Diary of an Edinburgher

By LadyMarchmont

A Right Royal Dick

If I thought yesterday's breeze was a wee bit chilly, Jings! - today's ice blast came straight from Siberia! But it looked lovely and sunny, and from my windows I didn't see any trees bending in the wind. And I saw the postman in his short sleeved shirt. I didn't stop to remind myself that this sight meant nothin' - he's like that all winter!

And so I set off out with my hat in my camera bag (I'm not totally bonkers) and my light jacket on. Big Mistake. I really should have gone back and put my big woolly jacket on, but no - hat on, I pressed on.

I was heading for a nosy around Summerhall, which is a big old building that used to house the Vet College, but is now privately owned and has lots of venues and exhibitions, especially during the Fesival. I didn't go down via the Meadows, as the wind whips straight across there (the poor blossom!) but I walked along the relatively sheltered roads.

Amazing what you come across in Edinburgh. I found a wee Jewish cemetery about the size of my lounge. (Not that my lounge is big - the cemetery is tiny). And I saw a plaque saying that in that house in 1867, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott met. How about that!!

Summerhall had no exhibitions on at the moment, but I checked out first the cafe - luckily it was my non-diet day and carrot cake was consumed. Then I checked out the bar. Called 'The Royal Dick'. (It was the Dick Vet College).

The lunch menu looks good. The bar was wonderful - full of animal skulls and old medical paraphernalia on the walls. The bar counter was glass, and displayed under it were big old slides of bones and bodies and cells - stuff used in lectures. The barman said they were all found in a skip when the building was bought. It's certainly unique. I'll be back, though I withheld this information from the barman - keep 'em guessing.

Froze on the way back, so was in a big hurry to get home. But who was out playing in his garden? Brodie and his mum. I really wanted to get an action shot with flapping ears (of Brodie, not mum).

This is easier said than done! I had to give up after several dozen attempts. This is the least blurry one. Look at that wee pink tongue! And those big bear paws!

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