I’m interrupting the tale of my parents’ trip around Japan to share a short trip I took to Scotland last week.  I used to travel to Stirling very regularly with work, but haven’t been for quite some time.  I flew from Southampton, another novelty, and heartily recommend it as an airport.  Unlike Heathrow, there isn’t a vast amount of shopping but you also don’t walk miles just to get to your gate.

It was a fantastic sunny day and these are some of the views of the English countryside from above.

On my arrival in Edinburgh I found the long awaited trams have now been built and the connection to the city centre is smooth and fast.  The helpful staff advised me that I didn’t even need to go into the centre of town to be able to change onto the train to Stirling.  One warning – tickets needs to be bought in advance, it is not possible to buy tickets on the tram!

The reason I travelled up to Stirling was to attend the book launch of Through the Leaves of My Tree.

It is a book of poetry written by Liz Gillespie a friend and ex-work colleague of mine.

Liz writes poetry about her every day experiences, friends and family.  She wrote a poem about fashion, which I shared with you here  and I am very proud to have found this poem in the book too:

Traveller’s Tales

I travel the world through the tales I am told
The countries that we visit and sites to behold

I travel the world with each travellers tale
A sun on their back and a wind in their sail

Each journey anew and each land that's discovered
each memory lane and image recovered

Each tale we recant and experience told
I travel along with the young and the old

My friends from afar and those who live near
each memory born and treasured so dear

You each know your place and from where you all start
keep telling your tales that imprint on my heart

The book is available from the publisher Pegasus directly and at all good bookstores, ISBN 9781907552885