Books Read in May

Howard Owen: Littlejohn
John Banville: Shroud
Boris Akunin: The Winter Queen
Ruth Rendell: Road Rage
Geraldine Brooks: Year of Wonders
Jane Gardam: Bilgewater
Ian Rankin: Set in Darkness
Jennifer Lauck: Blackbird
P.D. James: Shroud for a Nightingale
Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun

In one month, how did I manage to read two books with shroud in the title?

Scotland Trip, Episode 2: Craigmillar Castle

On Simon's birthday, we flew from Amsterdam to Edinburgh (yea! EasyJet!) and picked up our rental car. Unfortunately, the rental agency was out of the car we had requested, so we were upgraded. This upgrade was unfortunate because Simon then had to drive on the wrong, err, other side of the road in way too much car. If this ever happens again, we will definitely request a downgrade.

We had a few hours to spare before we could check into our B&B in Musselburgh, the Honest Town, so we decided to visit Craigmillar Castle, which dates back to the 1400s.

Simon and I later learned from our pals at the Volunteer Arms in Musselburgh that we had been in a rather dicey part of Edinburgh. We didn't have any problems though and would recommend visiting Craigmillar Castle.

Miscellaneous (More Scotland Pictures Soon)

So the Albert Heijn supermarket opened in our little town two weeks ago, and IT HAS REVOLUTIONIZED THE WAY I DO BUSINESS!!! For example, this morning I walked over, got my groceries, and walked home. The errand took about 30 minutes -- including the time I spent browsing at the flower shop across the street. No more frantically buying groceries with just 10 minutes to spare before the bus leaves! Heaven!

Sunday was beautiful, so Simon and I headed out of the tandem. There was very little wind to battle, but there were some "clogged" bike paths toward the end of our ride. Nevertheless, we made great time.

Distance: 30 miles
Time: 93 minutes
Average speed: 19.3 mph

Scotland Trip, Episode 1: New Relative

Usually when Simon and I go on holiday, I do, umm, most of the planning. But for this trip, Simon contributed to the research by consulting CAMRA’s website and compiling a seemingly exhaustive list of recommended pubs. One was the Volunteer Arms in Musselburgh, a friendly, lively pub with a great selection of real ales.

And, had Simon not pursued this scholarly endeavor, I would not have met my cousin Scott. Like me, Scott has freakishly double-jointed fingers. We must be related.


Scott was out with his pals Robert and Steve. Silliness ensued.

Stats from Yesterday's Ride

Yesterday, Simon and I rode a short loop through the dunes and back through Wassenaar.

Total distance: 20.4 miles
Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Average speed: 16.3 mph