A couple of days ago and not for the first time we drove past a road sign which said Rosslyn Chapel – 2 miles thataway. And as usual I said to myself, we must go there, but it always seems to be the way of things that we go far afield to visit tourist destinations but ignore the ones practically on our doorstep.

Anyway, last night that Da Vinci Code film was on and as I’d never seen it or read the book I deliberately avoided them both) I decided to watch the film this time around so that I could at least get a glimpse of Rosslyn Chapel on TV.

So just about three hours later we got there, and it was a brief glimpse, not at all what I expected from all the hoo ha at the time they were making the film, and I regard it as a feat of endurance that I managed to stay the course. For one thing I didn’t even realise that it starred Tom Hanks – not one of my favourites, but apart from that it was just a waste of three hours of my life that I can’t get back again, I am grateful though that I didn’t actually pay to see it in the cinema.

It dawned on me that in the time it took to watch the film we could have driven to Rosslyn Chapel, had a good snoop around it and the whole area and driven back, and it would all have taken us less time that it took us to watch the film!

I’m wondering how many more times we’ll drive past that roadsign pointing the way before we actually turn in that direction to visit Rosslyn. We were on our way somewhere else as usual, heading south of the border – no not down Mexico way but to Flodden field and a couple of antiques/bric a brac centres via the Scottish Border town of Kelso.

It was a good day out but I didn’t bring much back in the way of loot, just one old book by Rex Stout called The Broken Vase, and a couple of bits of fabric, one length with Indian elephants on it amongst other motifs and some Union Jack material, just in case it is on its way out. I must admit I’m finding it difficult to imagine the design sans the St Andrew’s flag (Saltire).

On the way back home we stopped off at a chippy in Greenlaw for a fish supper – see above. The Chip Shop was run by a Frenchman and although I don’t really want to admit this, the chips were possibly the best ones I’ve ever had as they were beautifully crisp on the outside but soft in the middle without being at all soggy. We shared this as we usually find that a large fish supper is enough for two. Another thing which I like about this chippy is the lack of a polystyrene/styrofoam box. I don’t see the need for them and they litter the country and can’t be recycled. What’s wrong with plain greaseproof paper covered with wrapping paper, just like this? Actually there was so much fish that you can hardly see the chips underneath it all.

I’ve just realised that The Classics Spin this month is number 4 so for me that means The Lady of the Camellias by Dumas (fils).
Not as scary as Moby Dick I hope.

I’ll be posting photos of Flodden soon.