Brush with fame!

C here, y'all.

Yesterday we went to Rosslyn Chapel, made famous in The Da Vinci Code as the final resting place of Mary Magdalene, the Holy Grail (spoiler for that one person out there who hasn't read the book or seen the film). It is a very pretty chapel, but there is a canopy built over it to keep out the rain and snow, which really mars the visual impact of the exterior. The chapel inside is very ornate, with carvings crammed onto every possible surface. You could spend a month inside the chapel and still find new things to look at. We got a tour, and the guide seemed a bit reluctant to mention the DVC, even though most of the people wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been for the book. The conservation fund is working to restore the chapel, which is admirable, but they're also putting in a conference centre, restaurant, discovery centre and viewing platform with the money raised, so as to "enhance" the tourist experience. Hmmm.

For me, sadly, one of the more thrilling discoveries at Rosslyn was made while looking at the visitor book. I turned back through the pages to see if any Australians had visited recently, and noted that visiting the previous day was The Hon. Mark Vaile former Deputy PM of Australia. Seriously, that's how he signed his name. Unless he was there on official duty, which I doubt, it really smacks of desperation to do that. But, I noted down his address and will send a letter advising him not to do that in future.

G made an important purchase yesterday of a winter coat and some gloves. It's been a long time coming, but he bit the bullet and bought a schmick black coat from River Island (which he kept calling River Island Naturist Park for some reason). The salesgirl was very friendly, but asked the inevitable question "Why on earth did you move to Edinburgh?" (This question is usually followed by "And why did you swap the lovely Australian summer for our horrid winter?") Today we're going shopping for more clothes, specifically work gear for G, as he starts on Wednesday (at the civilised time of 9.30).

Had more sagas with the rental agent over our application. Suffice to say, we heard from him that we had failed the credit check because our previous addresses were all Australian as were our bank account details, which means tht no one who moves to the UK from a foreign country could ever rent somewhere to live. He insisted that any foreign person they deal with at their company either pays six months rent up front or finds a UK citizen to act as guarantor for them. We both found this hard to believe. G contacted the credit check company directly and was told that, no, we haven't actually failed the credit check as they still hadn't contacted our previous landlord in Brisbane for a reference. G called back to tell this to the real estate agent, who then tried to claim he knew all along that the credit check company was still waiting to make their decision. Hmmm, not sure I believe him on that. Anyhow, we're still hopeful of getting this place to rent, and hopefully will found out something soon!

Much love