18^th May 2012 .... 07.30     It seems that the  BBC is not alone when it comes to “repeats”;   the weather has decided on more of the same too.   It’s either that,  or, it’s still yesterday, and I’ve been living in a dream for the past 12 hours!      It’s cold, wet, and windy (F4 ENE) .... in one word.. ‘dreich’;  not the best kind of morning for pottering around on the marsh!     But, round the marsh we will go.... however, I don’t think we’ll hang around!    Warm in Ivy Cottage, or cold on the marsh?    Hmmmmm!    A mug of my coffee, even at it’s worst,  could be welcome.
    I must say I enjoyed Colinsburgh last night;   I wish I’d asked everyone to introduce themselves at the beginning though.    There were lassies there, I ought to have known, but didn’t recognise... old age I guess.   However I’d better get back to today!    It’s still raining, albeit not heavily, but most definitely wet, though I do detect a few paler patches in the sky!     I’m off to fit the camera into a freezer bag, then I’ll go up there and have a daunder round the marsh to see just how wet it is.   “Catch you later”. 

Photographs : Top – Alistair, Ken and Peter on Barnyards Marsh.... the raindrops are authentic!    The camera went into the freezer bag after that first photograph!    Bottom – a wet Welsh poppy in Ivy garden.
 17^th May 2012 .... 11.00     No ... I didnae sleep ‘in’... I was up at 06.00 and got ‘carried away’ on the computer.    Since then the paper has been uplifted,  Jems has been visited,  for a morning cup o’ tea, and... yes there’s more... I set up the projector,  for a ‘run through’ of tonight’s presentation.     I’ve been busy, and I’m happy with the WRI presentation;  and, ever the optimist, the girls, will also be happy with it!     Anyway everything is packed and ready.

It’s a bit ‘damp’  this morning, with light rain falling, an occasional blink o’ the sun, and very little wind... so it feels warmer.   Actually it’s no’ far off being a braw day!     This afternoon I go along to Anstruther to visit Chris, with Jems, so that takes care of the afternoon... then Colinsburgh in the evening.    Orf to have another cup ‘tea.
      22.30    So much for it “no’ far of being” a braw day;  it turned ‘dreich’ aboot lunch time and has been ever since!     I enjoyed my trip to Colinsburgh Rural, even though I didn’t recognise half the girls I ought to have recognised!     Why is it lassies age bonnier than men?     And,  I need to have my ‘lugs’ syringed;   that’s another thing I found out.    Ever since I had that bad cold, before I went down to Sussex, away back  in January my, hearing has been bad.    Jean says that’s old age!    I had a great time, in spite of leaving my notes at home... along with my History Society leaflets!    I had photograph that I took in 1963, and I think I have miss- indentified all three people that are on it... so it is on the ‘Hutte’ in the hope that we can get the correct names.

16^th May 2012 .... 08.00     “Good Morning everyone”      Alberto is fired up for the Rosslyn trip, on what is a bright, cool morning, with some, high, thin, slow moving clouds;  a nice morning for sitting in a coach.    That has reminded me... I’d better go and ‘get ready’.    “Getting ready” means sorting out the camera.    The forecast is ‘good’,  for more or less the whole day, though showers may develop in the afternoon.    Away to ‘find stuff’!
    19.00     We arrived back in Elie at 16. 35(ish), after the Guild ‘outing’ to Rosslyn Chapel;  and a brilliant day it has been.      The journey itself was uneventful, though we did missed our exit from the bye- pass and had to back track.... nothing serious, and we still had plenty of time to do all that we wanted to do.   The Chapel is thought provoking, as ever... and it has a new roof.    Some of the stained glass has been cleaned and restored, and, along with restoration work on the external stonework the Chapel is beginning to look very tidy indeed.    Impressive though the building is, the thing that most impressed  today were the catering staff;   both of them!    One lassie took the order at the till, you paid and then sat down at a table;  the lassie at the till, passed your order to the other lassie who made it up.   You may think “so.. what’s so clever about that?”     Well, the thing was, when you sat down, and you could chose wherever in the cafe, you did not have a stand with a number on it, such as in Sainsbury’s etc.;   it was all done by memory.    The lassie, who took your order at the till, delivered the ‘made up’ order to the correct people.    She must have a photographic memory that’s all I can say.   The two lassies had to cope with two coach loads of folks, and they did so ‘nae bother’!    Impressive?   I’d say so!     The whole Rosslyn Chapel experience was remarkable, and will be even better when the last piece of scaffolding is finally removed, and the building can be seen in all its glory.     The Chapel is a ‘working’ chapel with two Services on a Sunday  and as such, has pews for the congregation.... which, today, was us!    At midday a lady Minister arrived to read  prayers, left by the visitors the previous day;  our visit coincided with today’s prayer reading... and it was a ‘moving’ experience.   This event occurs at midday, most days of the week.   The Chapel was in use, by the local Primary School kids, when we arrived, but they left just before the prayer reading began!    The Lady Minister started by saying “Blessings on the Children... and the Peace that comes after they leave”.    How very true that was!     They were one noisy ‘bunch’ and their ‘minders’ didnae seem to have much control over them!     After the ‘prayers’ we were given a talk on the history of the Chapel by one of the voluntary guides;  again this was done in an exemplary manner, being both informative, and humourous!