Sharing the view.

The state visit went well. St Georges Hall looked spectacular for the formal dinner  and even the press conference with the Prime Minister went off without triggering anything 'volcanic'.  The poor King looked tired but his speech was a master class in diplomatic skill.

On the way down to Edinburgh on the train an old and clearly very loved Westie has made himself at home. He is travelling with a gentleman of greatly advanced years who is going to a funeral in Ravelston Dykes. Dog and owner look remarkably alike in that way dog and owners often do. 

The Westie, having settled, is not going to move. Passengers detour around him.

Even the ticket inspector stops for a wee blether.

The Scots are supposedly a dour and undemonstrative race but neither of these traits applies when it comes to Westies. 

In Edinburgh we discover a  fresh pasta shop in the no mans land between Dundas Street and Stockbridge proper. Nduja and Mascarpone ravioli catch our eye. They open at noon and close at nine so if we want to take fresh pasta home with us we will need to arrange future trips down to Edinburgh around a later departure.

Next door there is a rather chic wine bar where we can enjoy the last of the summer sunshine with a glass of something restorative. At a neighbouring table an  unblinking family pooch watches his mistress enjoy a cup off coffee and a biscuit .

The hotel corridor is very brown - and long.

Our room is peculiarly dark and the shower is surprisingly far from the bed. Apart from that ( and pillows that are as squidgy as the late season strawberries ) it's very comfortable. Best of all the shower, when you get there, only has two taps. One to turn it on and the other to regulate the temperature. No need for a PhD in mechanical engineering to get the water flowing.

Edinburgh is empty bar townsfolk, arriving students and canny silver haired Americans who know this is the time of year when the weather is at its best and hotel rooms are a third of the price they were just a month ago.  At dinner the Californian couple behind us switch seats half way through their meal. The waiter asks them if everything is alright and they reply that they always switch seats so that both of them can experience the same view. This is the first time we've come across this 'alternating chairs' routine.

Liberal England :https://x.com/MattSingh_/status/1967970526451863668

Portugals new hotel at the Contemporary Art Museum :https://hotel.macam.pt/en/

#4 may explain why Scots settled here :https://www.buzzfeed.com/scarymouse/facts-that-sound-fake-but-are-true

Hotel and private home:https://www.tajhotels.com/en-in/hotels/umaid-bhawan-palace-jodhpur

American history :https://www.coolidgereview.com/articles/tyranny-anatomized

A beautiful chair :https://www.woodawards.com/portfolio/the-red-loop-windsor/