On My Own in Morpeth

Allen and Anna had to work on Mon - Wed, despite Anna still feeling quite ill, with a cough that wouldn't let her sleep.  Allen had some time off in the afternoon Monday, because he had to work in the evening.  So he came home and took me on a long bike ride.  I got to ride the electric assist bike!
We went through town, which was a bit terrifying.  I had to ride in traffic, all on the left side of the road, and going through traffic circles, trying to figure out what direction they were coming at me from!  The electric boost to get going from a stand still really helped me keep from slowing down the cars, and to get up some long, tough hills.  We went out of town to a lovely rural area with sheep (of course), an old church, and a castle ruin.  We also played Pokémon Go together.  So fun.  Also plenty of exercise for me!
Then I made some dinner, left some for Anna, and went to bed early.
Tuesday I made bacon and cheese scones from a cookbook Sue had given Anna, and went down to the end of the town without consulting James, had tea and got my nails done.  When I got home I discovered I'd grabbed the shed key instead of the apartment key, so I spent some time resting in the back garden area, and then went across the street to the big grocery store called Morrison's (yes, James, Morrisons), got chips and played Sudoku until Allen got a chance to run home quickly and let me in.  Then he had to dash back to the clinic for an emergency.  Thanks, Doc!  We had leftovers for dinner.

Wednesday I had a scone for breakkies and walked hunnerts of miles all up hill to the train station and was whisked off to Durham.  There I walked down, down, into a little city/village of winding, cobblestone streets, across the bridge and up the hill on the other side to the University, which was built from and next to a castle.  At the University Library I toured the Archaeological Museum all by myself with a folding stool provided so I could sit in front of each exhibit and read every single thing.  Someone 5 or so years ago did a bunch of scuba diving under the bridge I had crossed, and found artifacts going back hundreds of years, because there was a market right on the bridge, so lots of stuff got chucked over.  Next I walked over to the Durham Cathedral, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I didn't get much time there because I had signed up and paid for a 2:15 tour of the Durham Castle.  It was small, but very interesting, having been added on to several times by whoever was ruling at the time.  The King of England back around 1066 didn't want to deal with this northern city right on the (then) border with Scotland, so he sent up religious leaders to be Prince so and so.  They got murdered, one after another, until the King sent up an army and decimated the local population to teach them What's What.  That put a stop to the nonsense for quite awhile.  The next excitement we heard about was during Henry the 8th's time, when the Catholic Bishop Prince had to switch quickly to Church of England and have the rosary painted out of his portrait in the chapel, leaving him clutching air.
I had stopped down in town for a meat pie and tangerines, so I had a picnic in the square, and found a bus back to the train station.  This train didn't go straight through, and at the station where I changed, some people were making a movie!  I got to see the actors and a little girl actress with the cameras running, and lots of staff all over.  I took a few pictures of the little girl, and her mother came over to ask me what my intentions were of doing with the pictures.  I told her to show to my daughter in law, and she was ok with that.
Back at Allen and Anna's apartment I repacked my two huge suitcases to leave next morning (at 2 a.m.), and Allen went out for Chinese Mu Shu Roast Duck, noodles and blackened seaweed dinners.  The weather was so good we ate outdoors at the back garden.  The neighbor and some big birds came by to see if they could get any of it.
Poor Allen had to drag my huge bike box out of his shed and strap it to the top of his car, load it with all the suitcases, and drive us over 2 hours to Edinburgh to arrive by 4:30 a.m.  The EasyJet was half filled with men going to Prague for "Stag Parties."  They really take the Bachelor Party over the top with 4 day weekends of drunken debauchery which makes them pretty unpopular in Czesky.  The guys surrounding me in the tail of the plane were already smashed at 6 a.m., and as soon as we reached cruising altitude they stood up en masse to take a pee.
Next Post - Prague!!!