Struggling this morning, here in Scotland, to get WordPress to do pictures. This post will therefore not be as pretty as I would like it to be, but I will keep working on it.
As mentioned in yesterday’s post, we made it from Newcastle in England up to Inverness in Scotland, arriving in time for a beautiful sunset along the River Ness.
One of our goals on the trip is to see where our friend and Adelaide neighbor, Eileen Ralston, came from long before she moved to Australia. Inverness is her home town and her family still owns a small jewelry store in the central market of Inverness.
We 
managed to find that and more in the evening hours of July 5, 2017.
The Victorian Market is that small city market (an arcade as they might have called it in Adelaide), and sure enough, there was William Morrison, Watch Maker. They were closed on Wednesday, so we will go back on Thursday morning before departing Inverness.
At one time Inverness had open-air markets. In 1876-70, the Town Council built a covered market which was destroyed by fire although the original sandstone entrance in Academy Street remains. Following the fire the Victorian Market was rebuilt by Inverness Town Council in 1890-91. It stands to this day, at about 130 years old. The Victorian Market has a special range of shops that will not be found find elsewhere in town.
Recently, archaeologists working in Inverness found an old clock that had been set aside some 75 years ago for rebuilding, then never touched again. The great, great granddaughter of the man who made the well-known clock for the hall, meanwhile, has seen his workmanship for herself. Lindsay MacDonald lives in England but while visiting family in the Highlands, she took time to inspect the Drum Clock which has been taken from the face of the hall and is currently awaiting repair. It was made by John McFarquhar who lived in Merkinch between the 1850’s and 1880’s. Merkinch History Group members are researching the clock’s history but it is known it was originally in Bridge Street, most likely above the shop of Robert Morrison, jeweler and watchmaker. It was moved to Grant Street in the 1930s.
Anyway, we found the place and will report on our meetup with the owners and Eileen’s relatives tomorrow.
A brief stop for dinner and refreshments might have included a stop at The Filling Station, but alas we were in the mood for Italian.
The lanes in Inverness are limitless. H
ere is one that caught my eye. Simply gorgeous.
And another. This is the pedestrian bridge over the River Ness.
Our friend, Lynda Wiest, loves Lush. This one is for her!
Another lane. They are everywhere! Well-lit and inviting, I suppose anywhere else they would be filled with garbage and graffiti. Not here.
Dusk fell quickly but not until nearly 10:30. On our way to a late dinner, we passed this inviting lane.
Alright, so that is enough for today. We are in Scotland. After a few moments in the City on Thursday morning, we will head back into England and make our way to Oxford.
