Bells

'At 08:12 on 27th July 2012, thousands of people across the UK will be joining together to ring in the first day of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Everyone across the country is invited to take part.'

And so it came to pass, this morning at the Scotsman Steps here in Edinburgh, that many, many people gathered together to ring bells. We were there, ringing madly on an enormous bell borrowed from the local boozer, before repairing for breakfast at the Fruitmarket Gallery. And the atmosphere was splendid. You can see the action in action on this wee BBC clip, and spot a few of our literary pals in there too...

Meanwhile, up the road at the Hub, Edinburgh International Festival director Jonathan Mills was ringing the bell for the first time since the 1950s!

And so maybe it's that we're more than usually aware of bells today, or maybe it's that it's been set out especially, but we applaud the Central Library's front desk ornamentation this morning...