Edinburgh and the A.D.S.

Spring is on it's way!  I see signs of it. 

Yeessss!  

picture taken last June

We had snow a week ago, but the sun has shone in all its glory because the sky has been blue and clear of those pesky grey clouds since then. The grasses are looking a little greener and the water a little bluer. The snowdrops are blooming - small, delicate flowers, but apparently hardy because the air is still cold and frosty in the mornings. The daffodils are coming up in bunches along the river.



And this morning on my walk, I saw the gorse starting to bloom.  Now, I happen to know this bush will have flowers through June because it was blooming when we arrived last year, so we will have lots of time to enjoy its color.

This was taken last June

Gorse is not a friendly bush. It is full of thorns and you would be very sorry if you fell into one. They tend to grow in bunches and I remember how pretty they looked all over the countryside when we arrived here. 

I went to Edinburgh last weekend. For a quilt show. I cannot say I have ever traveled so far to specifically see quilts (and vendors). Not only that, but I flew!  My friend, Liz, and I flew down and back from Wick, which is such a small airport that I have not mentioned it before.  

Wick is probably about the same sized town as Thurso (about 7,800 people), but it feels larger and more city-like. It has the larger Tesco, which would be comparable to our Super Wal-Mart at home. And it has the small airport right outside of town. 

How small is it, you ask? 

It's so small....that the luggage claim is in the same room as the waiting area.

It's so small....that when the cafe is closed, they set tea things out for people to help themselves.  

It's so small....that they use John Deere tractors to pull the fuel tank that fills the plane.

Now, in reality, that airport probably exists partly because of Dounreay. That is where they take spent fuel and waste to put it on an airplane to take away.... to somewhere else. 

But if you have an airport, it should get used, right? However, flying in and out of a small airport can be very expensive, so for residents here, they came up with the "Air Discount Scheme."  

Now, here is an opportunity for me to talk about the word 'scheme.' In the US, that word has a negative connotation. It means someone is up to something, and not in a good way - like a con-artist trying to take advantage of another person.   But here in the UK, 'scheme' is a good word, with a good connotation. Everything here has a scheme, and really just means 'a plan.'  But hearing it that way takes some getting used-to.  

This is great - see the Scottish plaid on the tail? 

The purpose of the Air Discount Scheme is to make air travel more affordable for remote communities in the Highlands and Islands. For us, we can only use ADS to fly from Wick to Edinburgh and a couple of other places, like to Orkney, but hey, Edinburgh is where I wanted to go. 

LOVE this!  Each seat has it's own tweed/wool head rest cover

To apply for the Air Discount Scheme, you must prove that you live here. You must show 3 proofs of residence confirming the address you are applying for is your main/permanent residence. Proof of residence: three documents from different sources that clearly show they have been sent to you with your full name and address and dated within 6 months. 

Now, what I learned (from submitting these things 3 times and only initially managing to get Mike approved on the 2nd try) is that MY name must appear on the documents (not Mr. and Mrs.) AND  I learned that ANY piece of mail - ANYTHING that with my name on it AND dated, counts as an official document. I had to be creative, but I finally (after the 3rd attempt at sending the proper documents) managed to get my own ADS card. 

I learned about the quilt exhibition in Edinburgh (pronounced by the locals as "Eddin-bruh," clear back in September. I heard that several ladies I knew were going and they already had their plans in place - buses down, rooms booked, etc.  My friend, Liz, was also interested and so we decided we would go down together. We considered our options for getting there: 
 1. drive to Inverness (2+ hours), take the train (4 hours) 
 2. drive all the way to Edinburgh (6 hours)
 3. Bus all the way (6 hours)  
 4. train all the way (7 hr 45 min) 
 5. fly (1 hour)

Well, that seemed like a no-brainer.  So we used the Air Discount Scheme and paid about 120 pounds for round trip. Not bad for ease and comfort. 

I had sort of built-up the quilt show in my mind. I mean, it's in EDINBURGH - the capital city of Scotland - a big city. And also - the other ladies going were going down on Thursday and spending Fri, Sat, and Sun there, returning on Monday.  Now doesn't that sound big? Wouldn't you have high expectations? 

Well, it was a little less than I thought. But it wasn't just me. Even the other ladies had different expectations.  Firstly, there were only quilts from about 4 featured people, plus a couple of challenge quilts that local guilds had submitted, and a small section of a challenge quilt that a variety of people had submitted.  One of the featured quilters had submitted about 50 quilts of similar design but different themes. 

Now, the Tri Cities does not have a large quilt show, but there are more quilts in the local TC show than in Edinburgh. Also, while the TC also has a featured artist, 95% of the quilts being shown are made by local people. 

Julianna's quilts for the Challenge

But we took our time looking at the quilts and at the quilting. We admired our friend, Julianna's, small quilts that she entered in the challenge, and then we shopped the vendors.  Yes, I bought a small lap quilt. Yes, I refrained from buying yardage (although I was very tempted), and Yes, I bought some bits and bobs that I needed. 
But at the end of the day, we were done. With no need to return. What ever would we do for the next 2 days??

Me, Liz and the other quilters from Wick

We were staying in the same hotel as the other 9 women who went down from Wick and Thurso, so we got ideas from them. Next thing I knew, we were getting last-minute tickets to the matinee show of Miss Saigon, which was playing downtown!

We took the two best tickets, which happened to be in Row 6! 
See Liz? 

 and in Row BB, which is the front row, just off-center!!  

I could see right into the orchestra pit!
And see all the expressions on the actors' faces!
And even see the spittal as some actors spoke (that was kinda ucky) and yet, far enough away that it didn't reach me.  LOL

What amazing seats!  What an amazing show!!  While the first scenes were pretty graphic, it did move on to tell a compelling story. The acting and choreography and the voices were all just amazing!  I heard the lead actress was just 17 years old!

Isn't this an amazing theater???

After the show, we made our way to the zoo, where there was a Chinese Lantern exhibition. That was pretty neat as well, especially the dragon and the Chinese temple.

It was also very cold. 

We got around by riding the tram and buses all weekend, which was another learning experience. Again, that whole thing of paying attention to which side of the tracks you are standing on so that you go the direction you want to go!  
(With Liz at my side and doing all the paying-attention, we didn't go anywhere we did not intend to go.)  

Then on Sunday, we simply took the tram back to the airport and flew back to Wick.  And we were home in time for supper. Easy peasy. 

So.....another fun travel adventure in Scotland. Check. 

And for your enjoyment......another sign. 
I tried to pass it by. I really did. But then I just had to turn around and get the picture. 
Liz agreed. 
I had to.