Blissit be God

My new mantra: Blissit be God of al his gifts. (Spotted above a doorway in Advocates' Close, if I remember correctly.)I spent so much time blogging about Hawthornden that I neglected to share some of my other favorite moments in Scotland this time around. I managed to get to Glasgow for a meeting of the Scottish Society for Psychical Research (SSPR), holed up at the National Library, reconnected with my friend Kate Mathis (she of the gorgeous vintage sweaters!), and when Seanan came up from London we spent a very happy few days exploring Edinburgh together.Walking up to Arthur's Seat. (Why is my shadow so enormous?)The Hunterian Museum, Glasgow.

This doll found in a London slum BROKE. MY. HEART. Yes, it is made from a worn-out shoe. Seanan said, "At least she had that to play with." (At the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh.)Green no more. (I didn't get a good shot of all the litter.)Spotted in a secondhand bookshop on the West Bow. HA.We chose the easy path up Arthur's Seat (it's too easy, actually), then took our time coming down into Duddingston village for tea and lunch at the oldest pub in the city.(To be honest, The Sheep Heid Inn isn't the top-notch gastropub it likes to think it is—my vegan option was lackluster—but it's still a cozy spot to relax after a windswept ramble.)I don't have proper photos of it, but we also did the Mary King's Close tour, which was not nearly as cheesy as I was expecting. Packed with fascinating historical anecdotes, and I don't mind too much if half of them were made up. Now that's good entertainment.Started rereading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell on the way home (found it for £2 in a charity shop, yay!), and it definitely holds up to a second read. Can't wait for the miniseries!