I got myself a black belt yesterday.

Don't be fooled by Olympic fervour into thinking it had anything to do with judo.  It was a straightforward cash transaction at the 2012 Merchant City Festival.  This shindig has quite a full programme of entertainment over the weekend but on opening day the only entertainment on offer was a wander through three or four closed off streets lined with stalls at one of which I bought my belt.

Most of the stalls were selling food and a vast variety of national delicacies was available.  I fell victim to a stall full of Italian cakes and biscuits excusing my greed on the grounds that the Italian lunch I had just finished had not included a pudding.

Further exposure to Italian goodies later in the afternoon resulted in the consumption of two Peronis so when I got back to Edinburgh I judged it wise to take the bus to rehearsal.  Afterwards at a jam session in the Jazz Bar the day's international flavour continued and I used up my entire Bemba vocabulary in a brief conversation with the Kitwe girl sitting next to me.