Happy New Year to everyone from a very cold Edinburgh. Today OH and I walked along the Water of Leith from the Dean Gallery to Leith itself, had tea and cake in a very nice cafe (one of the few open) then walked back via Princes Street, where almost all the shops were closed but the 'entertainments' - the ferris wheel, scarey chair thing, helter skelter, etc - were still going strong. Elder daughter worked on a pop up bar in Princes Street for the duration of the Hogmanay celebrations (now unfortunately totally commercialised and run by Underbelly, a company also much in evidence during the Fringe Festival in the summer) - got home at 3am but had made £120 in one night, so it was worth it for her. She had to sell little bottles of beer at £5 EACH, and says people were buying ten at a time - £50 a throw on beer!
I have seen the Grantchester TV programmes and I've also seen James Runcie in the flesh, speaking about his books, his father (the late Archbishop of Canterbury) and his writing life. He's a hugely entertaining speaker, and seems a very decent sort of man too. He says that he does not intend his Grantchester books to be 'cosy', and wants to use them as a vehicle for looking at issues like death, the experience of homosexual men before legalisation (he himself is not gay), the treatment of refugees, etc. He is well worth going to see if you get the chance.
I've been very lazy these last few days and really must start to get organised again tomorrow.
Best wishes to all,
Rosemary
