London & Greenwich

London is a bustling, exciting, and in many ways lovely city. There are also far too many people in it, esp. when we were visiting during the 80th anniversary of VE Day. People from all over the former empire came for the observance.  We met an Australian woman who's father had been involved in the Great Escape.

 

The Natural History Museum (bearing a certain resemblance to a Darwin cathedral)

I swear, sometimes I can't take him anywhere...

 

 the famed Graffiti Tunnel

 

about town

the Shard

Southwark Cathedral

 by boat down the Thames to Greenwich

 Greenwich: the Cutty Sark

 

 David being curious

 Wren's Royal Naval College buildings & the Painted Hall

Tender vs. Currency: A Scottish Tale

Americans frequently get confused and bewildered by the nations of the United Kingdom, i.e., England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland (though the latter-most is frequently called a province). The issue becomes acute when the unwary learn that England and Scotland have different laws and courts, though U.K. laws apply to both. Wales has been a part of England since 1283, but don't tell the Welsh that. The government of Northern Ireland, though part of the U.K., is shared with the Republic of Ireland. Eeeeeek!

So, what does this have to do with money? Well... before the Act (or Treaty) of Union between England and Scotland, each country had its own currency: the English Pound Sterling and the Scottish Pound Scots. After 1707 the English Pound superseded the Scottish. However, one hears quite frequently in modern Britain the term "Scottish Pound" (and no, I won't get into what Britain is as opposed to the 3 or 4 nations of the U.K.) In fact; here is a pic of one, below an "English" Pound.

The "Scottish" pounds are English (i.e. British) pounds, they just happen to be issued in Scotland. Unlike pounds issued in England, which are issued by the Bank of England and carry the image of the monarch, "Scottish" pounds are issued by commercial banks (in this case, the Royal Bank of Scotland) under license of the Bank of England. They do not bear the image of the monarch. Also, and here's the important and bewildering difference: the Bank of England notes are legal tender, they must by law be accepted to satisfy a debt; the "Scottish" pounds are legal currency (i.e., "real money") but they are not legal tender. The payee is not obliged to accept them as payment. For this reason, many outside Scotland will not accept Scottish notes, not because they consider them bogus or such, but because they do not want to get stuck with them if someone they need to pay refuses to accept them. It's kinda weird. Some ATM's dispense Scottish notes, some British, some offer the choice. If you are using an ATM at, e.g., the Royal Bank of Scotland, the machine will give you RBS issued notes.

 

So when is real money not really money? When it's a Scottish pound note outside of Scotland.  

Alba gu bràth!!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

 

Behold the Wonders of Science!

This, dear friends, is an automatic watch winder. We learned of this extraordinary device from a couple we befriended aboard ship. If you, as I do, have self-winding watches you never wear because you have to wind and wind to get the day and date right, because you don't wear the watch often, this ingenious contraption is for you!

Watches, with their bands, are mounted on the black disk you see here. The disk then periodically rotates to keep the watches wound and moving up to date. Brilliantly simple! These two watches which I never used to wear (one is a Swiss Bucherer I received as a teenager) I can now wear whenever I want, without having to reset the day/date. Truly, we live in an age of marvels!

😁

 

A Blessed Event

We interrupt this travelogue for some wholesome family-oriented news...

 

For quite some time now, Edmund the Dodo has been wanting a little chick of his very own. Being extinct, however, presents some major obstacles to finding a mate. Undeterred, dear Edmund has sometimes gone to extreme lengths to obtain offspring.  

Happily, on our recent trip, we were able to find him a chick ready for adoption, at the Natural History Museum in London. Where else would you go to find and adoptable infant of an extinct species. Isn't he just adorable?

Edmund was thrilled beyond belief and christened him Edwin.

Edwin just loves birdie-back rides!

They're so cute together.

Edwin even has a playmate, Fluffy the baby California Condor. Here they are at Edwin's first sleep-over.

The proud parents couldn't resist a group shot.