A Tale of Two Cities
July 7th, 2009 by Becky
There are many winter days in Edinburgh when you genuinely wonder if the city bears a grudge against you. My walk to work covers Bruntsfield Links, which looks like a gentle slope, but feels like resistance training after about five steps because of the wind which shoves you backwards with unsuppressed violence. Battered, defeated umbrellas stick out of bins like the spoils of war. On my way home it’s already dark and people are hunched inside their winter coats. Edinburgh itself seems to be saying: I am in charge; I will be here for longer than you.
And then there are days like a couple of weeks ago, when Edinburgh smiles beneficently at the puny humans walking on its surface. On my walk to work, a light breeze dances on my skin, cooling the humidity, and Bruntsfield Links is sun-dappled; trees dancing joyfully either side.
And I can walk for two minutes from my flat at 10 o’clock at night and see this:
Beautiful.
I so wished I lived in Edinburgh. A few more years to wait, I’m afraid…
And the South Australian newspaper was fussing because it was only 2.9C yesterday morning! They said it was cold…well, it was a bit chilly I suppose.
Make yourself a nice hot cup of tea when you get to work on ‘those’ mornings Becky! (Sorry the book did not get there. I don’t know what has happened to Australia Post lately. I’ll see if I can find another one but it is out of print at present. You might have to wait until my cousins get to Edinburgh next year.)