Today was a designated shopping day,  looking for interesting shiny things as well as tacky souvenirs for all you folks brainwashed by capitalism to expect more from out travels than the experience of reading our journals. Fortunately, another thing Scotland does well is its ability to stick some tartan or a St Andrew’s Cross on almost anythingand flog it off to tourists, so you can rest assured we’ve found the tackiest pressies for you. Breakfast was a fruit and yogurt smoothie, almost a shock to the system. From here we hit Princes St, getting a good dose of Edinburgh weather, bright sunlight and bitterly cold wind probably express from the…

Woke up stiff and sore, joints aching, as if we’d spent the night before partying in slippery mud and rain. Funny that. We gave the hotel breakfast a miss, as it wasn’t very good, and wandered over the road to the COnan Doyle for a full breakfast. Haggis, bacon, black pudding, all the usual suspects except the potato scone that is often to be found in these parts. Full of tea and beans, we had a quiet morningg. Our digestions are starting to rebel a little, complaining about having three large meals each day. Even with the walking, we’re still eating a lot of really good but really rich food.…

Spent the last morning of 2011 wandering around Edinburgh with L, checking out the Old Town and Royal Mile. Wandered up to the castle, and as always stunned by the view. The Scots certainly knew where to build castles: find the biggest piece of fuck-off rock, completely inaccessible from 3 sides with a fair incline on the fourth, and stick a big-ass fortification on top. And then say the equivalent of go ahead, make my day. A for attitude. The legs got a good workout, wandering up and down the Mile. Popped down to Holyrood to see the Queen, but she was off in Norfolk. Went instead into my favourite…

The last day off 2011 is upon us. As I write, it has just ticked over into 2012 in Perth (Australia, not Perth in Scotland). Kind of a weird feeling, as the only other time I’ve been out of WA at New Year’s was in Melbourne, where we were 3 hours ahead. So being behind seems weird. I’m not unhappy to say goodbye to 2011. As years go, it has been far too interesting for my liking. The big minus was losing Mum, in many ways too soon but in others the relief that she’s no longer in pain. Then losing Sara Douglass, also to cancer, and also much too…