Southerly by David Haywood

Attentive readers may have noticed that this blog has been posted rather after the fact. We’ve had internet problems in the UK—apparently this year’s unexpected autumn has resulted in the internet tubes becoming clogged with leaves, which means the internet packages have lost traction and are travelling very slowly. My last blog took over an hour to post; I figured it was easiest to wait until we made it to the US.

Soo... you like Edinburgh in hindsight?

David, thank you for such a wonderful post.

Soo… you like Edinburgh in hindsight?

Oh, I’d liked it before – always thought it had a bleak, rainswept beauty. But I guess this is my first visit that I’ve noticed how pretty it is.

Also had a couple of very funny posh Edinburgh moments as per Alexander McCall Smith. Jennifer wouldn’t let me put them in writing, alas.

Lilith wrote:

David, thank you for such a wonderful post.

Delighted that you liked it!

Oh, I’d liked it before –

I love Edinburgh!
Some of the best eating in my life has been done there (did you try any of the seafood restaurants?) And – after doing a tour through England- my mother & self
could read body language again…it helps we still have cousin rellies there, and while both of us were brought up listening to an Orkney dialect, we also knew the Edinburgh accent-
envy you fellas! I’ll never get back there but I do esteem the place (the museums & art galleries not least-)

Liked Edinburgh even though it pissed down with rain when were there last summer, your post tipped the balance on going back there on a fine day

Glasgow less so, something to do with Great great granddad getting a one way ticket to Australia in 1790 from the Tollbooth which the scotch buggers have knocked down since, no sense of history

Loved the Georgian buildings in both cities that they are cleaning up and then there was Cullen Slink in the pub while we waited for the rain to ease

David, there's a delightful animated French film called The Illusionist , set in Edinburgh, and overflowing with love for the place with its constantly shifting light and rain. Worth a look. :-)

I have barely spent any time in Edinburgh, but have spent time in Glasgow. Not quite sure why, but I'm sure the anarchist grandfather would approve all the same.

I suspect it is in part due to teenage over-exposure to Trainspotting and a latent fear of being mugged by for the crime of being a tourist.

Did you come across The Museum of Childhood?

Excellent timing. We'll be in Edinburgh on Monday, and in need of a good playground!

(Geoff - is the museum of childhood for adults to reminisce, or does it appeal to small people as well?)

Did you come across The Museum of Childhood?

We've visited it before; slightly disastrous when you take an actual child who wants to play with the exhibits, so avoided it this time. Had visions of my children making the newspapers: "Museum Damaged by Badly-Parented NZers: Curator Vows to Ban Children When Museum Rebuilt."

... latent fear of being mugged by for the crime of being a tourist.

Derek told me that the other exciting activity for tourists is to park in the no parking zones on the Royal Mile. Apparently you come back to discover your rental car and luggage has had a starring role in a controlled explosion by the police bomb squad.

And – after doing a tour through England- my mother & self could read body language again

Yes, I always notice the same thing. Also, disturbingly, the facial structure similarities between Norwegians, Scottish, and Pakeha NZers (in a way that, say, the French, Italians, or Spanish don't usually have with Pakeha).

A bit alarming and weird to consider that the -- ahem -- aggressive emigration policies of Norwegians (in the past), and then the Scottish diaspora, could shape the facial features of people on the other side of the world...

Scots on the rocks…

I couldn’t help liking Edinburgh

the pipes, the pipes, are calling…
It seems there is a concerted effort going on to tattoo Edinburgh onto my consciousness – having just finished the late, lamented Iain Banks’ Whit* and started Sergei Lukyanenko’s The Last Watch – both of which feature Edinburgh, and now this morning, its all Fear and Lothian park life, here…
(albeit tres amusing…)
;- )

* Pedant’s aside: I am bemused by the graphic disconnect between the cover art (of the edition I read) and the story line – dunno what it says about visual editors or general knowledge – the book has a river trip on an inner tube, the cover depicts a floating tyre, tread and all!!
Is this the legacy of tubeless tyres?

Lovely writing :)

Scotland’s capital, I decided, was rather like those mousy librarians in the movies. My previous assessments had never looked beyond her hair-bun and spectacles. Under blue sky and sunshine, the city unexpectedly shed its glasses, unleashed a cascade of glamorous movie-star hair, and gave a slow, come-hither smile.

Was Jennifer a librarian then…..

A national emergency declared when temperatures nudge 20C.

Must be where NZ gets it from: Met Office warn of drizzle bomb.

A bit alarming and weird to consider that the – ahem – aggressive emigration policies of Norwegians (in the past), and then the Scottish diaspora, could shape the facial features of people on the other side of the world…

**It also applies to our really bad teeth...
I dont know if there has been good academic research done into this matter but I suggest it would make an excellent degree paper-

At last! I don't feel so mad anymore. When I first got to Europe and wandered about touristing, I did think the facial features of Scots/Danes/Norwegians did seem very similar to NZ Europeans, more so than others. Copenhagen especially was a bit odd for double takes.

When I was in Norway, I was told, "You look a lot like us. If ever you're in trouble in this county, remember, half of the people here are our relatives, so just yell out the family war cry (not sure of the spelling, but something like "Roto!") and somebody will figure you're a third cousin they haven't seen in ages and come help you." I made some comment about what their ancestors did to my Scottish and Irish ancestors maybe explaining why I looked so much like them, and they shrugged and said, "Well, yeah".

Heh!
The interbreeding in the Orkneys (my Nana, though born here, was definitely Orkney Scots)was via Norwegians & Danes...her maiden name was Matches (possibly Matelaas originally?)

And yeah, first radio interview I did in studio in Edinburgh, the interviewer blurted, "You're South Island Maori but your face is all Scots!"

Ah, well....

Your children will be as-yet too young, but my rather ghoulish young teenager was thrilled by the dungeons. There were re-enactments of various ghastly episodes from Edinburgh's history including Sawney Bean the cannibal, the grave robbers Burke and Hare, and William Wallace, by a troupe of young actors.
Other things we liked were the Scottish Museum and its excellent dinosaurs; haggis nachos; and our gorgeous bed and breakfast with shortbread and little decanters of sherry provided.

SAWNY BEAN -had 3 generations of offspring.
I reaslly hate the fact that a lot of the kids were burned-

the grave robbers Burke and Hare

I heard they emigrated to NZ and got to rename the shore to the north of Auckland Birkenhead. Hare had gone bald by this time.

and got to rename the shore to the north of Auckland Birkenhead.
Hare had gone bald by this time.

aha! The famous littoral receding hare line...

...of course with Sherlock Holmes pursuing them, they knew the game was afoot, and changed again to Birkenstocks, right?

... and are the real parents of Jane Birkin?

Breathe less...
Je t'aime...

actually I think Serge looks a bit like Burke and Hare's victim - 'Daft Jamie'