We’ve had a pretty low-key week. Thursday I took Keelyn to feed the ducks, we took a couple of pictures with my Palm computer. Friday I went to Edinburgh to look at some old church records and some 18th Century letters. Among the letters were several from the Puritan leader Cotton Mather to a Glasgow Minister Robert Wodrow written around 1715-1720s. Robin and Keelyn went to the International Club were they had a Valentine’s Day event. We’re about to get ready for Church. Next week Keelyn has a break from School and Robin and She will visit some places in town. I’m preaching next Sunday so I’m excited about that.

We took a day trip to Stirling, about a twenty minute train ride to the North and East of Glasgow. We fell in love with it. It’s a smaller city with a rich history. William Wallace and Robert the Bruce fought the English here. Wallace had a spectacular victory by allowing half the English forces to cross the River Forth then attacking before the rest could be deployed.
King James VI was crowned at the Church of the Holy Rude, and John Knox preached there. It was incredibly foggy and we could barely see fifty feet in front of us. We were nearly in the castle before we saw it. Here are some pictures, including one of Keelyn in the Queen’s throne in the castle’s great hall and one in front of a mermaid.

Some picture of Stirling, the Castle and the Auld Bridge.

We went to the Burns celebration at Wellngton Saturday night. Had a wonderful time. There was a dramatic addressing of the Haggis, and I got to have a proper meal of the great chieftan of the pudding race. (It was Haggis pie and we had Irn Bru instead of Whisky.) Robin even sample the vegetarian option.
Keelyn enjoyed the real thing as seen in the picture, she says she didn’t like the potatoes so just ate the haggis.
A few Burns songs were sung and of course traditional Scottish dancing. We ducked out before Keelyn got too tired and fussy.
Yesterday afternoon I took Keelyn to the park. We fed the ducks and pigeons and saw a man practicing riding a unicycle and juggling. That’s something you don’t see everyday. I really wish I had the camera then.

Today is Robert Burns Day. So Keelyn’s nursery school had a Burn’s dinner for snack. They had Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. (Turnips and Mashed Potatoes.) All washed down with Irn Bru. She told us Robert Burns was there and recited a poem about chips.
BTW/ she liked the Haggis.
I’m so proud!

Mom and Joe visited us this past week. They kept Keelyn Friday night while we celebrated our 6th year wedding anniversary. During the week we took them to many sights in Glasgow. Yesterday we took them to Edinburgh, their flight left from there this morning. This morning we visited St. Silas Episcopal Church. They have contemporary worship services with a band and over head projectors. Not what we expect from Episcopalians. Very friendly group and we felt very welcome. But we’re definitely Presbyterians. The pics include us at Edinburgh castle and ‘princess’, Keelyn’s new Scottish teddy bear.

Mom and Joe flew in Sunday, I’ve spent the past couple of weekends getting ahead on my research so we could spend some time with them this week. We had lunch at the Crypt where Robin is volunteering. We visited the Hunterian museum yesterday and the University. Dinner was a Dimaggio’s. Nana and Papa Joe got to see Keelyn’s school.
Today we toured the city and went to Buchanon street galleries. Keelyn got to build a bear at the bear factory, she’s been christened Princess.

We have had a nice relaxing week. Boxing Day (26 Dec) we took Keelyn to her first movie at a cinema — ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.’ She was completely mesmerized, sat through the 2 1/2 hours and insisted on staying well into the closing credits. The picture is her in front of the Grosvenor Cinema.
Thursday was Wellington’s Christmas Party. We had fun dancing, eating and playing games. I had fish pie and mince pie. It snowed and Keelyn go to have a snowball fight with some of her friends at the Kirk.
Since the weather was cold and wet we took Keelyn to St. Enoch shopping centre to play at the ‘Jelly Club.’ Robin did some shopping while I read. We got to witness Hogmaney celebrations: kids shot fireworks and our upstairs neighbors partied past 7 this morning. We had a nice service at church this morning and spent a lazy day indoors.
The University library is closed until Wednsday so I have a mandatory break until then!

We’re having a wonderful Christmas, missing everyone though. We went to the service of Lessons and Carols at the Episcopal Cathedral last night and came back and exchanged gifts. I went back for a midnight communion service. Keelyn woke us up at 6 this morning, having discovered that Santa could find us even in Scotland. She was very excited, as the picture shows. We went to a lovely service this morning at Wellington and are waiting for Christmas Dinner to cook. Hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas.

Robin and Keelyn finally made it back from the States.
This morning they had a Children’s program at Church and Keelyn was a ‘wee’ angel.