Up at 05.45 to catch the 7.00 flight from Luton to Edinburgh. I had expected to be kept awake during the night by the storm, or my active thoughts which always occur when I am leaving early. Nope. Had a good night, and woke just before the alarm.
No storm, but it had just started to rain. Luton was fine, though the queues at the security have grown since the summer rush. Must be enforced holidays during the slack period.
Boarded the plane on time, but we sat and sat for ages without moving. The pilot eventually said they were having trouble calibrating the inertial navigation system because of the turbulence rocking the aircraft. They would have to taxi to another area, and then try to re-calibrate. So off he went to near the runway, and parked facing the wind. Another 10 minutes and we were ready, so off we went. The flight, what storm?, it was quite calm, and of course landing up north was pretty quiet as well. The only event I noticed was the very high cloud top. It was ages before we broke through the cloud, and even then we were only just above the top of the storm clouds.
Edinburgh is like Aylesbury; in a construction boom. Grassmarket, where I am staying at the Apex, is totally a building site. Princes Street is a work in progress with new gas mains, water mains and the tram going in. Saint Andrews Square garden was closed all last year for the reconstruction of the garden, it is still closed, but now the road is being dug up for the gas mains.
Had lunch with Mary in a caff near the bus station. Great meeting up with her again.
Ate at the Mussel and Steak. Had the mussel pot for mains, and razor clams for starters. Interesting things, razor clams. Very firm meat, tasting of the sea. Unusual and an experience. Might have something different to eat next time though.
