Bankend, Barnsley Cemetery, Glencaple, Morton Castle, Scotland

#Scotland 2015 Day 16 – Barnsley to Bankend

October 17, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

#Scotland 2015 – Sept 26, 2015

Since my leg gave me grief yesterday and wouldn’t allow me to walk all the way to the Barnsley Cemetery and back to the hotel, we headed straight here after breakfast. The weather cooperated and although the sun was in the wrong place for some of the photos, the architecture here was beautiful.

I could have spent a lot more time prowling around through here but I do have plenty of photos to be able to draw from (only a sample are here on the blog) when it comes time to sit down and write. We were booked in at Hutton Lodge near Dumfries that night so we had to get a move on.

The going was slow for a time because of the roadworks on the M1 (construction season here, too) but traffic still flowed smoothly. The motorways are great when you need to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time, but we much prefer the slower pace of the secondary roads.

The further away from Barnsley we got, the more overcast it became.

As we approached the junction with the M6 motorway at Penrith, the police were at the scene of an accident. A guy had dumped his motorcycle and slid under the guardrail – his bike still wedged there. He was on a stretcher and two of the emergency responders held a blanket up blocking the view of the passersby. I figured he was dead and if not then, very soon.

Onto the M6 we went stopping at the Gretna Gateway Outlet Village – not to shop but to find a cashpoint because we needed cash and to use the toilets (what else is new?).

Before we got back on the road, hubby put the postcode for Hutton Lodge into Satnav Sally. The directions brought us in the back way (less traffic – yay!) but at an impossible angle to pull in the driveway to Hutton Lodge. At least we knew where it was so we could come back from the opposite direction and be able to pull in easily.

Now that we knew where our B&B was located, we could set out to explore. I had heard of Morton Castle from a friend who used to live in the area. It’s a Historic Scotland property so it was easy to find in the HS maps on our satnav. Driving there was a different story.

It would be really easy to miss the castle as it’s down below the hill. But we found it. Unfortunately, the ground was wet and muddy from previous rains.

The ‘club’ shaped window in the door was too high for me to be able to look out it to get my picture so I just held the camera up in the opening and clicked, having no idea what I would get. The photo below is the result of my efforts. Not bad, eh?

It was late enough now that we could return to Hutton Lodge and check in. The only traffic we saw on this road was a family with their dog, and a young girl on a horse. The horse was skittish so rather than spook it, I pulled over as far as I could and shut the car off until after they passed.

When we arrived at Hutton Lodge, our host helped us bring our luggage in and made us a reservation for supper at the Nith Hotel in Glencaple.

Once we were settled and I had wi-fi (had to purchase a BT Wi-Fi pass), I googled the accident we had seen earlier. The guy wasn’t dead after all, but had been airlifted to hospital in serious condition.

Our dinner reservations were for 7:30 but we knew if we stayed in our room much longer, we’d fall asleep so we took the chance that we could eat sooner than later and drove to the Nith Hotel.

The only problem with leaving at this time of day, the sun was directly in my eyes all the way across the Glencaple Road. Thinking that our table wouldn’t be ready yet as we were about an hour early and the hotel was busy, after parking the car we took in the view and I got a few photos.

It was busy in the restaurant but our table was ready. We were in the corner by the windows so we could look out over the Solway Firth. The meal was excellent and great value. Hubby had the gammon steak and I had seafood spaghetti.

Although not completely dark when we came out of the restaurant, the light was changing rapidly. This photo turned out brighter than it actually was.

By the time we got into the car and turned around to go back to the B&B it was pitch black – and even worse out on the narrow with passing places and no street lights. Some numptie behind me rode my back bumper making it almost impossible for me to see because of the shadow cast by our car in his headlights. First passing place I came to, I pulled in and let him go.

Even on high beams, the headlights weren’t that great. When we got back to Hutton Lodge, I snapped a quick photo of the moon before we rent up to our room and I had a couple of glasses of wine leftover from when we were in Kennethmont.

Barnsley, cemetery, England, Scotland, Yorkshire

#Scotland 2015 Day 15 – Kelso to Barnsley

October 16, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

#Scotland 2015 – Sept 25, 2015

Today we were venturing down into England. It made no sense when I was this close to the places I needed for book trailer photos not to go and get them. This particular project is still very much in the planning stages, although I do have parts of it written. But anyway, I digress.

Having that third cup of coffee over breakfast came back to haunt me. We headed for Jedburgh where we knew they had public loos that were spotless – even if you did have to pay to pee. That was a minor detail.

Since today’s journey was going to be over three hours (almost four), there wasn’t a lot of time to dally for photo ops, although we did stop at the Scotland/England border.

Barnsley — Scenery near the Scottish border

We hit roadworks on the A1(M) where the motorway is being extended but at least the traffic still moved through here albeit at 50 mph rather than the normal 70 mph. But after that things went to hell in a handcart. Traffic came to a complete stop for quite a while as we approached the interchange with the M62 motorway. And it was at the early stages of rush hour. It was almost like being in Toronto except there weren’t as many lanes of traffic and we were on the opposite side of the road.

We eventually made it to our hotel and got checked in. As with every place we’ve stayed, the first thing we do is scope out where the outlets are so that hubby can plug in his CPAP machine. The first place we ran into an issue was Dunbar where the outlets were on the opposite side of the room but it wasn’t a problem because the room was small enough that the cord and power supply reached. This time, the room was enormous! No way it would reach. So we went back down to reception and asked if they had an extension cord. The girl at the desk came up with a power bar but even it was going to be iffy so she hunted up another one – this one with a longer cord on it. We took both and piggy-backed them together and plugged in the machine. Crisis averted.

The hotel did have free wi-fi but you could only connect one device. With each of us having a laptop and an iPad and one Blackberry (data had been shut down by Rogers because of the roaming charges incurred – oops) so we paid the £5.00 to be able to connect with more than one. Even if you only wanted to connect two devices, it was the same price.

Wi-fi looked after, CPAP machine plugged in and a reservation made in the Breyers Fayre Restaurant for our supper, we went out for a walk.

The plan was to walk to the Barnsley Cemetery… you notice I said “the plan”.

My left leg (the one I tore the muscle in last year before our trip to Paris) was aching like crazy and I couldn’t do much more so we turned back about a third of the way there and went back to the hotel.

We’d eaten in a Brewers Fayre when we stayed in Norwich in 2005 so figured we would enjoy this experience, too. Our table was ready when we arrived. You had to place your food and drink order at the bar and pay for it in advance! That wouldn’t have been quite so bad but we ordered the special 2 for £10.99 Chicken Tikka Masala and the order went through as a single for £8.99. It’s a good thing I noticed it. Hubby went back to the bar with the receipt and the other menu and got it corrected and was referred to in a less than customer-friendly manner.

Other irritating facts – some people were having the debit/credit machine brought to their tables, others were waited on at their tables.

I’ll definitely stay in a Premier Inn again but not eat at a Brewers Fayre… at least not this one.

Book Tour, Guest Post, Novels, Whitney Dineen

The Reinvention of Mimi Finnegan ~ GUEST POST

October 16, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

The Reinvention of Mimi Finnegan

by Whitney Dineen

Thirty-four year old, Mimi Finnegan is the third of four daughters and in her eyes, by far, the most unremarkable. She has no singular accomplishment that can stand up to any of her sisters. And if that isn’t enough, she is the only single sibling in her family.

Mimi’s sisters decide that it’s time she gets serious about husband hunting, so they begin a campaign to find Mr. Right for her. Considering her most recent dating encounters include a night club owner who stuffs bratwurst in his pants and a WASPy trust fund baby, living happily under his mother’s thumb, Mimi is more than ready to meet THE ONE. Enter celebrated British novelist Elliot Fielding.

Sexual tension and anger heat up between the duo and it isn’t until Mimi discovers that Elliot is almost engaged to another that she realizes she is head-over-heels in love with him.

The journey will make you laugh, cry and want to pull your hair out from frustration! Mimi eventually learns that she is quite remarkable in her own right and never needed to worry that she lived in her sister’s shadows.

The Reinvention of Mimi Finnegan is the perfect laugh-out-loud, feel good book for any woman who has ever felt that she wasn’t good enough.

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

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The Importance of Connecting With Readers on Social Media

Once upon a time (or back in the olden days as my little girls would say) authors had about the same amount of face recognition as the person who showed up to read your water meter. Let’s face it; you were more likely to recognize the meter reader because you had more opportunity to see him/her. Writers were just faceless people who sat in their homes in dirty pajamas, dodging their forty-seven cats and drinking gin, all the while weaving stories for your entertainment.

Happily, this is no longer so. Yes, some authors may still be drunk in dirty jammies, but that’s to be expected. Social media has allowed us the ability to interact with a myriad of folks we would have otherwise have never met. The good news is I no longer have to stalk Fannie Flagg and Marian Keyes through more nefarious means, now I can do it right on Facebook. Okay fine, I never really stalked them but I wanted too. I always craved more after reading one of their books and felt this burning desire to ask a million questions about their process. Now I can gush ‘til my heart’s content and so far neither has unfriended me.

The internet allows authors to pull their fans into their world and communicate with them in a more personal way. I love it! As a reader, I have been able to share my adoration with authors I adore and as a writer I‘ve been able to bask in the glow of praise and affection (please feel free to follow me on Facebook so you can feed my pathetic author ego) from my fans. Note I look WAY better on Facebook than I do in real life. That’s another thing to love about social media! You are more than welcome to follow me on Twitter but be warned, I’m more twit than tweeter. Proceed at your own risk.

I love when people write to me and tell me how much they relate to my heroines. That’s what it’s about folks, making connections. Connecting with your reader base is a great way to know what people want to read and why.

I have watched how many successful authors deal with their public and can tell you Jane Green and Sophie Kinsella are successful for a reason. In addition to being darn good writers, they engage with their readers. They are the smart ones who realize they’re where they are because of their fans.

I’m lucky enough to be an author in an era when I can cyber chat with folks who’ve taken the time to read my books. I get to hear why they like certain characters and what about the stories speaks to them. For this reason, I consider social media a golden resource. Knowing what my audience enjoys reading helps me deliver that very thing.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some cats to brush and laundry to do.

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ABOUT WHITNEY DINEEN

While attending the University of Illinois in Chicago, Whitney Dineen was discovered by a local modeling agent and began an unexpected career as a plus-size Ford model. She modeled in New York City before moving to Los Angeles with her husband. When she wasn’t modeling, she was in the kitchen, baking delights to share with friends. Soon, her friends began asking her to send baskets of her wonderful candies and cookies to business associates, agents and production studios. Word spread like wildfire, and the rest, as they say, is history. Whitney’s sensational creations are still in great demand by her loyal celebrity clientele (www.WhitneysGoodies.com). During “The Hollywood Years,” Whitney was bitten by the writing bug and started creating characters that are inspired by strong women with a great sense of humor. In addition to her love of chick-lit, Whitney has also written a series of adventure books for middle readers The first of which, Wilhelmina and the Willamette Wig Factory is available now. Whitney and her husband, Jimmy, have relocated to the beautiful Pacific Northwest to raise their children, chickens and organic vegetables.

Her first rom com, She Sins at Midnight recently won 2015 Reader’s Favorite silver medal in chick-lit and Mimi was #1 or #2 in humor satire on Amazon for over 2 weeks.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whitney-Dineen/11687019412?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WhitneyDineen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Whitney+Dineen

Website: http://whitneydineen.com/

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Dryburgh Abbey, Greenknowe Tower, Hailes Castle, Kelso, Kelso Abbey, Scotland, Sir Walter Scott, Smailholm Tower, Tantallon Castle

#Scotland 2015 Day 14 – Dunbar to Kelso

October 15, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

#Scotland 2015 – Sept 24, 2015

This morning we were off to Kelso but we had some unfinished business in this area. We had said after visiting Tantallon Castle in the rain if it was nice the day we were headed south, we would go there first since we had plenty of time to get to our final destination.

Everything looks better in the sunshine. We got rid of the rain but it was still blustery up at the castle.

I’m really glad we did go back to Tantallon because had we not, we would have missed the opportunity to see Hailes Castle. It was signposted as straight ahead where we turned right to go to Tantallon.

After our repeat visit here, hubby found Hailes Castle the Historic Scotland satnav maps that he downloaded to our Garmin before we left home and off we went.

There’s a face in this wall – intentionally or otherwise – the way the stones are strategically missing. Two eyes, a nose and a lopsided mouth.

After our visit to Hailes Castle, we set out for the village of Gordon and Greenknowe Tower.

We weren’t far from Dryburgh Abbey so headed there (another bathroom break was needed). On the way, we passed Scott’s View and made an out loud mental note that we would stop there on our way back.

While in the shop at the abbey, I bought a guidebook for Smailholm Tower because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get one when we got there. Chatting with the man who was working, he asked where we were from. He went on to say that there were two girls there at the moment who were also from Ontario. They came back in before we went on out into the grounds so had a chance to say hi to fellow Canadians.

During our time at the abbey, the light had changed significantly and the Eildon Hills weren’t lit as they had been when we passed by the first time. Still, it was a dramatic view and easy to see why Sir Walter Scott was so enchanted with it.

If I said getting to Smailholm Tower was an adventure, it would be an understatement. The single track roads were okay. I don’t mind driving on them. But you come to a farm and have to drive through the farmyard and out onto a gravel track to go the rest of the way to the carpark at the bottom of the hill. At least, there was a sign on the fence post guiding us beyond the barns and other outbuildings.

After you navigate through the farm to the car park, you still have to hike up a hill to get to this castle. The sign at the bottom indicated two paths – the easy one and the more difficult one. We took what was labelled as the easy one. It wasn’t as steep as the hill to Dunideer which we’ve done in the past, but with the wind, it might as well have been. We thought it was blustery at Tantallon in the morning… it was nothing compared to here!

The entrance to the castle is on the side opposite the gravel track. When we got to this point, there were a few gusts of wind that almost blew me off my feet.

We toured the three floors of displays, a lot related to Sir Walter Scott, and despite the high winds, it wasn’t considered windy enough to not allow access to the ramparts on either side of the earth roof. It did, however, make it difficult to open or close the door depending on what side you were standing on.

When we left, we chose the ‘difficult’ path to return to the car. It was far easier to traverse than the one we ascended.

The rest of the drive to Kelso was uneventful. We came in a slightly different way than we did in 2013 but once I got close to the square, I didn’t need the satnav anymore. I knew exactly where I was going.

This is the same room we stayed in before at Duncan House. The only difference was the bed now had a wooden headboard and footboard and the wall colour changed.

On our way to abbey it started to rain and of course, we left our umbrellas back at our room. We were sorely disappointed that The Empress of India had closed since our last visit to Kelso so, not knowing the area well, were at a loss as to where to go for supper.

I approached a woman in front of Glendale Paints and asked if she could recommend a good place for a meal. I mean who better to ask than a local? She ushered us into the store out of the rain and suggested if we wanted a good meal at a good price we go to The Waggon Inn and told us how to get there from where we were at that moment.

We thanked her and continued to the abbey which was closed when we were here in 2013 (arrived too late). This time we were able to get inside the gate and get some good photos from there despite the rain.

By the time we got to The Waggon Inn for our meal, the rain had stopped.

It’s hard to see from this angle looking up the driveway, but our room was the first dormer at the closest end of the house and our en-suite bathroom was the middle dormer.

From this angle you can see the middle dormer much better and barely see the one at the far end of the house.

We’ve been to Kelso twice but have never managed to get any closer to Floors Castle than Duncan House. We’ll have to rectify that.

The next time we come to Kelso and stay at Duncan House, we’ll spend more than one night and get to Floors Castle and visit/re-visit some of the Historic Scotland properties that are nearby.

Tomorrow… shh… don’t tell anyone, we’re heading south of the border to Barnsley. Long story, but for now I’ll just say it’s for research for another novel I’m working on.

Edinburgh, Scotland

#Scotland 2015 Day 13 – Day trip to Edinburgh

October 14, 2015 Melanie 4 Comments

#Scotland 2015 – Sept 23, 2015

Today we’re off to Edinburgh. Return train fare from Dunbar to Edinburgh, Waverly was £24.40 well worth every pence when it meant not driving in the city or trying to find parking. And I had haggis with my bacon and eggs with my breakfast!

Unlike Aberdeen and Dundee where we had taken the train earlier in our vacation, we didn’t have to put our ticket into the machine to get through the turnstile to exit the station.

The first order of business was for me to find a new purse. My black, cross-body bag wasn’t going to be big enough to take some things home in (iPad, paperback, etc) rather than put them in the checked bags and they were perfectly acceptable to take in carry-on.

Primark, H&M, Marks & Spencer, BHS, we hit them all along Princes Street. I had seen a few girls carrying purses that I really liked when we were in Dundee – black suede, fringed – but couldn’t find any. However, I did find one that I instantly fell in love with at Debehams.

Isn’t it gorgeous? I love it! And it’s got room for all the stuff I need to carry in it… and then some. The girl on cash took the tags off it so I could carry it even though it was empty. It made no sense to get a back to carry a ‘handbag’ in. It came with a black cloth bag large enough to put the suede beauty in and some air-filled pillows filled up the rest of the space so it looked like I was carrying a normal purse.

As we were approaching the crosswalk to Princes Gardens, one of the guys trying to sign up new customers outside the Vodaphone store approached saying he could get us a good deal on our monthly mobile phone bill. His face dropped when we said we were from Canada. Mind you, after the experience with the EE sim and top-up card, Vodaphone is looking better all the time.

Where does a writer go in Edinburgh? This writer went to the Writers’ Museum.

Works by and personal effects that belonged to Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott are all on display – each with a full floor of the building dedicated to them.

Someone had a sense of humour at one time mounting the back end of a cow onto one of the buildings on the street. But then the street is called The Cowgate. Can we say “Udderly hilarious?”

Another place we visited was the Royal Oak Pub. I’m positive I’d seen on a website that it was a famous Edinburgh author’s local. I got the wrong end of the stick but now that I know, I’ll be prepared for next time. 🙂

No authors other than me (well, at least well-known that I would recognize), but some great characters and a pub filled with charm.

After a pint and a pee we walked to Grayfriars Kirkyard.

If these monuments look like they’re attached to the houses, you’d be right… they are! Well, if your house backs onto a graveyard, at least those neighbours are quiet.

I love this bus! The sign on the front shows “Holyrood Herse, St Andrew Square, and National Ghoulery”. The one on the back shows “Calton Hell, George Scare, and Deadinburgh Castle”. I think this is something to check out for future trips to Edinburgh.

By now, we were getting hungry. According to the Edinburgh map we picked up at or near the Writers’ Museum, there was an Indian Restaurant on Rose Street. Since we both like Indian, it was perfect. We made sure we started our trek on Rose Street close enough to Waverly Station so we could walk by Robertsons on the way for our curry.

There aren’t a lot of trains that stop in Dunbar so we didn’t want to be stuck waiting until late to get a train, but we had purchased ‘cheap same day return’ tickets which normally restricts you from riding the train at rush hour hence eating a bit earlier than we normally would.

Well wouldn’t you know. The Indian restaurant was closed! They didn’t open until later. After the ‘rented’ ale at the Royal Oak, we both needed a loo – badly. Thankfully, TGI Fridays was across the street so we legged it there for a meal… and the toilet.

We must have asked half a dozen ScotRail employees what the earliest train was we could get back to Dunbar with the tickets we had. Finally, we got to the right employees and as luck would have it, we could get the next one. Because there aren’t many trains that stop in Dunbar, the rush hour restriction is lifted and you can travel on any train which is good to know for future train travels.

We’re not sure what the delay was, but when we got close to Dunbar the train stopped and we waited for about fifteen minutes before moving again. When we did get to our stop, it seemed that everyone else on the train (well at least one carriage) got off. Obviously, a lot of people commute to Edinburgh for work.

Bella Andre, Book Promo, Melissa Foster, Novels

Cape Cod Promises ~ BOOK PROMO

October 14, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

Cape Cod Promises

Bella Andre & Melissa Foster

Trent Rockwell has it all—a thriving legal practice, co-ownership of the Rockwell Resort, and a big, loving family. And yet his failed marriage to Reese Nicholson has haunted him for ten long years. Now that he has moved back to Cape Cod Bay to help run his family’s resort, he is surrounded by memories of Reese…and he can’t stop longing for the woman he’d always believed was his one true love.…

At nineteen, artist Reese Nicholson was swept off her feet by the handsome, charming, and incredibly sensual Trent Rockwell. After a whirlwind courtship, they married and moved to New York City, where they hoped all of their personal and professional dreams would come true. But six months later, Reese returned to Rockwell Island broken-hearted and disillusioned.

For a decade, Trent and Reese carefully kept their distance. But all it takes is one accidental late-night encounter to immediately stir the desires they have both tried to bury deep. Powerless to resist the heat between them, every passionate kiss, loving caress, and heartfelt apology draws them closer together. So close that they can’t help but wonder if the promises they once made to love each other forever are still true…

ABOUT MELISSA FOSTER

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.

Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Authors Links:

http://www.melissafoster.com/newsletter/

ABOUT BELLA ANDRE

Bella Andre is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of “The Sullivans” and “The Morrisons” series.

Having sold more than 4 million books, Bella Andre’s novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists 23 times. She has been the #1 Ranked Author at Amazon (on a top 10 list that included Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Steven King), and Publishers Weekly named Oak Press (the publishing company she created to publish her own books) the Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher in the US. After signing a ground-breaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella’s “The Sullivans” series is being released in paperback in the US, Canada, and Australia.

Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into ten languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her “One of the top writers in America” and she has been featured by Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME Magazine. A graduate of Stanford University, she has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in New York City.

Bella also writes the New York Times bestselling Four Weddings and a Fiasco series as Lucy Kevin. Her “sweet” contemporary romances also include the new Walker Island series written as Lucy Kevin.

If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks.

Author Links

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Broughty Ferry, Dirleton Castle, Dunbar, Kelpies, Scotland, Tantallon Castle

#Scotland 2015 Day 12 – Broughty Ferry to Dunbar with Kelpies

October 13, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

#Scotland 2015 – Sept 22, 2015

While we were disappointed to be leaving Broughty Ferry, we were excited to be moving on to our next destination. At least this morning the sun was shining. We had hoped to be after the rush hour but no such luck. I think we were smack in the middle of it.

After being held up at a stop for petrol (the place was a zoo) because the person at the pumps ahead of us had left her car there (she was already nowhere to be seen when we pulled up) and we waited for ages for her to return and get a less than sincere ‘sorry’. But at least she pulled her car away from the pumps before going back in to get whatever else it was she was after.

Finally, we were out of heavy traffic and onto single carriageways. The scenery through here was pretty but unfortunately, the laybys with the best views were filled with lorries and and other cars already. I finally did find one but had to walk back a bit because the trees blocked the view.

After getting some photographs, we moved on again but not far. We both thought the boot hadn’t closed properly so at the first opportunity, we pulled into a carpark for a church. And never being one to pass up the opportunity to wander through a graveyard, we took a brief time out for a look. I went around by the front of the church (more photo ops that direction) and Don had a look around the back.

When we reached the area near our destination, “Satnav Sally” turned us in to the carpark at the Falkirk Football Stadium. Come to find out, it was overflow parking for The Kelpies. Don’t think that would happen if there was a match taking place.

We got back onto the road and the turn we wanted was at the next set of traffic lights. It cost £2.00 to park which was more than reasonable because you could spend the entire day there. If you wanted to take the tour inside one of the two giant Clydesdale heads, there was an additional fee but we only wanted to see them from the outside.

We did look inside the one that was used for the tours (head down) and it looked like you stayed on the ground level. There were no stairs visible from our vantage point. Can you imagine being able to climb up and look out one of the eyes?

I wanted to stop at two castles on the way to our hotel – The Royal Mackintosh – in Dunbar so we had to get a move on.

The further away from the kelpies we got, the cloudier and gloomier it became and before we reached the first of the two castles I wanted to visit (Dirleton), it was raining. Not super hard but hard enough to be miserable and have to keep the cameras under cover.

These two trees in the gardens at the castle remind me of the ones in the Haunted Forest in The Wizard of Oz. What do you think? They’re definitely spooky looking. And maybe being there on an overcast, rainy day made them look even spookier.

Coming in the direction we did from the gardens, this was the entrance to the castle we took. By the time we reached the top step, my knees were burning but I didn’t let it stop me from enjoying the views in and around the castle – upstairs and downstairs.

I love the stone seats in the window alcoves of this room. Even on a cool, damp day, this room didn’t feel it. But then that could have been the sweat we’d worked up with all the step climbing and walking.

This section of the castle was the Haliburton’s construction. The intricate stone buffet was in the end wall of the Great Hall.

North Berwick Law is a massive mound visible from almost everywhere in the area because the ground is so flat… well except for it.

By the time we reached Tantallon Castle, it was raining harder and the wind had come up. There were times when I thought my umbrella and I were going to do our best Mary Poppins impression.

Bass Rock is home to a huge colony of gannets. From every vantage point looking out to see here at the castle, this formation is visible.

Despite the rain, wind and slippery, wet stones we climbed up to the top and walked on the ramparts of the castle. Mind you, this would have been so much more pleasant on a sunny, dry and less windy day but, hey, it was all part of the experience.

And remember North Berwick Law? Well, here it is again… kind of like the Price Building in Quebec City.

By now we really had to get a move on and to our hotel but we decided that on the day we left Dunbar for Kelso, if it was nice, we would come back to the castle and see it in a different light.

After checking in and getting our goods and chattels into our room, we walked down to the train station to get an idea how long a walk it was. I knew where it was from google maps and the hotel’s website said it was a short walk but a body still has to measure it themselves.

When we returned from our timing of the train station walk, we had a meal in the hotel bar – a Bigger Mack. I swear the hamburg patty was two inches thick! OMG! It was delicious, juicy and cooked all the way through… but way too much. Should we have one of these on a future trip, we won’t each order one. We’ll order one and cut it in two and get an extra order of chips.

Now that we’d stuffed ourselves, we went upstairs got the cameras and went out for a walk along the high street then down to the water where we watched the tide come in before walking back up the hill to our hotel.

Tomorrow we’re off to Edinburgh for the day.

Broughty Castle Museum, Broughty Ferry, Photographs, Scotland

#Scotland 2015 Day 11 – Broughty Ferry

October 12, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

#Scotland 2015 – Sept 21, 2015

Other than when we first arrived in Scotland on 12th September, this was the first day we had rain – heavy rain. After breakfast, we grabbed our umbrellas and walked to Broughty Castle Museum which was closed for the day when we arrived here on the 19th from Kennethmont.

There were a number of interesting artifacts and displays housed in the museum over the three floors that were open to the public and we were able to leave our dripping umbrellas downstairs inside the door to the castle.

After our tour we went for a walk along the Esplanade for a short distance before turning around and walking back to Fisher Street and eventually, our hotel room.

I mean, there’s only so much you can do on a rainy day. Our original plan was to spend part of today with nearby family, but that fell through so we were left at odds as to what to do. We’d done the planes, trains and automobiles thing so decided to add bus to our modes of transport used and hopped one to where we could purchase a golf hat for the guy who administers hubby’s cancer treatments (after all, you have to keep him sweet so he’s good to you). I had only ever used a ‘transit’ bus once in Scotland and that was back in 1993 to go from the Guild Street station in Aberdeen out to the airport at Dyce. For that trip, I had to have the exact change.

This trip, shortly after we sat down, a ‘clippie’ was there to collect our fare. Exact fare wasn’t needed but no doubt appreciated. It cost £4.30 each way for both of us, which was very reasonable, we thought.

Our shopping trip completed, we caught the next bus back to Broughty Ferry. On the way, the rain started again and at one point, it teemed so hard and the windows steamed so much that we could hardly see. At least the driver could and he was the one who mattered.

When we returned to Broughty Ferry, the rain had stopped but it was still quite overcast. We got off the bus at the Post Office Bar stop and walked back in the direction of the railway station. I thought I had seen a bank with a cashpoint but I hadn’t. Looking down Gray Street, I spied the familiar Clydesdale Bank logo so we went there so we could get some cash. Of course, after we stopped here we saw all kinds of banks along Brook Street.

I had picked up a City Centre Walk brochure earlier at the museum so took a good look at it when we went back to our room. While we were there, it cleared up and the sun came back out. We picked up the cameras and out we went again – this time to capture images of some of the locations in the brochure.

As much as we both like old graveyards, we never did find this one, although towards the end of the day we got close. By now we knew that you had to get the key from the Ship Inn but we’d not seen this sign along the street before.

There were other people milling about in the area and when an older woman came along and unlocked the high gate, we thought all our Christmases had come at once. Unfortunately, this only led to her garden but if you look in the Google street view below, you can see a stone wall in behind there and another one behind it. Sure as anything, that’s where the old burial ground is.

We had already determined that we would stay in Broughty Ferry again and at the same hotel. So between now and then, I’ll be doing some more digging and printing directions and other pertinent information for us to have with us. I’d say sending it to our phones, but that only works when you have data on your phone, or can find a wi-fi hotspot.

Broughty Ferry – we’ll be back!

Book Promo, historical romance, Novels, Susan Hughes

A Kiss from France ~ BOOK PROMO

October 12, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

A KISS FROM FRANCE

by

SUSAN HUGHES

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Release Date: 19 July 2015 p/back; 29 July 2015 e-book

Publisher: Silverwood Books

London, 1917. Lizzie Fenwick is young, ambitious, and in love. At least, she thinks she’s in love with the soldier who answered the note she concealed in a box of ammunition shells. She spends her days filling shells with TNT, and her nights dreaming of the mysterious Harry Slater.

Eunice Wilson knows the exact moment her marriage to Jack began to fracture. He refused to enlist, and their patriotic neighbours never let her live it down. Now he’s been conscripted and she can’t help but feel regret for shunning Jack before his departure.

As separate tragedies cause Lizzie to make hard choices and Eunice to cope with loss, the two women are unsure how to adjust when peace finally returns. Little do they know that an earlier war-time betrayal will force Lizzie and Eunice to confront everything they knew about friendship, loyalty, and love.

A Kiss From France is a historical fiction romance novel set in London’s East End during World War I. If you like compelling human stories, believable female protagonists, and the suspense and intrigue of war-time London, then you’ll love this heartfelt tale of two women who yearn to feel alive in a broken world.

BUY LINKS

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About Susan Hughes

Susan Hughes grew up near a small mining village in Northumberland, England. When she didn’t have her nose in a book and, careless of the class and gender expectations of her upbringing, she was climbing trees, catching water boatmen in a jar from a nearby burn or go-karting round country lanes with the kids next door before taking herself off to University.

A career in the City of London during the frenetic ‘Big Bang’ boom of financial de-regulation was followed my marriage, children and a desire for a change of gear. A move to the rural West Country enabled her to raise her sons near the coast and indulge her penchant for visiting stately piles while finding time to keep up her reading habit.

After she found a handful of WW1 silk postcards among her grandmother’s possessions, the romantic greeting on one of them inspired her to weave a story around its imagined sender and recipient. It became her first novel, A Kiss from France. She is now working on her second book send in inter-war London.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/su_sanhughes

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14204035.Susan_Hughes

Website: www.susanhughes.net

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/hughes7584

GIVEAWAY

A paperback copy of the book (open internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chris Longmuir, Dundee, McManus Galleries, Pictish Stones, Scotland, standing stones, The Howff

#Scotland 2015 Day 10 – Day trip to Dundee

October 11, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

#Scotland 2015 – Sept 20, 2015

Today we were off to Dundee to wander the streets and see the locations my crime-writer friend, Chris Longmuir, used in her novels.

We decided to take the 10:34 train from Broughty Ferry into Dundee so we would have the entire day to see and do things. The only train that stops there on the return trip leaves Dundee at 17:22 so we’d have plenty of time and not feel rushed.

The station in Broughty Ferry is unmanned and not even a machine to buy your tickets before boarding the train. This meant having to purchase them after we got on. We chose the last carriage because that’s usually where the conductor starts coming through to sell tickets. And since you need your ticket to get out of the station, the idea (while somewhat appealing) to ride for free doesn’t work. Since we were only going one stop, it made no sense to try to find a seat so we stood. The conductor started toward the front end of the carriage then stopped, turned and headed back the other way. Hubby followed him and in so doing, found Chris. What were the chances of the three of us meeting on the train instead of trying to find each other somewhere in the station?

Our first stop was at the RRS Discovery. Being Sunday, Discovery Point didn’t open until 11:00 so we had some time to kill before we could purchase our tickets and tour the ship. RRS Discovery is mentioned in Chapter 1 of Night Watcher.

Dundee — Warning sign on fence by the RRS Discovery

I’m not sure exactly where the underwater hazards are because there was no water. RRS Discovery was in drydock!

Once Discovery Point opened, we went in and bought our tickets. We bought the pass that would also give us access to Verdant Works (a former jute mill turned museum).

Before we toured the indoor exhibits, we found a table in the cafe where we could make the exchange… sounds sinister doesn’t it? Not really, I bought print copies of Chris’s books and she’d brought them with her. I got the books, she got the money and hubby got to carry the books in our ‘jute’ Aberdeen bag.

We walked up to the Overgate Shopping Centre where scenes in Chapter 1 of Missing Believed Dead take place.

Before we went inside, we saw the domed building Chris used in Night Watcher and the close across the street that graces the cover of the same book.

I’m not sure who dressed the penguins but it looks like a wedding and bridesmaid dresses. Apparently, this happens frequently and their attire chances.

Once inside the Overgate, our first order of business was to find the EE store. I had bought a pay as you go sim card that came with what I was led to believe, a prepaid top up card when we were in Huntly for my unlocked iPhone but could never get the top up card to work. I had followed all the instructions from the packaging and on their website. Come to find out, the £10.00 I paid was only for the sim card and I had to pay another £10.00 to be able to use the card to top up the phone. That wasn’t how it was explained in the shop where I bought it so needless to say, I wasn’t best pleased. At least the kid working in the EE store was helpful but the whole experience left a bad taste.

We finished our tour of the shopping centre and headed off to the Verdant Works. In The Death Game, Kirsty comes here to see her father who worked at the mill.

I was amazed at how soft the jute fibres felt. At one of the displays in the museum, you could feel the softened and combed strands. I thought I was stroking hair!

Chris told us that she worked in one of the jute mills for a time operating a spinning machine. She explained what you had to do if one of the strands broke to us and the interpreter working in this area.

We walked by the Sheriff Court and the police station tucked away behind and made our way to The Howff – a cemetery that was used from 1564-1857. I love a walk through a graveyard and the older the better. This fit that bill perfectly.

You can get a feel for Chris’s historic crime novel, The Death Game, from the prologue.

The McManus Galleries were nearby so we wandered through the various galleries. The Making of Modern Dundee, Dundee and the World, and the Pictish sculptured stones were my favourites.

We made a stop at Waterstone’s where I picked up a novel by another one of my favourite crime novelists and one I’d not heard of before returning to the Overgate with a stop for photos at the Dragon Sculpture

and further up the High Street with Desparate Dan.

There were demonstrations going on in the City Square so we went over. One tent was set up with Raspberry Pi computers connected to weather stations. We had to try it out. Another was reading a weather forecast in front of the green screen which was recorded for the readers but those watching could see it live. It was primarily kids doing this and their performances were priceless.

On the other side of the square, a tent was set up with a display of computers over the years. Two of the ones that stood out to me were the Commodore 64 and the Commodore PET.

In another tent, you could get your photo taken with a Dalek but we didn’t bother, although I did get a photo of said Dalek before we moved on.

By now it was time to walk back to the railway station. On the return trip, we were able to get three seats together so it was nice to be able to chat about the day before having to say our goodbyes at the Broughty Ferry Station.