Santa is approaching

The post office kindly decided to postpone their strike until the time after Christmas so I can sit down and start making my Illustrious cards with a light heart. I have spotted first Christmas decorations back in September but now they are sprouting everywhere. Soon it will be time for an artificial snow!

Konditorei

It is extremely difficult to come accross a nice non-chain cafe in a British city. With numerous Starbucks and Costas on every corner we have trained ourselves in finding nice places with independent vibe. This skill will be more and more important with winter approaching! Unfortunately most of these nice, cosy places are usually situated way off the center of the town (is it the rent and council taxes that drive them out?) and we usually hang out not far from our home which is in the very center of the town.

This very German Konditorei with real pretzels is situated up the hill from us in Edinburgh posh end - Morningside, which is a good 20 mins walk from where we live... UP the hill in heels but the cakes were woth it.

^This viennoise cake shot (and eaten) yesterday has a special dedication to our friend Philip in Paris (not in Vienna) who is celebrating his birthday today. Joueux anniversaire, Phil! Unfortunately all my greeting emails bounced back, my other mobile with Phil's number on it is down and cannot find the charger, post office is on strike again so I am using this blog to send him lots of love to get to him on time! Wszystkiego Najlepszego, Phil!

Bless him

Can you even imagine that I could have had my eye operation without an anaesthetics? No way! In case you would like to know how it used to be without it, the best is to read Claire Tomalin's description of Samuel Pepys operation of his kidney stone removal.

Inscription from a wall of St Giles cathedral. Thank you.

St Giles

The exact date of foundation is unknown but St Giles cathedral is definitely one of the finest views in Edinburgh. I like its interior's quietnes that is able to provide a relief from the Royal Mile's everyday buzz. I went there today to light a candle on All Saints Day in memory of my Dad (and Grandads and my Grandmother and even my dog as I believe that they all are having some great time up there in the sunny celstial fields) and had a quick look at the interior again. There are some interesting plaques in the wall (more of it later) and striking blue ceiling.

The most unusual is a little monument of a stool which comemorates a famous incident that took place in the cathedral on Sunday, July 23 1637.Quoting my Pictorial and Descriptive Guide to Edinburgh: 'Charles I had ordered the English Church service to be read in every parish church in Scotland, and as Dean Hannay in St. Giles gave out the collectfor the day a kail-wife whose stance was at the Tron, Jenny Geddes by name, flung her stool at his head, with the result that a riot ensued.' As there is never a bad reason for Scottish people to start a riot (see Begbie from Trainspotting), brave Jenny has a tablet commemorating her fight for the freedom of conscience. The Dean also has his own tablet on a pillar of the transept which reads: 'To James Hannay, D. D., Dean of this Cathedral, 1634-1639. He was the first and the last who read the service book in this church. This memorial is erected in happier times by his descendant.'

Pumpkin industry day

Happy Helloween All!

Autumn leaves are throdden on in new shoes

It will be just a simple rant for my girlfriends today. I am thrudding the streets of Edinburgh in my new shoes from Top Shop! Yay! It took me so many weeks to track down this style that when I finally got my hands on them I could not believe my luck since all the shops were saying that it is not a Scottish style therefore they are not selling this kind of design. When I bouth them a salesgirl in Top Shop commented with a smile 'Unusual, aren't they?' and I got a student discount! Picture courtesy of MDH who says that my legs in these tights look like I had some misterious disease...Is called fashion, dear.

Dalhousie castle - picture heavy

One of the advantages of my work is visiting places that I would have never bothered to visit just for myself . Doing it for a client is a godd boost and a bonus of seeing many great locations in Scotland.

Today it was a visit in 700 years old Dalhousie Castle, situated south of Edinburgh. It has been turned into a posh spa hotel but we were more interested in their falconry than their pools.

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The most impressive and also very friendly bird was a Great Grey Owl known as Navajo with its humanlike eyes. The huge round facial disk works like a satellite dish helping ears to pick up on the tiniest noises. I am sure we must have created a lot of noise with our cameras and boots on wet gravel in front of the cages, but the bird welcomed us with a friendly hooting and fluttering of long eyelashes. I was most impressed with its ability to turn its head literally 360 degrees!