mundane life , two black cats, & other stuff
I am working my way through the scrap-book pages from my September 2009 trip to Scotland. Today I am sharing a couple of photos of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, a photo of the 12th century abbey ruins, plus a shot of “the huge crag, which rises to a height of 822 feet above sea-level” which is part of Holyrood Park and called “Arthur’s Seat“.
Today I am once again sharing scrap-book pages from my September 2009 trip to Scotland. These pages reflect a day at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and nearby area. I remember it was real Scottish weather, rainy and cool. One of the unplanned highlights was listening to a piper outside a church and watching the people, dressed up in their finest — many a man in a kilt, walking in for a country wedding. 
Over the years the way I have saved (or not saved) travel photos and mementos has changed. Today I pulled a scrapbook / album of our 2009 fall trip to Scotland and England off the shelf. At that time I noticed that I had used software to make photo collages that I then printed on regular paper. The quality and color maybe a little off but I still like the images. Here is a page from a Sunday spent in Edinburgh that includes exterior shots of St. Giles’ Cathedral, also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh: 
According to BrownieLocks March 7 is Learn What Your Name Means Day. There are other dates in early March also given this distinction (the 4th or 9th). My proper first name is Kathleen, meaning pure & is considered to be Irish in origin. My nickname Kitty is a diminutive of Katherine, which is a variant of Kathleen. Kitty is considered English or Irish.
My maiden name is a relatively uncommon Scottish name, from Eastern Scotland, and a sect of the Gordon clan. The photo below shows the remains of Huntly Castle in Scotland. It became the stronghold of the Gordons when Alexander, 2nd Lord Gordon, was created Earl of Huntly in about 1445.
These photos are from a 1999 visit to Scone Palace, near Perth, Scotland. This was the crowning place of the Kings of Scots and now the home of the Earls of Mansfield.
The last man to be crowned at Scone was Charles II when in 1651 when he accepted the Scottish crown. 
Peacocks strut around the grounds.
Ancient breed sheep
The fountain in the center of the Murray Star Maze.
A few years ago we spend about 10 days based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of our excursions was out to Helensburgh and Hill House. Hill House was donated to the National Trust for Scotland in 1982 and is a fine example of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The house itself is not why I choose to feature it today. We are having a rainy, gray, non-snowy January here in Vermont so I wanted to look at some colorful and lush garden photos. So now I’m going to let these photos from the Hill House grounds speak for themselves.
We toured the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh, Scotland during 2009.
The yacht has been in the news lately because as it was being moved to a dry dock for painting it starting taking on water. The problem was solved and Britannia should be fine for another 20 years.
An even more recent story is a leaked letter that a new royal yacht to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The Prime Minister is reported to support the idea.
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