Twelve o'clock coachman

This is another of the street art on utility boxes, commissioned by trams to newhaven. You can find the basic information here (also about the other boxes which are probably going to feature on my blips as we move through winter), which tells us that the artist, Vincente Aguado, was inspired by the tale of the 12 o'clock coachmen who haunts Tolbooth Wynd. More details here, to the effect that "The Tolbooth Wynd is haunted by a ghostly coachman. According to local legends, the residents of Tolbooth Wynd were once terrorised by a ghostly coach driven by a headless rider. Known as the “Twelve o'clock Coachman”, he would appear on the hour each night and hurtle through the street. He was described as a tall, gaunt figure without a head, leading a team of horses who were also headless.Some accounts also have him accompanied by a female passenger. Nothing more is known of who he was or how he came to be tearing down that road without a head."

Right. Perhaps I am happier living in a pandemic.... Although life then certainly wouldn't have been boring in the way that it is at present here.

I spent most of the day finalising the last peer review job of a mountain of obligations that I had to take on and which all needed finishing in November. I got back to my paper, but didn't really have the focus to make much progress. My mood and concentration were neither of them helped by the fact that I had a terrible night last night. I fell asleep ok (this is a general problem so at least not that), but woke by 1am, and then stayed awake until about 4am, at which point I then slept through until just before 7am. It put paid to the idea of doing an early morning fitness class.

I did get out for a cycle, mainly to Stockbridge to go to the butchers, to the One World Shop to collect a large quantity of rice, and Real Foods, mainly for some posh flour. It was the first time I'd been out on the bike for ages, and I chose a pretty windy day for it!

Happy to hear this evening that OT is back in Edinburgh. We've arranged to meet at the weekend. That will be nice. Something in the diary!