Last night and today

Brian and I went to see the Edinburgh Military Tattoo last night. It wasn't really a queue to get into the castle, more a throng.



The Tattoo itself was quite fabulous. The only downside was that the seats were very close together and, I think, designed for pre-teen children. Still, it was a nippy night, so being huddled up like that kept us warm.

I really enjoyed myself, and I know Brian did, too. He paid for me to go, which was beyond kind.

Our favourites were the Swiss drummers and the New Zealand Army Band. Hunky and funny, all a the same time. You didn't think it was possible, did you, dear reader?

We got back home at around 0100 to find the whole of our part of town in darkness. A power cut. We made our way through the house by torch and candle light. Makes one realise how lucky one is to be able to flick a switch and have light.

We had a reasonably long lie-in this morning, finally getting up at about 0930 (after Mary's initial barking session, tiddle and jobby at 0730). Had breakfast, called in to meet up with my adorable friend, Alan, and went off to Stirling to see The Wallace Monument.



We were lucky with the weather. It could have been better, being slightly cloudy, but it most certainly could have been worse. Mild temperatures and no rain makes for a lovely day out, especially if one is accompanied by lovely friends.



The walk up the hill, from the car park to the monument itself wasn't too long, perhaps a quarter of a mile, and not too steep. I thought I was going to have a heart attack once we'd reached the top. It was nothing to Brian. He's so fit. I'm quite jealous.



Once inside, we were greeted by Sir William Wallace who proceeded to tell us his story; his struggle for freedom.



Other Scottish heroes were showcased inside the monuement on, I think, the second floor. The bust above is a very good likeness of Sir Walter Scott who wrote, amogst other things, Ivanhoe and The Waverley novels. I adore him.



The view from the top was breathtaking. Can you see the mountains in the distance? That's the start of the highlands, in which Brian will soon be.



After our hike to the top of the monument, we had lunch. I forgot the spoons for our puddings, so had to buy four from a souvenir shop. D'oh.

After a brief stop for an ice cream, we drove on to Airdrie and dropped Brian off near a section of the national cycle route to begin his odyssey.



And then he was gone.

I'm going to miss Brian. I know I perhaps use the word fabulous quite a bit and thereby devalue it somewhat, but Brian really is a fabulous guy. I'm really going to miss him.

Oh, hang on, dear reader! We're going to meet him in Glasgow tomorrow for a curry!

Hurrah!