A Tale of Two Chemists: Fife, Drums and Uncertainty

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Fife, Drums and Uncertainty

Fife, Drums and Uncertainty … Saturday 18th May 2013

We awoke to the sound of rain and the forecast confirmed that the weekend would be showery. Having survived the car trials and tribulations of yesterday we were all in better spirits. We had been told there would be a large Fife and Drum event at Colonial Williamsburg today and the breakfast room at the hotel was mobbed. The rain mostly let up and we had great fun wandering around the town. There was a farmers market in Merchants Square and as we made our way round some of the sites we hadn't seen previously we were excited to see and hear the bands parading the streets. By mid afternoon we were all tired and after a quick cup of coffee at the visitors center we made our way back to the hotel. It has become increasingly evident over the last couple of days that certainly my mum (and possibly Ali, Gloria and myself) has picked up the flu-like cold that has been doing the rounds back home. After a do-it-yourself dinner in the hotel breakfast room, Gloria and I headed out to see the Fife and Drum bands in a parade, but neither Ali nor my mum felt well enough to go and went back to their room for an early night. The "Tattoo" was great - the atmosphere was terrific. The bands congregated on the Palace Green and then marched with flaming torches down the main street to the Capitol building. At the end of the formal march what seemed like an impromptu jam session started up and it was really good to see so many people having such a great time.

As I'm writing this (Sunday morning) my mum's health seems to have deteriorated and she remains in bed with a high fever and rattly chest and cough. It's probably all virus but we decided to start her on the azithromycin that Gloria and I have been carrying in our medical supplies. Hopefully things will improve quickly.

Mike