Up Town!

Today I met a friend in town, we visited the installation at the Burns Monument in Regents Road as mentioned by blipper Ridgeback13 last week.
When the UK left the EU last year, on the last day of the European Parliament sitting, all of the MEPs sang Auld Land Syne, which was very poignant. This installation, by Emeka Ogbo, is called the Song of the Union. It's a recording (well 27 synchronised recordings) of 27 singers one from each of the EU countries all now living in Scotland, and all singing Auld Land Syne in their own language. Each voice is played individually through one of the several speakers with each language taking it in turns to be prominent. It includes a Gaelic version. The sound is superb and the acoustics inside the monument are wonderful. I couldn't resist belting out the English, well Scottish, version. It reminded me of singing in Fingal's Cave. Do go if you can, it's free and you don't have to go in if there is some nutter singing along loudly. Apparently though it's not at all unusual for people to do that.

It's a short and very beautiful experience the purity of the sound, in the small room which is the base of the monument, is quite extraordinarily haunting .

I have wanted to explore this monument for a long time, it's not open very often, so this opportunity was twice valued. My blip is of the back of the two attendants who happily posed for me. I loved their t shirts.
From there Joan and I went down Jacob's Ladder and to Market Street to pick up a couple of doughnuts, then we headed to Princes Street and to MacDonalds for a take away slap up lunch which we ate in the gardens. We are both MacDonalds fans so it was a real treat for us!
After leaving Joan I walked down to Stockbridge and along the charity shops doing remarkably well at not buying anything. I stopped at the Raeburn and sat in the shade with a very refreshing and much needed lime soda. Back home I sat in the garden. What lovely weather we've had today, and more to come I believe.

The girls arrived this evening for their sleepover, just in time for bed, Isobel telling me she can't remember anything about her first days at school but that she likes it and is going back tomorrow. Which is a relief as I will be taking her! I told her i was very excited about that.
The covid numbers are worryingly high again and the hospital numbers on the rise too. Do keep yourself and others safe folks. I really don't want to think about another lockdown.