So much to tell you...

well well well, where do I start? It seems as though I have been away for ever!

Today is Marches Day in Linlithgow. It's some ancient tradition that dates from the time of Mary queen of Scots who lived here. From what I can gather, the great and the good of Linlithgow dress up, sit in floats, march all around the town, drink booze and have a good old jolly. Most people in the town have the day off to stand in the street and cheer.

There is carnival atmosphere and I can't get any work done. There are pipe bands and brass bands marching 5 meters from my desk. Phone calls are pointless - I can't hear a thing! Oh! King Kong has just gone by my window.

Now, on to the holiday news.

We had a lovely time in Norway, staying at the cottage which belongs to my Mother-in-law. Unfortunately Nick's Dad was taken seriously ill, and he had to fly off to see him, leaving me all alone in the cottage in the middle of a forest. I had to stay because I needed to take back the car on the ferry and there is only 1 boat a week.

After a couple of days of isolation, (but before cabin fever could set in) my Mother-in-law arrived. I know what you must be thinking - what could be worse than being abandoned in a foreign country by your husband, only to have to spend the end of your holiday in the sole company of your mother in law - but actually I was so glad to see her and we had a very nice time.

Other things I learned during our holiday:
1) Hotdog sausages do not make good fishing bait. Neither do pickled herring.
2) I am incapable of making it through a holiday without breaking at least one pair of sunglasses. (I broke 3 pairs on our honeymoon. It was a good honeymoon ;-) I broke 2 pairs by crushing them to death with a scuba tank)
3) 3 mice can move a large amount of stuffing from the inside of a sofa to the outside of the sofa before eating rat poison and dying on top of the duvets in the top bunk bed. Yuck.
4) The Eiger Sanction is the worst book I have ever read, with the most hilarious sex scenes.
5) It is not a good idea to hold onto the side of a jetty while leaving your feet in the boat. Your weight will push the boat away from the jetty leaving you suspended and helpless between the two like a human bridge.
6) Nick claims he is directly descendend from the famous Viking chief, Harold Hadrada. I checked with some of his Norwegian relations and they verified this fact. Might explain a few things...