A Magical Time Day 2

Kelso

We had an early start today because we were invited to a surprise 50th birthday for a good friend of mine. Only problem? It was in Kelso, the Scottish Borders!  But really, no problem at all, just had to see if my friends could come along and then introduce them to a part of Scotland I have never taken visitors to! And why not? The Borders is gorgeous!

We made arrangements to meet friends we know in Jedburgh first. We met them on a cruise, thanks to a  packet of  crisps (potato chips) and have been great friends ever since. I just wish they lived closer. But we met at one of our favourite places - Border Meringues!  We ate a delicious lunch and bought meringues to take home.  It was great catching up with dear friends and then moving on to Kelso.

Before lunch we parked at Jedburgh Abbey and just enjoyed the blue sky and wonderful history of this area.

Upon arriving at Kelso, we drove around so that Carmen and Savannah could enjoy this area.  I was also aware that my friend might be anywhere!  Surprise parties can be so stressful, even if you are not the one organising them!  Here are a few photos of this area:

Traffic jam!

Floors Castle

Alan went on to Kelso Abbey and I intended to, but the shops were calling to us and the 3 women enjoyed a bit of retail therapy prior to checking in to The Townhouse.

Just to give an idea of the creativity of
how to display books!
We could all learn from this man!

This is located very near the square and was a perfect location for the party.  I had no idea it was going to be a darling as it was though.  Perfectly decorated and absolutely full of books! All tastefully situated, nothing like the stacks of books at my house.  We could use some of the owner's style!  But then, this townhouse was also many floors with large hallways and many places to display his amazing book collection.

I am not posting any photos of the party for two reasons, the main one is, my camera settings were all wrong and I ended up with very short videos. The other one is, the birthday girl hates a fuss and doesn't like her photo taken and I am respecting her privacy!  (I wish I could just say that was the only reason!)  Suffice it to say, it was a magnificent gathering of so many people who love her.  Many of them drove the distance we did since she lived on our side of Scotland for years before leaving us for love!

This was taken through the top floor window of The Townhouse, overlooking Kelso square.

I highly recommend this place to spend more time than we did.  Sadly, we had to leave at 8am the next morning because I was taking Carmen and Savannah to a very special island in the East Neuk of Fife!  So no breakfast for us. We missed a great experience too. Or at least we think we did, the dining room where breakfast is served was breathtaking!