15 May, 2002
Sorry I've not been in touch 'til now. I was recovering from jet lag after my
long flight to the U.K. via Sydney and Osaka(Japan).
I then hopped down the "Royal Mile" which is in the very old part of
Edinburgh and is the street which goes from the Castle down to Holyrood
Palace, where the Queen stays when she is in Edinburgh. I got some photos
taken which I can send you.
The weather was very cold when I arrived but it is starting to get warmer and
there are nice Spring flowers and trees everywhere. I had to put on an extra
wooly jumper!! It stays daylight to 9pm here now!
Last weekend I went to the Island of Mull off the West coast of Scotland.
Lots of love
2 June 2002
I hear you had a good trip to Sydney and Canberra!?
I have been on a trip to another island called Arran. If you look at a map of
Scotland and find Glasgow and go further to the west you will see it.
Unfortunately the weather was rather wild and windy! They tell me it has
been a cold and disappointing month of May. Usually the weather is better at
this time of year.It is only about 18C and it is meant to be nearly Summer
here! I'm glad I live in Queensland! (Get a bit homesick at times)
Arran is called "Scotland in Miniature" as it has mountains,and beautiful
scenery. I went to a castle called Brodick Castle where there were lovely
gardens with rhododendrons and azaleas with gorgeous vibrantly coloured
blossoms.
The Stone of Destiny I mentioned before is a large ancient stone on which the
Kings of Scotland sat to be crowned. It was stolen by the English a long time
ago, and was kept in Westminster Abbey in London for many years.
However, now that Scotland hasits own Parliament again, the Stone was
given back to the Scots a couple of years ago. It was paraded up the Royal
Mile from Holyrood Palace to Edinburgh Castle for safe keeping.
I'm hoping to visit some children at Liberton Primary School in Edinburgh next
week and will let you know how I get on. The children here get their Summer
holidays at the end of June.
Bye for now.
31 May, 2002
Dear Class 7A,
Hi there Class 7A!
I then went by coach from Heathrow Airport to Kenilworth in the middle of
England. There is an old castle there where Queen Elizabeth 1st visited her
friend Robert Dudley. Kenilworth is also near Stratford-on-Avon, which is
where William Shakespeare lived.
Then I got a lift in a car to the north of England, near the Lake District, and
caught a train from Penrith to Edinburgh in Scotland.
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and is very historical and very
attractive. The main street is called Princes Street (not Princess Street!).
Edinburgh Castle looks down on Princes Street and is a beautiful castle.
I went up to look at the castle and saw inside the old dungeons and also
saw the Scottish Crown Jewels and the famous Stone of Destiny. There is
also an old cannon called Mons Meg.
It is a tradition in Edinburgh to fire another cannon every day from the castle
exactly at 1 pm. It's called the one o'clock gun. It made me jump!(more than usual!!)
We drove up through the Highlands where the scenery is beautiful with lots of mountains and lochs.
On Mull we saw Highland cattle with very big horns , but they did look cute. I didn't hop too close, though!
We also heard several cuckoos which is always a sign of Spring over here,and saw lots of pretty yellow primroses.
We had to get several ferries to and from Mull. Scotland has lots of islands on the West coast so people travel by ferry to the different islands quite a lot.
Next weekend I am going to another island called Arran.
I also hope to visit some children at a Primary School in Edinburgh! I'll let you know what Schools are like over here!
I have to stop now. I hope you are all working hard as usual!
I am missing you all. It would be nice to get an e-mail from you as I feel a little homesick at times. If you have any questions, let me know.
Skippy
Hi Class 7a!
Love
Skippy
Here are some photos of me sight-seeing in Edinburgh. I did enjoy the castle. They fire the one o'clock gun from the battlements everyday.
Can you spot me in the photos?
Hope you are working hard and having fun!
Love from Skippy.
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Edinburgh Castle from the Esplanade (Where the famous Military Tattoo is held each year) Can you spot me? |
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Edinburgh Castle from Princes St Gardens. Can you spot me? 
Looking through the railings at |
Holyrood Palace. The Queen stays here when she is in Edinburgh. |
4 August, 2002
Hi, there,
I have had another adventure in Edinburgh. I joined 33 Primary 4 children from Liberton Primary School on their visit to the Royal Museum of Scotland. They had been studying "The Romans" in class and this was an end of project outing.
We arrived slightly early so had an opportunity for a class photo on the Museum steps. Can you see me at the front? Sarah and Melissa were making sure that I was in the photo!
Once inside, we were taken to the Education Centre and divided into 3 groups. I was with Miss Adamson and 11 boys and girls. We started off with a question and answer session before being allowed to handle some old artefacts and guess what they might have been used for.
The part I liked the best was when I got the chance to watch the children try out various activities. Nicole and Kirsty wrote some Latin and Roman Numerals on wax tablets with a stylus, Omar and Neil tried their hand at a game of knuckle bones and Dionne had fun finding out information on the computer.
I'm not sure where I shall be off to next but I am looking forward to seeing you all again soon. Take care, meantime. Lots of love from Skippy.
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1 October, 2002
HIYA ALL!!
Sorry for not writing again, but I have still been out and about in Scotland, and I have a few more photos to send. Did you receive the other photos I sent?
I have been to a beautiful little island off the west coast of Scotland called Colonsay. The weather was nice and it was a bit more like home except not quite as hot!!
Recently I went to Dumfries and Galloway in the south west of Scotland, quite near the border with England. I saw an interesting old castle built in 1380 called Threave Castle near a town called CastleDouglas. You can find it on a map of Scotland. A clan called the Douglases lived in the Castle at one time. One was known as the Black Douglas and another as Archibald the Grim. We had to get a little boat to take us across to the Castle. It is supposed to have a ghost called the fair maid of Galloway who can be heard searching for her wedding ring.
As I'm feeling a bit homesick I'm wondering if it is time for me to come back to Albany Creek yet?
Did you get the photo from the schoolchildren at Liberton Primary School?
Bye for now
Love
Skippy
December 2002
I've had a great time but I'm very pleased to be back home.
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Great to be home! |