My daughter was on the iconic three month travel through Europe after she graduated from college. She asked me to come and join her for ten days. She, with the confidence of youth, instead of making reservations for a lodging, would find the listing of available places in the train station and we would pick one. It made for some interesting experiences. We arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland, tired and anxious to settle in for the night after walking all day. This time we found a winner, a small, classy hotel on a side street. The room was cozy. The mattress on the bed was so thick that one almost needed a ladder to climb in. The attached bathroom was clean and in good condition, but was a remnant from a prior century. The sink was large, the toilet had a pull chain, and the tub was very deep and narrow, there was no shower. I called "first dibbies" (a family tradition in a home with only one bathroom) and won the right to get the day�s grime off first. The tub held enough hot water for a delightful soak and I settled in with great contentment. After a while, there was a knock on the door and a voice inquired if I was all right. It was time to leave the tub - but I couldn�t get out! Now I knew that my hips weren�t that wide, it was just that there didn�t seem to be a level place to get any leverage to stand up. The water was getting cold and again the voice on the other side of the door was a bit more insistent - "are you sure you�re all right?" The story of President Taft stuck in the White House bathtub ran through my mind. At last, in desperation, I got on my knees, got my right hand under the lip of the tub (the old fashioned bathtub actually had a lip) and reached my left hand way over to an almost out of reach towel rack, and with great relief, heaved myself out, wondering what would have happened if I hadn�t been able to. As I left the bathroom, I warned Claudia in very strong language that the tub was the spawn of Beezlebub, but she just laughed and I thought I heard her mutter something that sounded a bit like "she losing it" as she disappeared to finally get her share of the hot water. She was gone a long time - too long. She, young, strong, and slender, at last emerged quiet and red-faced. She had to admit that she had quite a struggle to get out of the tub too - but I never did hear about how mothers are always right. I wonder if anyone who stayed in that room more than one night ever took more than one bath.

Broadview Gardens at Hadlow in Kent (SE of London) has the national collection of hellebores so would be well worth a visit. It is open under the National Gardens Scheme (www.ngs.org.uk)on 21 February. The NGS site will also list other winter gardens so should be a useful starting point. Many famous gardens (such as Sissinghurst) close during the winter months, so do ensure that you check opening times. The Royal Horticultural Society's garden (www.rhs.org.uk) at Wisley is open all year round and has many extensive plant collections and a good nursery too. Beth Chatto's Garden is also highly recommended and is open throughout the year (http://www.bethchatto.co.uk/gardens.html) Enjoy planning your holiday! Here is a link that might be useful: Broadview Gardens

I think I will do the 'fake' booking. I'd only be out the $150 pp ticket change fee. I may face a higher fare in April, but that would be the case anyway. Today fares went up $200 AS I WAS SEARCHING online. (Now you see it; now it's 'not available'; now it's $200 more!) I've read that best fares are posted after 3 p.m EST on Tuesdays and removed by midnight Wednesday. I can wait another day to search. I think this is a stupid way to run an airline. It must create fake bookings and more changes. They should let you book a one-way and modify it when the returns are open to be booked. You can do that if you're using miles to pay for the seat; mileage required is a flat amount whether you book one one-way or two one-way fares or a roundtrip.

Rosefolly, the first book of Diana Gabaldon's series, The Outlander, begins in 1743 and tells a lot of Bonnie Prince Charlie history. You have probably read it, but if not, it does give a lot of background. I also like the Ian Rankin books featuring detective John Rebus, set in Edinburgh and best read in sequence. John Buchan's books are old (I got them from the library) and spoofy but lots of fun. For Ireland, Edward Ruthurfurd has two books, The Princes of Ireland and The Rebels of Ireland for history. And then there are all of Maeve Binchy's novels. What a good trip you are planning. My daughter, sister, and I are going to London for a few days, York overnight, and Edinburgh for a week the last of September. We are looking at day trips from Edinburgh, and friends have given me the names of some tour companies offering them: Rabbie Burns Tours, Timberbush Tours, Haggis Adventures, Highland Experience, and Real Scottish Journeys. You can look at them online and become as confused as to which to take as we are!