Aristide Bruant

Another busy signing day - around Edinburgh this time, after a short train journey from Dundee. At lunchtime a long queue formed at WH Smith's in The Gyle shopping centre to get their copies of "Runaway" and other books signed.

To my astonishment an old pal, Jock, turned up with his wife. Jock and I shared dreadful digs off the Slateford Road in the early seventies when we were at College in Edinburgh. We hadn't seen each other for 43 years!

In the afternoon I did some research for my next book, and spent a couple of hours in Register House looking at the family history of Scotland's people.

Then in the evening we had a splendid event at Edinburgh Central Library, for which a very large crowd turned out on a freezing cold night to hear me in conversation with the irrepressible journalist and writer Jackie McGlone. Books for sale were provided afterwards by Blackwells.

After the event Sophie and I staggered across the road to meet the man responsible for me joining Blipfoto. I have known Feorlean, otherwise known as Mike Russell, since the early nineties when we met at a Celtic Film and TV Festival in Lorient, France. Mike is an MSP and has variously been culture minister, environment minister and education minister in the Scottish Government.

We had a splendid meal, and on the walk back through Edinburgh, Mike and I blipped each other (I know, sounds terrible, doesn't it?) in front of the Scott Monument - https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2005097325462031272 . Mine of Feorlean reminded me of poster portraits of a certain French cabaret singer painted by Toulouse-Lautrec. It was the hat that did it.