I had some friends from Belgium staying for a week.

They had a great time.  They did the obvious things like the Castle and Holyrood Palace and being keen sailors they also fitted in the royal yacht.  I sent them to a Scottish music and dance show at the St James hotel.  I wasn't able to go myself but I've seen it (or rather a previous version because it's probably 30 or 40 years since I was there).   They loved it, as well they might.

I was in fact at another dance show which was wonderful, despite the demonstrating crowds outside the theatre and the slogan shouters who popped up inside from time to time.  More about that later perhaps.

We also caught some warlocks and witches in a dance, which was the only part of the Beltaine Fire Society's Samhuinn Festival that I could make head or tail of as I strained on tiptoe to see what was going on in Parliament Square on a bitterly cold Wednesday night.  I thought I was going to lose my nose to frostbite but happily managed to get to a Laphroig relief point in the nick of time.

On a superbly sunny day we went off on an excursion.  We stopped first in South Queensferry to admire the bridges and indeed the town.  The main street is lovely.  Then we drove through Fife to St Andrews where, both being keen golfers, a stroll over the Old Course was a great treat. 

We had visited Lower Largo en route to admire Alexander Selkirk.  Patrick was not only familiar with Treasure Island from childhood but had trodden the soil of the Juan Fernandez islands where Selkirk was marooned.  Anstruther was another stop on the way but we didn't have time to fit in a visit to the fisheries museum as I had hoped to do.

One of the things that pleased me most about their visit was how complimentary they were about the various restaurant meals they had.  Continentals can be a bit snooty about British cuisine so it was nice to know that a favourable impression will be going back across the Channel.