John Angus Spencer-Barnes 🏳️‍🌈

We know Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders pretty well but this was our first visit to the Mary Queen of Scots House in the town.
The Queen came here with her entourage in October 1566 to hold a court which lasted for a month.
The museum shop had a rather lovely hunting flask which I couldn’t resist.

We’re back in my happy place.
The remote fishing village of St Abbs in the Scottish Borders is surrounded by jagged cliffs and old fishermen's cottages.
It’s extraordinarily wonderful.

Our friends Scott and Bear are here in Scotland from California and we met up with them in Edinburgh.
We took them to North Queensferry to see the world’s smallest working lighthouse and the spectacular Forth Bridge.

I’ve always believed that Wemyss Bay railway station in Inverclyde is the finest station in the country.
It’s still looking rather magnificent today.

We’re at Ardrossan Lighthouse on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire.
Ardrossan was the home of my birth father and I often wonder how life would have been different if I’d grown up here on the west coast of Scotland rather than in the Black Country.

I’m still working on my performance history project on the life of Keir Hardie who was the first parliamentary leader of the Labour Party.
The best place to get inspiration is to dress as the great man and visit the Keir Hardie room at the Baird Institute at Cumnock in East Ayrshire.

Greetings from Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway which is home to the world’s oldest working post office.
It opened in 1712 and has been in continuous operation for over 300 years.

Messing around down by the River Wyre.

The iconic view of Edinburgh Castle from the Ross Fountain in Princes Street Gardens on the first day of summer.

A couple of farmers sleep as The Princess Royal tours cattle stalls in the Highland Hall during a visit to the Royal Highland Show in Ingliston, Edinburgh

𝘐𝘔𝘈𝘎𝘌: 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘸/𝘗𝘈 𝘞𝘪𝘳𝘦

We’re home after a month in California.
Thank you to all the lovely people we met and stayed with while we were there.
I’m now back reading the national network news for BBC local radio.
I hope I can remember how to do it.

I’m in Palm Springs where I’m attempting to channel an Ernest Hemingway vibe.

Happy 19th wedding anniversary to us.
People still ask if we’re brothers 😀

There’s nowhere on the planet that looks like the Joshua Tree National Park.
It’s extraordinary and I never tire of it.

We’re back at Joshua Tree in California.
It’s absolutely our favourite national park.

Welcome to the Hi-Desert.
Smokey says that only you can prevent wildfires!

There are some odd attractions along the road in California and none odder than this one.
Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex are visible from Interstate 10 at Cabazon near Palm Springs.
The pair have been featured in numerous movies and music videos.

There are some odd attractions along the road in California and none odder than this one.
Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex are visible from Interstate 10 at Cabazon near Palm Springs.
The pair have been featured in numerous movies and music videos.

We’ve reached the end of the road.

We took a trip to Santa Monica to meet up with our friend Sean who played the Cruel World Festival in Los Angeles at the weekend.
It was a lovely sunny day and it’s always good to dip a toe in the Pacific.

The Palm Springs spaceman joins me to wish a happy Eurovision to all those who celebrate.

The last time I bought a pair of trousers I had a waist size of 54.
I’ve been getting new clothes while we’re here in Palm Springs and I now have a waist size of 42.
I really can’t express how happy I am about that.

Lucille Ball was distinctly unimpressed with Dave’s choice of beverage.

In

We dropped by to see our old friend Marilyn now that she’s moved to a new location in Palm Springs.

The beacon tower at the summit of Mount Diablo in California at an elevation 3,849 feet.

Greetings from California where we’re enjoying the view from the summit of Mount Diablo in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area.

Our Australian friend, Seumas, is on a three month world tour and has made it here to MediaCityUK in sunny Salford.
We’ll see him again later this month at Palm Springs in California.