Magma

From outside the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, embedded as it is in the landscape, you can look over to this view of the hardened magma outflow (Salisbury Crags) from the volcano that is now Arthur's Seat.

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the referendum that brought us back our Parliament. It was also the day Westminster voted to give the Brexit Bill its second reading, apparently threatening the limited powers the Parliament has.

I decided to go into Parliament and have a look at an exhibition by Calum Colvin on the Jacobites. There are a few interesting pieces but i need also to go up to the Museum to see what they have done on the subject.

Some sad people refer pejoratively to our 'wee, pretendy Parliament'. Well, with a population of fewer than 6 million, Scotland doesn't need anything big and powerful on the world stage. Just small, honest, confident and effective will do. Proper powers will help.

The Parliament building is a good reflection of these aspirations.