13 Jun 2024, Thursday

June 13, 2024

Prioritized Daily Task

10:30 am - Edinburgh Scotland fortress, Old Town and New Town, Arthur’s Street, Edinburgh Castle

Note: Influence and authority: A dietitian has authority over in-house patients in a hospital. They can only eat what they are given to eat. The dietitian only has influence over out-patient because at their home they have a refrigerator and are free to eat what they want to eat. - This the the same with parents (being a dietitian) and a child (being a patient) when they are in the home and then when they leave the home.

A parent (grandparent) can not exercise authority over a child who has grown up and left the home. A parent can only set a clear example for a child or grandchild to follow and pray mightily to God that He will pour out His Spirit on the child.

Debbie and I were up early, had prayer, showered, and got ready for the day. We had breakfast on the ship and was tendered to the dock in Edinburg. We were welcomed by a drummer boy and a man playing a bagpipe, both dressed in uniforms. Debbie and I went with our group to Sterling Castle and to the Bannockburn Battle area. The Battle of Bannockburn was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. The British outnumbered the Scotts at least 3 to 1. I toured the grounds and saw the building and lawn where they played bowling green. (Lawn bowls is usually played on a large, rectangular, precisely leveled, and manicured grass or synthetic surface known as a bowling green which is divided into parallel playing strips called rinks.). Our tour ended back at the dock. Matthew sent us the address of where everyone was. We took a cab for a 20 to 25 minute ride to the center of old Edinburg. Debbie and I walked with Matthew, Melodie, Madeline, Bella, Ava, Elain, Eric, and Lori Lynn. We stopped at two Harry Potter stores and took pictures. We stopped at the market area where Maggie Dicksons was hung for killing her illegitimate infant son and leaving him on the river bank. She was born in 1702 and was a fisherman's wife. He left her and she got a job at an inn and pub. She got pregnant by the owner of the pub's son and she disposed of the baby. She was tried and found guilty and sentenced to be hung. The family and friends contended with medical students for the body. The family finally won and put the body in a wooden box for burial. On the way to the cemetery, the funeral possession stopped at a pub on the way for some refreshments. Maggie woke up and pushed the lid off the coffin. Since she had been executed for her crime she could not be hung again and she became known as Half-Hangit Maggie. She opened a pub and it is still operating in the market where she was hung. It was said that since she was not a living citizen but had been declared on all records as deceased; she was not responsible for paying taxes. We walked the street to The Elephant House, the birthplace of Harry Potter. From there the girls went to a Harry Potter souvenir store. They had gone with Matthew and Melodie on the Harry Potter tour while Debbie and I went to the Stirling and Bannockburn Battle tour. Before going back we stopped at the White Hart Inn which opened in 1516. It is the oldest pub in Edinburgh and probably one of the oldest in Europe. We walked back up past the castle on the hill to catch the last bus back to the dock. We caught the last tender back to the ship. Debbie took a nap before our 7:30 pm dinner appointment at the restaurant where we have reservations each night. I ate an apple when we got back to our room and had a salad for dinner. I came back to the room and worked on catching up on bills, email, and writing in my journal. My cough is coming back. I had my personal prayer and got to bed at about 10:30 pm. Debbie is still not back.

Inside our lifeboat that carries up to 150 people