all the way to Scotland

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Hey everyone- I don't know where to start - over a month of frenetic touring and action - you'll probably need a map of the Uk in front of you just to take in all that I'm telling you here...

I went to Swansea on the megabus the weekend of Glastonbury - guessing that a lot of my firends would be stuck there instead - and they were! A magical weekend, dancing in the Monkey, catching up with folk I'd lost touch with, and having Cef's leaving party - boy was it good!!!

Only a day to clean the house - Monday, and by Tuesday I'd shifted all my stuff to my new home, 9 Southampton Street, and packed all that I could carry onto my scooter, as I headed off to Reading. (Amazingly - for the first 4 legs of my journey I had no map - I just memorised what I read in service stations when I filled-up!!!- eventually got a mapin Richmond, on my way from Manchester to Newcastle)

HAd a glorious day with my grandparents in Reading, and slept well, to set off in the morning, and then my scooter wouldn;'t start! not a tickle, even from the motor!!! after a few miserable hours seeing if I could abandon the tour and have the bike salvaged back to Brighton, I took a chance and wheeld it all the way across Caversham and reading - to the only dealer that could fix it under warranty. Battery charged, I set off for my family home in Oxenton, north of Cheltenham ,where I weathered the night.

Thursday morning I left at 7am - as my dad had a mission to take my grandparents from Caversham to Manchester for my great-aunt's 101st Birthday (confused yet?- you will be). I wanted to got there too, but also wanted to see my friends in Worcester on the way. Getting there at 7:30am was great, but I was too tired to hit the troad, so slept for a few hours and had a little to eat, then headed off at about 1pm.

Getting to Manchester after 7pm, my dad and his parents had already come and gone, and I did'nt even know where my great-aunt's nursing home was,- but a couple of questions on the street assured me that it was actually very close to where I'd arrived, and I had the most wonderful few hours with her,- asking questions and writing down allthat she could remember. When I left it was so late that I had to camp-out in the grounds!!!

Friday morning I knew my schedule was tight,- but I had to meet my Baha'i friend who was serving in the Baha'i centre just a little up the road too! I got to share a lot of stories form India,- and thoughts on Baha'i activities and ideas all over the world. 3pm was as late as I could countenance leaving for NEwcastle - as I knew it'd be hard to make much progress through the Yorkshire Dales--- but actually it took more than 30 mins to get out of MNanchester city centre, and several hours before I'd found a way oput of Burnley besides the motorway...

BUt the dales were beautiful - singing Postman Pat in my helmet as I toured, I felt absolutley at one with the countryside ambling past me, and almost wished I were on a bike to take it at a slower pace. Eating chips in Settle and the sunset behind me as I rode to Richmond were memorable - and I got to my brother's home in Baydon Colliery by 11pm.

Saturday morning I knew I;d have to move fast - though I wasn't desperately in tune with the makepovertyhistory organisers, (total focus on celebrities gives the awareness equivalent of a sugar-rush - short high, and protracted, uncomfortable low) I knew I'd have to get there before 12 to make the start of the march. Locking my bike and belongings as securely as I could manage, I joined the white-clad masses and rushed to the front (those who didn't were forced to wait for 4 or more hours to get onto the route), and took-in edinburgh and the music and litter of a big march. IT was interesting to see all the bizarre groups represented - I was most intrigued by an islamic group calling for the abolition of banking, investment, interest and paper&electronic money. Gold and Silver are the only truly stable currencies, they argue, and anyone with enough wealth to mint coins should be free to do so. I wonder about it quite often- what if???

That said, I didn't want to hang around Edinburgh for too long, and the People and Planet desk said I could go straight to the convergence Cetre/ eco-village up in Stirling. I'll conclude this blog - as it's getting terribly long - and do two more - one on the happeningd at Stirling and Gleneagles, and one on my Southward journey through Northumberland, York and Leicester. Taraa!

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