red blotches & sprung blood vessels a.k.a. a Scots tan

Hi there!

Today was a beautiful day - summer has finally made its way to Scotland! Although I was starting to believe that there was no such season as 'summer' up here, I have been proven wrong (luckily).

I went to the King's Buildings (KB, which houses the natural sciences complex (down south from where I live) to visit Annavera, who is studying for her exams. She suggested that I would go on to the hermitage situated next to the KB -- and I was smart enough to take her advice (thanks so much Anna!!). From their website, "The Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill lie under the Braid Hills between Morningside and Liberton. This Local Nature Reserve was the first to be designated in Edinburgh in 1993 and offers a wide range of walks from a leisurely stroll along the Braid Burn to a steep climb on the slopes of Blackford Hill. [...] The range of habitats includes 160 acres of mixed mature woodland, scrubland, grassland, The Braid Burn and wetland which all provide a haven for wildlife. Listen for green woodpecker calling from the top of the tall Beech trees. If you are lucky, you could startle a fox hunting rabbits or even an otter swimming in the burn! [... Some of] the amazing birdlife you will encounter; herons, kestrels, kingfishers, song thrush and even tawny owls can be regularly seen around the Nature Reserve!"

In the morning I walked through the grassland and scrubland, and in the woodland I took a short break and read a bit under the trees (The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brian; a very odd book that I enjoyed reading very much, but I wouldn't advise it to everybody, however, if you love Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass (Lewis Carroll) you might try your hand at this darker version). On my way back to the King's Buildings I -unsurprisingly- got lost, but in the end I managed to find my way onto the industrial estate like area of the KB (on my own!). It proved to be another challenge altogether to get back to the Darwin Library where Annavera was studying; although I'd been there twice before I had to give up and ask for directions. After a refreshing lunch, I went back but most of my energy was spent and I decided to finish my book instead. Having done that I simply lay on my back enjoying the sun.. drowsiness fell over me and I lay half-dreaming about bicycles (related to The Third Policeman), birds (they were chirping over my head), and my upcoming essay (on a subject I'm not going to bother you with). At last, I decided to head back, but not before I'd had a lovely ice-cream break with Annavera (most of you will know about it but for me it was a wonderful discovery to find that there's Magnums covered in plain chocolate).
When I got home, I could witness the profit of today's hard work: red blotches & sprung blood vessels a.k.a. a Scots tan. :)

Cheers,
Beata

P.S. As always, I forgot to bring my camera, but I am sure to return there and I will take pictures.