After 28 years I finally made it to the land of our northerly neighbours, the Scottish. No idea why it took me this long. No excuses now though as I've never lived so close. It was only a two hour drive to Edinburgh. Checking in to the hotel just after lunch we did what most first-time Edinburgh visitors probably do and we went to see the castle. Impressive, but, you've seen one, you've seen them all. Having been to Prague castle, all others seem a tad wee. Anyway, the girls enjoyed it and that's the reason we went after all. {Photos}

Yesterday we went to Edinburgh Zoo. Surely the hilliest in the world. Zoos aren't my favourite places to visit but the girls had fun eating ice-creams and watching the Penguin Parade. {Photos}

Before we left I made a point of visiting the Royal Yacht Britannia. The girls weren't over impressed but I loved it, combining two of my interests in to one - big machines and history of the British Empire. There's a romantic in me that likes to dream of a time gone by when Britannia ruled the waves and Britain truly was Great. Like this boat though, it's now history and you have to ask if that isn't a good thing. Who'd want to rule this world?

This is where I might get myself in to some trouble. Firstly because I went against the Queen's request that no photos be taken inside the yacht and secondly because I am about to break the Official Secrets Act (OSA). See this picture of a TV socket onboard Britannia? There's a chance that I made it. When I was about 18 I worked for a company based in my home-town of Mansfield called T.I.S (you can just make it out in the lower corner) for a few years. I would link to the website but it's awful and I don't want to draw attention to this entry. Anyway, before I started they made me sign the OSA. While I was there I must have made a good few thousand of these sockets. Including everything from the circuitry to the engraving on the front panel. At the time, TIS was one of the main contractors that supplied the communication and entertainment systems for all Naval ships and frigates, including Britannia. While I was there I worked on a few other projects that I could tell a few stories about that would make any British tax-payer boil with anger. But I won't. I really am scared. Among the photos I took are some of the Queen's bedroom (she had a separate one to the Duke of Edinburgh, and who can blame her) and one of the Honeymoon Suite where the likes of the Prince of Wales and Lady Di would have stayed. Hey, we paid for it, why do we have to pay to get on and then be told we can't take photos?

Anyway, if this ain't the hottest day of the year, I'm a Scotman. I'm off down to the coast on my bike...