Up at six, out at first light..and off to collect a reading magnifier that belonged to a friend's late wife.
It looks like a microfiche reader that archives and libraries used to have..but has different degrees of brightness, colour and magnification that you can adjust, so that you can read on the screen what you place on the movable flat plate below.
We have bought it (luckily it is third hand, so far from the full price..which is eye watering!) for Pirate's ex-wife who has developed macular degeneration, the same as its previous owner.
Coffee and tattie scone and egg set us up there, and we retraced our steps along the Solway Coast to Castle Douglas..5 miles further than the cross country route, but we had found a short section of flooding which we had no wish to repeat!
We watched the end of a rather muddy Cyclo-cross..after a long night of rain! Our Fife friend was second in the 60+ group..it is a series, so he still leads that.
The course was in a park by a municipal camping ground, just off the centre of Castle Douglas. It has a beautiful loch in the park, with all sorts of waterfowl..all looking healthy, thankfully.
Lunch was bought at the event catering..for a change, not a burger van!!
Quiche, samosas and a chocolate brownie were welcome at the next stop!
Gretna Green shopping village was too full!! A quick foray for underwear in one shop then on down the motorway to Tebay and the Westmoreland services...one of the few that you can quietly cross from southbound to northbound! As we left Scotland the weather turned grey and definitely unfriendly!!
There we met with Pirate's machine to exchange presents and pass on the reading machine to go to his mum.
A meal and chat...after saying hello to a junior Scots team on their way home from a track event at Newport Velodrome!
Then the long drive back home, with the weather initially improving again as we left England! A break for a rest and a drink at the services where we left the motorway..very sensible ones that are off the motorway so can get business from all sides.
Then across on the A 70 all the way home, with some sleety rain on the highest parts as we came back into Ayrshire.
A long day, but not too tiring as we had enough breaks.
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7 comments:
Ah! Tebay Services our traditional stop on the long, long journey from Exeter to Kishorn (NW Scotland) for Christmas. Their delicious Ham Broth was a must. Do they still serve it?
Gloucester services on the M5 is an offshoot of Tebay. Not quite the same but shows how a motorway service can be with local produce, excellent food and a pond with ducks as at Teba; completely takes your mind off the stress of the motorway.
We wouldn't know about the ham broth!!
The lentil dhal, Mac cheese and dragon pie are crackin good food.
Gloucester services are great..just shows what can be done!
Tatie scones ? Recipe please
Your weather is sounding a lot like our own. I'm in the middle of a good book. Off to google dragon pies, and where to find the dragons to put in them!
It sounds a very long day. Glad it wasn't too tiring.
I have learned about cyclo-cross from you, GZ. (I had to look it up).
It looks absolutely terrific!
I'm no athlete, but if I were, that's the sort of sport I'd like to do.
In my next life, maybe.
Here you are, John!
https://scottishscran.com/traditional-scottish-tattie-scone-recipe/
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