Friday 19th August - Abu Dhabi

We are sitting in the old green mushroom dome transit lounge in Abu Dhabi airport killing 3 hours between planes from London to Singapore - yes, we have started the journey back home to Australia.

Jane holding up the roof in Abu Dhabi!

After nearly 4 months away we are making tracks back east to the hopefully sunnier climes of Brisbane - we have seen lots of rain in Scotland over the last few weeks. Edinburgh had its entire average August rainfall in just 2 days. In the week since the last blog we have seen more friends and family and been to a few more shows in the Festivals.

Highlight of the main festival shows was to sit in the "organ gallery" seats in the Usher Hall for a performance by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.  These are the seats "behind" the orchestra where the choir would sit for a choral performance, looking out over the orchestra into the auditorium.

View from the Organ Gallery seats.

We were just behind the percussion section and I felt that I should have had a drumstick in hand, so when the conductor looked up at us, we could have joined in.


We also went to see a show with some friends performing in about a fictitious meeting between J S Bach and Frederick Handel set in period costume, over a vast real meal, and performed in Rosslyn Chapel, which those of you who have read the Da Vinci Code will perhaps know of.   A most intriguing place; the private chapel of the St Clair family dating back to the 14th Century and full of amazing carvings. No photos were allowed inside - but Jane failed to see the signs - what a pity!

Sculptured column in Rossyln Chapel.

Two ET victims on an Edinburgh street corner.

Also had a last minute chinese banquet with our old friends, the Starks, and were amazed to discover that John has Essential Thrombocycemia, the same relatively rare blood disorder as Ian. This photo of the 2 of them looking alike is more to do with the workers caps and the cold weather gear, than the blood disorder!

Cheers Zarah!

The other surprise meeting was with Zarah, Robin's ex, and our dear friend. Having finished her degree she's come over to UK and is looking for work in Scotland.

Despite recent announcements of 20% youth unemployment we're sure she'll find something. And it was nice to spend a day with her in Edinburgh and take her to a show.

 And so we have now packed our bags and are on the way home, via a few days in Singapore - so not the end if the trip quite yet!

       

 

DAY 100 - Thursday 11th August.

Ian here.
Sorry, it's been some time since we have blogged.  Once we had arrived in the UK it's just been go - go - go.  

Old friends, not seen often enough.

It's been wonderful catching up with loads of old friends and family up and down the length of the country. It has been a different sort of "holiday" for the last three weeks as we have not been traveling around England and Scotland viewing things through the eyes of a tourist but as returning expatriates!

English garden inspections - they have real grass here

We arrived at Heathrow, the dreary hub of UK air travel, pushed a wonky trolley along miles of potholled footpaths to a pickup point for our hire car. In the rain.  Piled the luggage into a car and headed out onto the worlds biggest car park, the M25 motorway!

Joanna's cosy cottage in Burford.

This was the wet start to a great week when we linked up with the Fallaces (thanks for the wonderful hospitality Steve and Jane, and insights into X Box land, Ollie and Will) and then on to Joanna's fab house in the Oxfordshire countryside, where we were able to enjoy short and long visits from lots of dearly missed friends.  Thanks everyone for making the efforts to come and see us - we hope the trip was worth it for you - it certainly was for Jane and me. 
 

Jane inspecting Mitford graves in Swinbrook

We made day trips to a wonderful garden at Hidcote, and a local garden centre like "Garden Way" on steroids, everything from plants to rocking horses to real chickens! The local churches were very old and rightly famous for their history and occupants, including most of the Mitford sisters, except for the one not dead yet!

Jane and cousin John following in the footsteps of St Columbus.

Then we flew up to Scotland to Jane's old family home in Rosyth, to see the renovations that her sister Judy has recently completed. 

In the last two weeks up here we have seen all the local family and driven up to Oban to see aunt, cousins and pet ferrets, and have a great boat trip, in the rain, to visit an early Christian settlement island up the Firth of Lorn that predates Iona.

My godson's wedding -note the sun is shining.

A delightful coincidence of timing enabled us to make the wedding of one of Ian's godsons, so it was back down to Yorkshire on the heaving motorways in the pouring rain, which fortunately stopped for the big day, which was a lovely family event.

 Back in Edinburgh, the rain, the Fringe and now the main International Festival have all started.  It's too good to miss; at last count we will have seen 7 Fringe shows, 2 art exhibitions, a ballet and 2 concerts. But there's the chance we'll slip in a few more shows before we start our flight back to Australia via Singapore on 18 August.  Today was Sunday lunch for siblings, partners, next generation, and glasses raised to family. We are truly blessed.

And cheers to absent family and friends!