Northward bound

A frenzy of packing and a rush to Brighton station. Then a fairly easy journey to London, across London to Kings Cross and then we caught the Edinburgh train for Alnmouth Station for Alnwick close to the Scottish border, which Craig had fallen in love with as an exchange student.

Heavy rain as we descended from the train, and jumped into a taxi with Sylvia and a friend for the ten minute drive into town. A pleasant bed and breakfast and, after settling in, we took a walk to Barter Books,  built in the old railway station building, complete with model trains rattling above some of the shelves of second hand books.

A secondhand bookshop isn't the best place to find my current obsessions of contemporary findings in paleoanthropology and now Jung, as I have this idea that our blurry prehistory, is akin to our personal prehistory.  I was reading Jung: A Very Short Introduction by Anthony Stephens on my kindle on the train, and it is really exciting me. I have read Jung before, but not for years, and not systematically and this overview is really excellent.

Lorraine and I wandered into town, and bumped into Robbie Rae, Naturally we quickly found a pub where First Matie, Tom, Graeme and Valentina and others were gathered. Then to another pub, where Craig, Mel and Matt were, and the group snowballing with wedding guests.

Then a visit to a steakhouse (where I had chicken) where I sat next to Matt's new girlfriend Isy, who I liked a good deal. Then a mob of us bundled into another nearby pub, and mingled. Chatting to loads of people, lots of Americans too (Craig and Mel are both from the US) who were enjoying this wild English outpost with a real castle. Lorraine having great fun chatting to people too, especially Matt Hindley who we both really like.

Below: the War Memorial at Alnwick, inside Barter Books, and two views of the newly rebuilt roof of Kings Cross station where we caught our train North.