I am on a bit of a long slog through a two week period of doing tours every day, sometimes a couple.

But boy this is fun. I have met the most wonderful characters recently. Josh the Rabbi from Manhatten and his lovely wife Mia, Maria from New York with whom I explored Greyfriars Kirkyard on a Harry Potter tombstone quest on a rainy afternoon last Wednesday, the irrepressible and fascinating Stuart Rostant and crew from Trinidad. Stuart reeled off some lovely Chaucer and spoke Latin and French and Italian and Spanish and was quite a character. I gave him some Burns and The Windhover which he seemed to rather enjoy. We had such a laugh altogether.

Nancy and her group off the cruise ship were great value too and 74 year old Barbara from North Carolina was remarkable. She walks 5 to 6 miles every day and after our tour around Edinburgh was heading off to climb Arthur’s Seat!

Wonderful.

I managed to squeeze in a golf match at Mortonhall on Friday. Although I conclusively lost it was lovely to get back to my old haunt and chat with Dad’s old friends.

I am down to Edinburgh this morning on the 8.20am bus for two food tours and then back up on the late train as I have eight ladies to pick up from Rusacks at 8am tomorrow, who want a wee St Andrews tour before they pile down to Crail for their golf.

I am working on my very own food tours now in Edinburgh and St Andrews. The Edinburgh one is going to be called The Rather Whacky Food Tour.

Because it’s going to be whacky.

It’s what people want as far as I can see.

I have had a rather whacky request to give a wee speech about St Andrews and the gowf here to a family party who are over staying at the Old Course Hotel at the end of the month.

That could be very interesting.

I hope they realise what they have got themselves into!

However I was rather happy they chose me over Bo, the other guide on the Tours By Locals site in St Andrews.

As she is a Blue Badge Guide!

The Scottish Tourist Guide Association rather rejected me as far as I recall.

Ho hum.

Anyway there is hope for me yet as I have just found out about Samurai Joe from Kyoto. He is 94 and still guiding, supposed to be great fun and a wee bit partial to bit of Sake.

Wonderful stuff Joe. Maybe see you in Kyoto.

Stop Press: Just to say my group of lassies from America (well one from Barcelona) turned out to be a real fun group. They were on tour from the Fore for Ladies organization and if they are a representative sample then that’s one great outfit. Rebecca was a delight to deal with.

Now I fired off a wee email to Rick Steves the travel guru about trying to get some promotion for my tours on his site and I just got a very nice and positive email back. Let’s see how that one flies? He seems a cool and very interesting gent.

Fare forward passengers.