June 3

This morning John and Elaine are arriving, so Adam and Josie headed to the airport to pick them up.  That left Isabella, Holden and me on our own until lunchtime.

Yesterday the weather was quite nice and we bought Holden a new jacket.  (Photo in previous post.)  I also bought him a waterproof hat, which he insisted he DID NOT want.  “I’m just not a hat guy,” he said.  We had a mini-argument in the store, with me determined to get him a hat, Holden adamant that he didn’t intend to wear a hat no matter what, and Adam declaring, “I’m not wasting money on a hat he won’t wear.”

“Don’t worry,” I said, “I’ll force him to wear it.”  Then more faces and groaning from Holden.  After realizing that the hat also fits my head, we bought it.  If Holden won’t wear it, at least I can.

It should be mentioned at this point — lest I seem overbearing — that Holden has a “thing” about his head and face getting wet.  The slightest drizzle has him acting like the heavens are spitting acid at him and he’s going to melt away like the Wicked Witch.  It’s a big dramatic production every time it happens, and since we’re in Scotland where “drizzle” is a weather condition most of the time, I know that the only peace we’ll get out of Holden over the next two months is if he has a hat or umbrella to protect his noggin.

Cut to this morning: Holden, Isabella and I are about to head out for hot chocolate and breakfast pastries when we see out the window that it’s raining like an old cow pissing on a rock.  Holden says, without a trace of chagrin, “Where’s my hat?”  Suddenly he’s “a hat guy” after all.

We found a breakfast place less than a block from our apartment and had a very nice little snack.

By the time we were done, it was time to go back to the apartment and meet up with Adam, Josie, John and Elaine.  J&E didn’t have any trouble with their travel from Portland to Edinburgh, but were both pretty wiped out.  Elaine decided to take a quick nap, and the rest of us headed out to a pub for lunch.  We had a proud parent moment on the way out; the waiter said as we were leaving, “Your well-behaved children are a blessing and you’re welcome back any time!”

The rest of the day was taken up with basic chores; the dryer in our apartment is broken so we’ve been taking our laundry to a local laundry service, we needed some eaties and snacks for wine time and dinner, more toilet paper, decent tea, etc.  Those tasks took up the remainder of the afternoon, and we spent the evening eating bread and cheese and fruit and wine.

A butcher shop next to the cheesemonger: Josie witnesses up close what happens to the Spotsies and Waddles of the world. Note the big knife sticking out of the back of the skull.

John and Elaine turned in early, and the rest of us are watching Dumb & Dumber and eating popcorn.  In spite of doing nothing touristy today, we still had a very pleasant day.

The plan right now is for everyone to get a good night of sleep so we can hit it hard tomorrow:  Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, and lots of cashmere and whisky shopping.

June 4

Edinburgh Castle.  We were here a couple of years ago …. it’s still here and looks just about the same as last time.

The kids are hollering into the business end of “Mons Meg”, a canon built in 1449 and given as a gift to King James II of Scotland. It was used frequently throughout the 1500s in various sieges.

My favorite display in the castle is this one:  Bob, the (stuffed) regimental doggie who accompanied a battalion of troops to the Crimean war.

“Bob” the regimental pet of the 1st Battalion, Scots Fusilier Guards, preserved after his death in 1860. Pets were often kept under the communal ownership of a regiment.   The regiment adopted Bob when it was based at Windsor in 1853.  A year later he accompanied it to the Crimean War where he distinguished himself by chasing cannonballs at the Battle of Inkerman. In recognition of his courage, he was awarded the special medal attached to his collar.     When the regiment was about to sail for the Crimea in 1854, an officer supervising the loading of the troopship noticed Bob and demanded to know who his owner was. As no one in particular claimed him, the order was given to throw him over the side. Before this could be done, it was hurriedly explained to the officer that Bob actually belonged to everyone. He was therefore allowed to remain on board.

In the display case, you can barely make out Bob. This is the best photo we have, which is a bummer.

The Scottish Woolen Mill.

Holden (wearing his rain hat!) and Isabella inspecting bag pipes.

Cashmere shopping took longer than we expected, so Holyrood Palace will have to wait for tomorrow.