Hogmanay

We climbed up Craiglockhart Hill, near where my sister lives in Morningside, to see the midnight fireworks light up the Edinburgh city horizon on New Year's Eve. This is a local tradition - we were a bit early so not really sure if we were in the right place, but soon noticed a cluster of seasoned old timers with a coolbox (transport the champers in it and sit on it afterwards - very sensible!) so decided they knew what was what so we'd lurk near them, and soon we were surrounded by very jolly groups of people wishing each other a happy new year. Much better than being one of the estimated 80,000 people to crush themselves into the Hogmanay Street Party on Princes Street, thank you very much...

It also seems to be quite a tradition to light sky lanterns and since it was a really clear, crisp night - beautiful - we could see these floating up into the sky from all over Edinburgh. The fireworks display was spectacular but could have gone on for longer! It lit up the outline of Edinburgh Castle, and for ages afterwards the smoke floated over the Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat, silhouetting them against the night (my camera battery died at that point, alas).


On New Year's Day, we climbed up Arthur's Seat - along with most of Edinburgh by the look of it! There was practically a queue to reach the trig point!


We made a little picnic of sausage sandwiches and a thermos of tea and ate them with icy fingers sitting on the side of the hill looking out over the city towards the Firth of Forth - until we were just too cold and had to start walking again to warm up!


Mission accomplished on - what was it? Drives in the Scottish countryside and visits to castles: we saw some fine ruined craggy Scottish castles at Craigmillar and Roslin (which was the site of another freezing picnic, but amazing setting, looking down over the glen... check out those icicles!)



as well of course as the wonderful 15th-century Roslin Chapel, every stone surface of which is exuberantly carved, with symbols and scenes that have given overactive imaginations a run for their money for the last 500 odd years, leading it to be claimed as one of the likely resting places of the Holy Grail. The tiny building is massively over-visited, which I fear has more to do with Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code than with an appreciation of medieval architecture - but perhaps that's unfair.

We went round Holyroodhouse free of charge, thanks to K calling in a favour. The Scottish Parliament building is an amazingly thoughtful piece of architectural design - I would just like to know how well it works as a building. We took a long walk to what must be the archetypal "quaint pub" - the Sheep Heid Inn in Duddingston, though we didn't play skittles... And as to big fat books, I read Barbara Kingsolver's latest, The Lacuna, which was excellent. Oh and extra bonus excitement - K bought himself a fine tweed suit.

And as far as we were concerned, it was a White Christmas, even if the official definition is a single flake of snow actually falling on Christmas Day. I can't find anything to say whether the bookies have actually declared 2010 a White Christmas or not, but there was snow everywhere in Edinburgh on Christmas Day... It was fab.