Sevens, abbeys and Waterloo
Dryburgh AbbeyJust back from a trip to the Borders to watch the Melrose Sevens rugby tournament yesterday. The weather was glorious and daughter and I have come back with sunburn which isn’t supposed to happen in Scotland in April.
Rugby highlights - Cambridge University went out in the early rounds but had an impressively fast number 10. Think I was the only one rooting for them ;) The "Army in Scotland" fielded a team of Fijians based in Edinburgh (!) who out classed everyone else until they completely gave up in the semis. Melrose went out in the quarter finals having had a last minute try disallowed, not a popular decision. The final was a South African affair between Hamilton from Cape Town and the University of Johannesburg. Hamilton won but it was close. And finally a word on the strips. Pink is obviously the colour for strips this season. Ayr had a particularly fetching little strawberry pink number. Melrose however broke the mould by turning out in yellow and black tiger stripes.
Other highlights included wandering around Melrose and Dryburgh abbeys in the sun. It’s years since I’ve been to either and they’re both beautiful. I have a bit of a soft spot for this part of the word as I spent two very enjoyable seasons working on excavations at the Roman fort of Trimontium many moons ago. On the downside Jedburgh campsite is a bit meh but has a lovely view of the Waterloo Monument which was commissioned by William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian (1763 - 1824) and designed and built between 1817 and 1824 by Archibald Elliot (1761 - 1823). There. You didn't think I'd write a post without an Archie in it now did you? ;)