Association of Open University Graduates

Newsletter of AOUG in Scotland (11)

Welcome | Newsletter | Diary Dates | Memory Lane

In February  the Edinburgh branch of the AOUG visited Holyrood Palace here in Edinburgh. The palace  is the Queen’s official residence in Scotland and stands at the end of Edinburgh's Royal Mile against the spectacular backdrop of Arthur’s Seat. The group met in the café prior to the visit and were supplied with their audio guides – about the same size as a mobile phone. Holyrood Palace is closely associated with Scotland’s rich history and includes Mary, Queen of Scots’ historic chambers as well as a collection of Stuart relics. The royal apartments reflect the changing tastes of successive monarchs, and are renowned for their unrivalled collection of Brussels tapestries. We had the chance to admire the fine plasterwork ceilings, numerous fine paintings and other works of art, many of which have long associations with Holyroodhouse. Today the Royal Apartments are used by The Queen and other members of the Royal Family for official ceremonies and entertaining, most notably during Holyrood Week. The visit was out of the usual tourist season and as such gave us the opportunity to view at leisure one of our own historic treasures.

In March  we had our Edinburgh AGM which was immediately followed by Professor Stuart Monro’s interesting and informative lecture on the subject of Plate Tectonics.. A scientist with an international reputation, the title of his talk was ‘Life on the Rocks’. His polished delivery assisted by animated graphics portrayed a cyclic pattern of the earth’s plate tectonic patterns from 400 million years ago and projected forward 250 million years into the future. Dr Monro has strong OU connections and his friendly, enthusiastic and comprehensible presentation delighted his audience.