Parent visiting down south

Flying from Edinburgh to Heathrow was a wonderful experience. Not because BA have installed First Class seats and offered us a free upgrade. Not because the crew were wonderful and didn't mess up the landing either. No, it was because we didn't carry a laptop or have to do any work in the BA lounge. Instead we read the paper and listened to some sad types who were making loud work related phone calls and trying to sound important. Phrases like "if I was being honest" and "well, as it is MY decision then the deal looks like..." were commonplace. They only succeeded in making themselves sound insignificant and lost. How we don't miss that fun. Hours spent on stuff that doesn't matter a jot in the big scheme of things really.....

Caister-on-sea (visit to Captain's mum) is not at all photogenic these days. Holiday village?? Didn't disturb any electrons on the SD card for it. However, we did stop in Norwich and get the threatened new camera just so you get better quality images on this blog. Feel honoured. Of course, the first few will be very dodgy as we learn how to master the new Nikon. Please send a 5 year old to help:

We did have a lovely lunch at a riverside pub though and remembered how nice the Norfolk broads can be:

Classic style gaff rigged varnished yachts too:

Harlow (chez Crew's parents) has the same photogenic appeal as Caister-on-sea. Walking through the park we noticed that they have different taste in canned drinks to the Scots but also like throwing empty tins away in parkland.

 However, we have a definitive decision on Patrick / Patricia now. Words from the penguins grandmother:



It was December 2012 when I decided to pop in to the orphanage Robert Dyas, in Harlow.  They said to me there is a delightful little penguin boy who is desperately looking for a home to be loved.  I took one look at him and simply had to take him home.  So do not let anybody think he is a Patricia, oh no, he is a real little boy.  

Oh yes......


Then it all got worse. This mail arrived from Pat and Graham (the kindly folks who have a secondhand trolley shopper for us that we have to collect from Samos):

Hi RnJ
Hope you're having fun down south.
We returned home today from beautiful Samos and an just picked up an emailed invitation from a P P Green to buy a 20% share in a Nordhavn 47 currently lying Western Scotland. It's a very good deal but has to be completed before the weekend.
We were quite interested until we remembered your quandary about leaving Patrick Penguin aboard.
Could there be a connection?
PnG

Memo to 'selves - lock up the laptop when leaving Patrick in charge. Unless he is trying to sell Annie M of course, the other Nordhavn 47 moored in Kip marina. If that is the case, we would go halves with Patrick on the profit. Sorry Owen. Our return tomorrow could prove tricky.

Edinburgh time

We used to live in Edinburgh and just loved it. So, we were pretty excited about revisiting the old haunts (if they still existed)

The train from Inverkip was painless. The cheapie hotel (Travelodge at the Haymarket) was not. Never ever stay there unless you want to feel every bed spring and shower with some nice black mould for company.

More positively, we enjoyed walking around the city, seeing the chaos caused by the tramline work (well over budget and time) and visiting places with our friends from Australia, Peter and Amanda. Yes she is the one who sort of offered to act as godmother to our wayward penguin, Patrick. The famous Princes Street gardens and the castle:

Jenners, the posh department store (kind of the Harrods of Edinburgh) was the venue for afternoon tea:

It was a freebie - when we went to pay the nice lady said that we had no tab open on our table as a guy in a stripey shirt had paid for the 4 drinks and a bottle of water. So, whoever you are, thanks Mr Stripey shirt. We think it is probably an American tourist who is right now complaining about how expensive a coffee is in Jenners...

Most importantly we visited a local institution - Luca's Cafe in Musselburgh where they produce the BEST ice-cream. We used to join people queuing up on the pavement outside in the rain for during our time living in Edinburgh. The cafe looks very down market:

They used to offer vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Why spoil the lovely vanilla flavour with the other stuff was always our view. Now, they are very Scottish - Irn-Bru flavour is on offer:

They also offer a gin and tonic sorbet - for the more sophisticated English pallet???

Peter (a dentist and doctor and consultant with more letters after his name than he can remember or possibly need) offered an insight to an old issue - why do so many Cornish people have bad teeth? Apparently most dentists practice very close to where they study and as the nearest place to qualify is in Bristol, Cornwall might be a bit short of dentists that speak English and have a real degree.... Second issue is the lack of private practice opportunities of course as the area isn't too prosperous. You live and learn.

We had a great afternoon walking around the old royal yacht Britannia. A real time warp with equipment on board that hasn't been updated much since the launch in 1952/3. By the time she was decommissioned in 1997, she was seriously out of date. This is the admiral's chair, the only seat on the bridge:

Contrast it with the captain's chair on our little boat from earlier posts! I know who is most comfortable underway.....


The navigation kit was basic. Very basic. We have 3 GPS receivers that are all better than the one on Britannia. The bridge is truly a time capsule from 1953:

The phone system is equally impressive:

Of course, they have a bigger and better laundry than us so the crew and Queenie were sparkling:

We slum it:




The dining room was a picture of 1950's elegance though. Strange to think of all the famous (and infamous, Bill Clinton was on board too) people who have eaten here and now ordinary folks like us are let on board for a small fee. No comment.

As it was a touch soggy outside, we decided to live the royal lifestyle had shared a bottle of Britannia pink sparkly stuff on board:

Mind you, Queenie's cocktail cabinet had down market Gordon's gin in it:

Patrick would have been at home. The Officers were given a stuffed Wombat toy and devised a contest in the Wardroom - who could knock it and wedge it in the ceiling fan:

When we get back on board, that penguin is in for a shock....

One piece of bad news. The Edinburgh Zoo cannot resolve the "is it Patrick or Patricia" debate for us as we are unable to provide a feather for analysis. They say fur will not do and then quizzed us deeply about how we have a furry penguin. I think we might get reported to the RSPCA for leaving him / her on board alone too. Talking to them was, in hindsight, a bad move.

Finally, for all the Scottish nationalists out there, look at what your national flag means in boat speak. Perhaps there is a subtle message in here ?