, but I was so hungry I almost ate the styrofoam plate. I decided to make an Art Photo of my notes, the dated receipts and my food tray. I will upload it later on. I strolled onto the 5:45 train and got home by 7.

Thursday I was thinking of going to Aberlemno, but it was cloudy when I woke up at 8, so I rolled over and went to sleep again. When I did get up I kept thinking, the 12th, what is it about the 12th? Ahh, the new Doctor Who Adventures magazine comes out! So I took a big long walk around town, then headed for W. H. Smith and their Tardis cardboard magazine holder and there it was! And a free pencil case, pen, ruler (centimeters only), and 2 erasers. And there were two versions. Oh yes, I bought both. Cheap fun. Made a nice dinner, did the laundry, worked out the schedule for going to Aberlemno on Friday. If I haven't explained before, this town has a Celtic cross with a battle scene on the back that I need to photograph. One train and 2 buses and it better be within sight of the bus stop or I am screwed. But a Glasgow cabbie told me once, Ye'll never be lost as long as ye've got a tongue in yer head.

Friday, up early, wash, dress, make bed, breakfast - coffee, yogurt, juice, digestive biscuit. Out the door, walk to the train station. Ah, there it is, track 5. I nip into Smith's for a paper. Come out. Gone. Left. Departed. But, but, but. . yes, the trains DO leave on time in Scotland. Oh well, the next train is in an hour. Yeah, but who wants to hang around the train station for an hour? Hmm, where else can I go? How about Falkirk? Okay. So five minutes later I'm on the train to Falkirk. Why?

Well, Falkirk has this really cool thing called the Falkirk Wheel. It is a device that takes the place of 9 locks on a canal. It links the Union Canal and the Forth & Clyde Canal. You can go from the east coast, Edinburgh, to the west coast, Glasgow by boat. There is a tourist trip on a barge boat that explains it all. Go to www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk for more. It was a beautiful sunny day, the landscape lovely, great people to talk to and an all around excellent substitute for my missed train.

When I got back here, I spent about 20 minutes online figuring out if I could make my trip on Saturday. Yes. But the logistics are completely different from the ones I had first planned. A train to Montrose, bus to Brechin, bus to Aberlemno. Back it is Aberlemno, Forfar, Dundee, Glasgow.

So stay tuned. Right now I'm washing a dark wash. The teeny tiny washer dryer takes about 2 hours to damp dry the clothes. All chairs, drawer handles and hangers are in use after my laundry is done.

More exciting adventures later.