WELCOME!


Welcome to my blog. Thanks for dropping by. Hope you'll stay and enjoy reading about where I've been and what I've been doing!

I don't mean this to be a replacement for personal emails, but it gives me the chance to put up photos and my scrapbook layouts, so I don't block up your in-boxes, or have to send the same photos and stories to everyone separately!
Thanks, and welcome, to the followers of my blog. I'm very honoured that you enjoy it. Drop me some comments from time to time! It's good to hear what you think about the posts. Come back again soon.

Thanks also to Mary of Mary's Mixes for doing all the work on the blog's heading. You are great, Mary!



Sunday 3 August 2014

Bus trip

It was a beautiful morning when about 40 members of the U3A and the Tweeddale Society left Peebles on a hired coach on route to Fife.  elie2

It was still beautiful  when we stopped at Elie (EEly) in the East Neuk for morning coffee.  elie bayWe sat outside with our cups of tea or coffee and admired the views of the harbour, the small town, the beach – incidentally the beach where my parents met many years (70+) ago! 

It was still beautiful and getting hotter when we arrived at Pittenweem where a number of us left the bus to take the coastal path to Anstruther, or Ainster to the locals.  The rest of the group stayed put, to continue on the coach to Anstruther ,  where it was arranged that we would all meet up at the fish’n’chip shop near the harbour. So, the walking group set off to find the start of the coastal path, and as we walked down one old street I found the actual former fisherman’s house that I have a drawing of, and wanted to make into a dollshouse!  I tried to take a picture of it but the iPad locked itself and I couldn’t take the picture, nor could I let the group get out of my sight, so I pressed on.  Next time!  It was a typical two storey house with storage below and living space above reached by an outside stair.  Now I think the storage downstairs has been made into another flat/apartment.  Wish I could find the drawing now.  It wasn’t one I did, as you can tell.

pittenweemWe walked through a couple of streets and IMG_2220down  by the harbourIMG_2221 before setting off along the path above the sea.

 IMG_2224So lovely, with wild flowers in bloom, the cry of larks soaring above,  and the squawking of seagulls dipping into, and rising from, the gullies beneath us.IMG_2235IMG_2222 

IMG_2234Enjoy the views with me.

 

 

It was so nice just wandering along the path, exchanging hellos with people and their dogs going the opposite way.  The sound, the smell and sight of the sea was almost intoxicating.  IMG_2256It was gentle that day, but I wouldn’t care to be walking that way on a stormy winter day.  It wouldn’t be safe, for one thing! IMG_2229

 

 

stoney beach

 

IMG_2249

IMG_2245

red campion

 

nearing Anstruther

 

 

 

ainster

 

And suddenly Anstruther was ahead in the distance .

By this time the group had got further ahead of me – as I was always stopping to take photos – so I had to find my way to the harbour and the fish’n’chip shop to meet everyone.  I took one or two wrong turnings, and found that a river crossing had to be made first! ainster noost Still the wrong turnings were interesting. e.g. I came across this little boathouse and “noost” (a place where a boat can be pulled ashore and moored for shelter from the sea).ainster2 

 

Then I walked down the lane between two fairly old buildings and found myself  in a smaller harbour with the river flowing from the left into the bay. ainster churchyard

ainster4

In front of me was where I wanted to be, and behind me the attractive little church and burial ground.  ainster houses by the riverI had to retrace my steps a second time and cross the river by the bridge that carries the main road. 

The gable end of the house on the left had some designs made of seashells,more shell detail and the window was bordered by more.  ainster shell houseOn the corner opposite was another house, with more shell decoration.  I remember it from previous visits to this corner of Fife, but thought it was looking slightly the worse for wear, with missing shells here and there.  Still pretty impressive though!ainster chalmers birthplace

Walking towards the town centre I spied a wrought iron gate with the words CHALMERS BIRTHPLACE written into the design, and with a pretty cottage at the end of the close or pathway between two buildings.220px-Thomas_Chalmers'_birthplace,_Old_Post_Office_Close,_Anstruther  The only famous Chalmers I knew of was the Reverend Thomas Chalmers, who became the first leader/Moderator of the Free church of Scotland in 1843.  He and other ministers and members of their congregations left the established church 220px-Thomas_Chalmers_by_David_Octavius_Hill,_c1843-47in protest against landowners choosing who to was to preach in their churches.  The Disruption, as it became known, meant that a congregation could now choose the man they wanted as minister.  I had to look up Thomas’s birth on the internet, and found this was indeed the Chalmers I thought it was.  Strangely enough he also has a tenuous connection to my family, in that one of my 18th century ancestors married into the Pratt family, and a daughter of that marriage married Thomas! ainster3 

This photo is looking back to the old church and houses I had seen across the river, while the last one is the little harbour again, from across the sand  –ainster small harbour and it was here where the battery on my iPad gave up the ghost!  I had forgotten to charge it up overnight!

So eventually I found my way to the shore where the rest of the group were already eating or were queuing up for fish suppers – that’s what we call our fish’n’chips here, no matter what the time of day.  I and some of the others  had brought our own lunches, but I treated myself to an ice cream cone before we all climbed back on the coach for the second part of our outing, a visit to Kellie Castle before our journey back to Peebles.  Not having any more photos, I can only refer you to this website and to my blogpost of 1 August 2011 from the last time I visited.  I’ve tried to do a link to the post but it’s not happening, I’m afraid……  Well, it actually might work now, now that I’ve fiddled some more.

Anyway, what a day!  The weather couldn’t have been better, and the scenery was magnificent.  I think we all had a great day!

Talk again soon.

2 comments:

Katrina said...

What a great blogpost, we've never done that part of the coastal walk, that's one for the list. I think I even spelled Elie wrongly when I last mentioned it (Ely)like the one near Cambridge. That's what comes of blogging after midnight. I think the fish and chips at the chippy on the left hand side of the street as you look at it are better than the ones you have to queue up ages to get.

Evelyn/Ev/Evee said...

I'd like to do more of the coastal walk, Kattrina I gather you can get to St Andrews eventually! I think I'd do it in various stages! The Pittenweem to Ainster section was so gorgeous and of course there were wild flowers and calm seas to look at! Thanks for the hint on the fish'n'chips!