Report from JKR Land

[MsTattersall]

This past week business and pleasure took me to Perthshire, Scotland, 
where on one day I was literally a stone's throw from where JKR lives 
(Aberfeldy)--which turned out to be the day before she had her new 
baby! I was tempted to drive on up the road from Crieff that day to 
try to catch a glimpse of her crib, but better sense (and general 
discomfort with driving on the left side of the road) prevailed. 

I want to go on record as saying that she couldn't have picked a 
lovelier place to live. Even in the depths of January, with snow on 
the higher elevations, Perthshire is green and stunningly beautiful. 
We were fortunate to visit when the weather was mild (around 40 
degrees F in the daytime) and it did not rain the entire time we were 
there. One night was very clear, and we were able to see the aurora 
borealis--quite an impressive sight to a lifelong resident of the 
southern US.

While we were in the city of Perth, we bought the entire HP series as 
a gift for the grandchildren. I was very tempted to buy a second set 
for myself, but the suitcase was already getting heavy! We bought 
them at ASDA, the UK division of Wal-Mart. I also bought a package of 
Jammie Dodgers (re the previous HPfGU-OT discussion on British foods) 
to include with the books. 

It was a wonderful experience, and I hope to be able to go back there 
someday, perhaps when JKR isn't so busy. ^_^  We enjoyed a couple of 
days in London, too, but there it was friggin' *COLD*!!
Ms. Tattersall