Alnwick

As threatened she's back already with part two of the Alnwick outing....let's get going shall we.

What could be more perfect in my little world than finding a huge second hand bookshop....why one that's been put inside the old station and has a model railway running round above the bookshelves that's what! You will be amazed to hear that I didn't actually buy anything. I didn't dare look as I'd have left with armfuls and if you knew just how many books I've already got here waiting patiently for my attention. I should be embarrassed, but naturally I'm not and I'm sure that I'll collect yet more to add to the collection before the year is out!

I spotted this heartfelt message up a side alley. Having attended my first ever anti racism conference last week here it sums up my feelings exactly. Nobody is saying that you have to like everyone, but it bamboozles me how someone can hate you based on the tone of your skin. We live in a fabulously diverse society here in the UK and long may it continue I say.

These made me chuckle and the cheeky little dog is high up on the local pet shop.

This pub is called the Dirty Bottles and true to its name it really does have some filthy glass bottles in the window. I expected the sign next to it to provide some sort of explantation, but that only told me that Robbie Burns had slept there at some point. It was originally known as 'Ye Old Cross' [if you squint you can just about make out the black cross against the white background], but it was said that the then landlord died instantly after moving the bottles in 1725. His widow claimed that the bottles were cursed and should anyone attempt the same thing the same fate would befall them. From the state of them I'd say that people took her at her word and noone's laid a finger on them since.

This however, was my find of the day. A very rare 14th century Flemish chest in the church of St Michael's. It was our final stop and not one that I was aware of before I crossed the threshold. Such was my delight that I took a whole heap of photos, but I'll leave you with just a couple to give you a flavour.

One final round up holiday post should do it and then I can start catching up with the backlog of the other doings which have been keeping me amused over these past few weeks.

Arilx