Delighted to have heard from Iain and fairly astonished that he has written nothing libelous and I can copy in full, here below. Further Scottish news is that Steve may be coming to stay... watch this space:)
Well that was all very nice. Edinburgh suddenly turned into a southern
European capital. Relentless sunshine and reasonably high temperatures for a
week. Sadly seems to be over now but it is good to see Edinburgh people find
that they have a neck rather than a head pushed in to their shoulders. Of course
it could be that that was summer and we have to wait till next year for it to
return but no matter it was fun. That is the pessimist in me but to be honest
I’m not feeling particularly pessimistic even though the news is filled with the
start of the pro independence referendum campaign.
I have this deeply depressing fear that the SNP and Salmond in particular
are going to run the best campaign by far. His appearances have appeared
measured and he looks as though he is in control. The pro unionists have been
caught on the back foot again. The problem is they are a coalition who don’t
really like each other. The labour party should be taking the lead but they have
a new leader who is virtually unknown and she is unlikely to raise her profile
any time soon. The worst thing that could happen is for Westminster politicians
to look as though they are leading the campaign. There is talk that Alaister
Darling could lead them and that would probably be the best outcome but I
suspect he would need to move out of the Westminster Parliament to do it. I’ve
been looking to see what I can join but not found anything yet so I am as bad as
the rest of the noes.
Our choral concert was a triumph and was sold out. I found the whole thing
quite uplifting, whatever that means. Never joined anything before so it was a
first for me. We have another concert late in the summer during the festival so
I expect there’s a lot of new songs to learn. I’ve even started singing in the
shower. Perhaps I’m going through some sort of change.
Life here is much as ever which to be fair is good. Went to see Danza
Contemporanea de Cuba last week which was brilliant and rather exciting and not
only because the men were blessed with thighs that could choke a bear. Going to
Tosca on Saturday with Steve, Rudigore next week and Porgy and Bess by the
Capetown Opera the following week. All great fun and all the better because I’ve
never seen Porgy and Bess.
Great exhibitions this summer, Van Gogh to Kandinsky: Symbolist Landscape
in Europe, Picasso and Modern British Art and the Edvard Munch, Gundersen
Collection. The city seems as busy as ever so hard to see many signs of tight
budgets. The pound rising might make it a bit more expensive but they still seem
to be coming. Steve runs one of the city’s top restaurants and he seems busier
than ever.
The bloody trams are still not here yet. To be honest I’m not bothered
about the trams I just want the work to be finished. It is a nightmare to get
around the city by car. I only use the car to collect the dogs but they
keep on digging somewhere new and redirecting us. Sadly it has all turned
into a great farce, particularly as it is now only go from the Airport (nearly)
to the east end of Princes Street. They spent two years digging up Leith
for bugger all.
I hope you are all well and basking in glorious sunshine.
Thanks Iain, its clear that you still miss us, hurumph.
Don't forget Tillings cultural event tomorrow, everyone - Jills expo in Rennes-les-Bains -
Max and I did a nine hour stretch at this fabulous event and its quite difficult to compress it into prose; we left at midnight, he jet-lagged, me old, before they'd started the duck course. We walked back to Tilling - nightingales sang as we tottered along the star-lit riverside- marvelling at the french joie de vivre.
These scenes are because Les Compagnons used a catapult to pelt the women and children with bon-bons and later to hurl the brides bouquet. They asked for marriageable virgins but settled for single women. 
Here is Alecia with the first of the beetroot - we're about to eat it - and here are Pete (with little flag), Ryan, Ian, Bob and Lily watching Le Foot. No-one won but it was a good match.
he may just be badly bruised but he cant walk and is in pain so we are are crossing our fingers for him. 
