Drums in The Museum

Went to one of the National Museum of Scotland's "Lates", which are adults-only evenings where you get to wander around the museum drinking wine while being entertained by a variety of acts. And as my brother Mike and his wife Helen were visiting, and the Beltane Fire Society were part of the entertainment, I took them and Meredith along to see what it was like.

Here are the Processional Drummers playing outside, along with some fire performers:

"Processional Drummers outside the National Museum of Scotland" (Watch on YouTube)

And here are the Harbinger Drummers, playing in the Whites. I ended up in almost the perfect position, particularly as three minutes into this video I suddenly found myself surrounded by people in costume:

"Harbingers and Whites at the Museum of Scotland" (Watch on YouTube)

Idlewild also played, but frankly aren't really my kind of music, so you don't get video of them.

Instead you get a giraffe sticking its tonge out, while its giant tree sloth friend stands grumpily by:

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All of Edinburgh laid out before you.

Many years ago I visited Erin in Edinburgh, when we were going out, and she took me up Blackford Hill.

I'd been scared of cities. Awful, loud, crowded, ugly places. Lots of interesting stuff to visit, but not the kind of place I could visit.

And then I stood at the top of Blackford Hill, and I could see pretty much all of Edinburgh between me and the Forth, from the glory of Arthur's Seat, to the castle, to the zoo. And behind me, hills and fields.

And I thought: I can do this. I realy can.

And now it's fourteen years later, and we're living together again in completely unexpected circumstances. And I took both my brothers (and Mike's girlfriend) up the hill, and saw it all again, only now with much more knowledge of all of the pieces I was looking at, and all of the experience I've had of this gorgeous city. And it makes me very happy to live here.

(click to embiggen. And apologies for the pair of Mikes. He really won't keep still.)