The sun hasn't yet broken through, but it looks promising for later. A fine mist fills the air as we walk from the park-and-display car park to Frater's, which is, as Yvonne said, across from a lovely and vibrant display of flowers near the town center.
Frater's is a chemist (a pharmacy), but at the back of the store is a sign pointing up the stairs to Waverley Studios. Here, a very nice and knowledgeable lass named Tanith unlocks the case so Robin and I can examine the cameras they have to offer. I've set myself a budget of £100, knowing that I won't be buying something comparable to what I'm used to in quality, but certainly better than disposable cameras. I'm very glad that Robin is with me, and rely on her expertise in helping me choose between three models.
I decide on a Minolta 35mm with a built-in 70mm zoom lens, priced at £79.95. After making sure that I know how to operate it, I attempt to hand over my Visa card. Tanith's smile drops off of her face. "I'm sorry, but we don't take cards." She laughs. "It's silly really. Mr. Waverley uses them himself for everything, but doesn't allow them for purchases in the shop." I reach into my wallet and pull out a sheaf of bills – almost the entire amount I had just withdrawn from the bank. I'll have to go back to the bank again tomorrow morning.
This necessary excursion into Galashiels has taken nearly no time at all and wanting to give a Dana a little more time, we decide that a cup of tea will suit us just fine. We walk through the bustling little town, hesitating and licking our lips in front of the windows of bakeries, but noticing that there's nowhere to sit inside.
Finally we spy a sign for the Teddy Bear Tea Shop, above a children's store we had passed and commented on earlier. The display window of this shop is full of high-tech prams, which we examine closely once we've wound our way through the racks of clothing and up the stairs.
Agreeing that this is an odd place for a tea shop, we settle in with tea for two, a slice of warm date-walnut bread for me and an incredible meringue and whipped cream concoction for Robin. Time catches up with us soon enough though, and after purchasing a cheese scone for Dana, we head back to the car and Torwood. Fortunately, Dana is feeling much better; she's ready to head out on the first of what we have termed "circle tours."
The scone is a British snack of Scottish origin. A scone is a small quickbread made of wheat, barley or oatmeal, usually with baking powder as a leavening agent. British scones are often lightly sweetened, but may also be savory. In the U.S., scones are drier and larger, and typically sweet.
British scones frequently include raisins, currants, cheese or dates. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, savory varieties of scones include soda scones, also known as soda farls, and potato scones, normally known as tattie scones, which resemble small, thin savory pancakes made with potato flour.
Read more about Scones at Wikipedia