Storms in Edinburgh, floods in the west of Scotland, I'm beginning to get irritated by the weather. Last year, it was deep snow at this time, so I should be grateful that it's still reasonably warm now. My lovely buffalo platform shoes have also given up the ghost and fallen to pieces.

Well, back after a long hibernation. Life has changed quite considerably in the very long time since I last wrote. So ... I've become a somewhat reluctant beekeeper for various long and complicated reasons. Becoming a beekeeper is one of those life changing things to start with, and it doesn't help that the bees are on the other side of Scotland ( Read more... )

My tai chi teacher was all sympathetic - I shouldn't push myself too hard, not to worry about the turns, take it gently. This is not, by the way, because of my shoulder which is throbbing (apparently, the movements are unblocking the blockages), but because I'm pregnant ( Read more... )

OK, to put it briefly, I've finally managed to get to a tai chi class - Wednesday evenings, 6.30-8pm, St James' at Goldenacre, north Edinburgh ... to find that I'm the only one there ( Read more... )

Living in a city, the light is never far away, which might be a bit annoying for star gazers. It's reassuring, definitely underestimated, as I found out crossing Mull. Through a combination of irritating circumstances, I missed the connections, and got the last ferry, followed by the last bus which rocketed across Mull in absolute and complete ( Read more... )

The plane didn't crash - but that's about the only thing which went right. I forgot my mobile, which didn't seem all that serious, but which was the catalyst for everything else. The plane was late. The place I was going to was in the deep country: not normally a problem, as I just stepped out of the airport into a taxi ( Read more... )

Off travelling again. I'm not frightfully eager to go, but feel half tempted by the sheer luxury of it. I was asked to go very nicely, but there was a hidden threat of "go or else". So I'm off: I may be some time ( Read more... )

During an otherwise quite interesting conversation with [name deleted to protect the guilty], he said, of Sarah Jessica Parker, "oh, you mean that bitch from Sex in the City". To which I considered retorting and, in the end, couldn't resist. "So why do you think she's a bitch?" followed by "Have you even seen it?" There was the usual blustering ( Read more... )

The air in Edinburgh smells completely different when I've been away: dark, a little disgusting, though my nose quickly acclimatises - or blocks up, which comes to much the same thing. I loved seeing the puffins, though would prefer them not to make their burrows on the edge of cliffs (it's a bit hard on the nerves, seeing people venture to the ( Read more... )

This was a bonding exercise: shooting electronic prairy dogs with the lightest plastic rifle I've ever handled. My reaction speed is exceedingly slow, a lengthy 2.5 seconds, so I had to resort to strategy and aim the rifle at a burrow, waiting for the creatures to come out and pose before I blew them to pieces. Also that's easier on the arm than ( Read more... )