A trip down memory lane...

No Sunday riding today with friends, its my Mums birthday so were having a family get together, though i will be attending by bike...
My Big brother is down for the weekend and yesterday we went a cycle along to where we grew up...
Into a howling gale we rode along to Gosford Estate and around the Ponds it is very green this now...






At its heart this place has never changed visually, the same old buildings and trees are still all there...










Though there is at this time of year a lot of young life around the ponds...










The Mausoleum has always been a spooky place, esp at night in Autumn when the wind is blowing leaves about...








Knock knock, who's there...


Nearby is a Giant Redwood, small by American standards, it is covered in holes made by a small bird called a tree creeper...


Its soft bark can be punched, hence why we called it `the punch tree` as kids,
we met an elderly couple there who grew up here too and we talked a while about the estate and people who lived around here, i also found out about a few things to go look for which i will post up on the blogs later...

Up to Craigielaw, the road end bus stop, and the road i learned to wheelie bicycles on...


Our old house, we lived here from 1973 to 1990 when Dad got early retirement...


Our old bedroom!...


The view from the back now has the new Golf Course in the foreground where there were 2 fields when we lived here but the view over Kilspindie to Gullane Point has not changed,you can see the WW2 submarine wrecks from here today being low tide...


And across Aberlady Bay to the nature reserve and behind the links of Gullane Hill...


We met John who has lived here for 15 years and he invited us in...
The garden was all vegetables and a fruit cage at the bottom and there were no trees between the neighbours when we grew up, it has changed a lot but it seemed to look a lot smaller!...


So did the house, happy memories were coming flooding back...


being 6 farm workers cottages made into one on each side of an arch there are upstairs rooms with combed ceilings and electric lighting but no heating,
We had a look in the utility room,still used for the same purpose,
We had a big freezer there and dad had a cupboard full of tools, and i kept my bikes in there,It is is still used for the same purpose,
Walking into my first man cave was a bit moving!, all those old BMX bikes i built in there, the paint i spilled is still on the lino floor that i got a row for over 25 years ago...

Out front the road still isnt tarred...


And the big old Oak tree i used to climb and sit up here for hours looking out over the houses rooftops to the coast...


We lived a life of freedom up here, and every house had an open door to all the children, the farm buildings,fields and woods of the estate were one big playground,
the road outside the cottages turns to a fine gravel lane path which leads east to the village past Muir cottage...


There was an old man who lived here who used to give you a row for walking on the grass verge when you stepped off the drive for him in his car!, you just couldnt win with him,
He used to give us rows for doing skids on our bikes where the path met his gravel drive,so of course we kept doing them!
I think he just did not like kids, we were never rude to him,infact we were told to ignore him and not be cheeky and that drove him nuts!,
He put in posts to try to stop us cycling fast and the mums couldnt get the prams through and he had to remove them! -:)
The older we got- the stronger and fitter we became- the faster we could ride- the longer the skids became!
Well today and 30 years later i left the longest skid i have ever done there!, heeee

Down through Aberlady and the historic 15th century church...

I have to admit i didnt go here very often, we always skived off church when at school and went up the woods to play on rope swings,
Outside the church is a set of 18th century steps...

These are known as a mounting stone or in Scots tounge as a `louping on stane`,
for ladys to elegantly mount hosrses side saddle in there Sunday church clothes...
Time was getting on so out across the Nature Reserve, a regular haunt for me and a delight for big bro to revisit,
it used to be a big day out walking out here with dad, 5 minutes today on mountainbikes and 10 minutes from the bridge to the WW2 submarine wrecks on the Surly Pugsley...
Home is where the heart is and it feels like home when out here...




From Gullane to North Berwick on the John Muir Way via Yellowcraigs,
there was a lovely old american pick up at Dirleton village...


Woods full of the smell of the Wild Garlic...


And down into North Berwick for food before heading home...


Todays cycle brings home what is important in life, visiting our old home i have realised how good a childhood we had living there and i wouldnt change it for the world,
Often i question where we are all going, what with the state of our Countrys economy, public services and the recent rise in the cost of living,
Then there is the Litter in the country side!, but nobody says they drop it...
There also seems to be a growing selfishness attitude of some people and there materialistic lifestyle that is deemed by many to be so important,
Well it isnt to myself or people i choose to be friends with...
we all sometimes feel like were stuck in a rut at work, but thats work, not your life...It is easy to forget about the good things in life to enjoy,
All these small niggles dissapear when i go for a cycle, its like im a kid again and im outside without a care in the world, lets hope it continues...