I love Edinburgh. Maybe an unreasonable amount. I've never been in a city I could truthfully say I loved unequivocally before. It's nicely compact due to its geography, has beautiful, ancient buildings, incredible culture (the anticipation for August when the festival season starts in palpable), has easy access to the beach (still on my to-do list) and most importantly, has a huge hill/mountain/extinct volcano for me to climb when I get cabin fever, feel like I need to hike somewhere, stand at the top and say "hmm, yes, good".

For all of July, I sublet a flat that faces Arthur's Seat and in particular the Salisbury Crags. I got in from work repeatedly, utterly shattered, but I'd look out of the window and see the tiny, ant-sized people at the summit and walking the cliffs and convince myself that I'd go hiking the next day. 

Well, I finally got myself up there and boy, was it worth it.

Other than taking the steepest route possible by accident (take the regular route via the north side of Holyrood Park like a normal human), I'd put it as a must-do for anyone heading to Edinburgh. 360 degree view of all of city? Yes please. 

You can see everything from Edinburgh Castle (featuring stands for the Edinburgh Tattoo)...

...to Calton Hill...

...to St Margaret's Loch, Leith and the Firth of Forth.

The name Arthur's Seat is pretty unusual and its etymology is actually thought to come from King Arthur, as a possible location for Camelot... Whether or not that's true is something else entirely though. Lots of geographical features are named after King Arthur but if you want some more reliable history, you can find the ruin of St Anthony's Chapel on the sensible route to the summit. Try doing what I did and look very interested in the ruins as you kick yourself for having practically scaled the southern side of Arthur's Seat when you could have taken a gentle(ish) slope to the top... It was still worth it. 

A bit of housekeeping now. I'm sorry for being atrocious at updating! Work has certainly been keeping me busy but it has also been handing me things to write about and photograph so my to-do list has just been steadily growing. I'm all moved into my new flat now so things will be back to normal ASAP! Promise!

Normal service has been resumed!

Work took me to Luss for the Highland Games! I feel very lucky to be employed in a position that takes me to loads of interesting and beautiful places, and this trip was no exception. Luss is always a peach to photograph.  

However, this was my first Highland Games! I was excited to see all the events and generally be immersed in traditional Scottish culture. Other games held around Scotland are grander, but the Luss games were a nice mix between serious competition and a local community coming together to celebrate its heritage.

And I mean heritage. The games are still opened by the Laird of Colquhoun [Cul-hoon] who was accompanied his son and grandson and by the Helensburgh Clan Colquhoun Pipe Band (it's a good thing I don't mind bagpipes, my ears were ringing with the sound by the end of the day!).

First off was the hammer throw, similar to the 'modern' version found in the Olympics. Rather than on a wire, the weight is attached to a flexible stick. The event was pretty close with the hammer being thrown impressive distances and the following event, the shot put, proved the same.

Next up was the caber toss - arguably the most famous event of the games! I didn't know this until the announcer said so but the point of the caber toss is not the distance travelled but actually how straight you can land the caber. It's thought that this event became a part of the games as throwing the caber in a straight line would have been very useful, way back when, to create a makeshift bridge across a river out in the wilds of Scotland.

It was insanely impressive to watch (particularly when you think of all the splinters!)

Then there were more... unusual events, like the sheath toss which is basically high jump for a stack of leaves. I assume this event came from farming skills but it was still very strange to see the same competitors who had tossed the caber then pick up a pitchfork and throw a bundle of branches over their shoulders.

While all these events were happening, spectators were listening to many bagpipers play as there was also a piping competition going on. Hearing all of them play different tunes at once made everything descend into a cacophony of noise...

But the coos didn't appear to mind so much!

After the games, we departed for Hill House in Helensburgh. Unfortunately photography isn't allowed inside the house, so I can't show you the incredible art nouveau architecture and furnishings (I genuinely developed a newfound appreciation for the style when I was there) but I'd definitely recommend a visit even if you have no idea who Charles Rennie Macintosh was!

There's also a pretty nice view of the Clyde from the rose garden too! Very grateful to have gone on this trip!

Say hello to the University of Stirling's latest graduate! After four years and a lot of hard work, I have somehow managed to receive a BSc in Psychology with first class honours! 

Tuesday evening, I zipped through on the train from Edinburgh to Stirling after work (still feels strange to say that!) and met my family at the station. I got a blessed night in a hotel - a stark change from the student halls I had been staying in temporarily - and a free breakfast the next morning before we all piled into the car and drove to campus. 

It was a lovely day, despite the splattering of rain towards the end and the fact that the entire ceremony reminded me of a school assembly... I was 'doffed' by none other than James Naughtie (it was bizarre putting a face to the voice that lilted out of our kitchen radio as I powered through the International Baccalaureate) and the keynote speaker was Dr Rita Colwell who was being given an honorary degree for her contributions to marine biotechnology and and environmental microbiology. Super interesting woman, very glad I had the opportunity to hear her speak.

Above all else, it was so wonderful to see all my friends again! I brought my 'goodbye book' - the notebook I've had at every leaving day and graduation I've had since I was 10 - and received some very lovely and heartfelt messages. Everyone was in good spirits and overall it was a brilliant day!

Time for some gratuitous photos, I think:

Hopefully we can manage Adult Life better than our robes... although me tangled in a robe with a glass of prosecco isn't changing any time soon

Doffed

The 'Rents

With Mama

With the Sibling

When I wrote In 10: Fourth Year, I didn't know whether I would be in England or Scotland, if I'd have a job or if I'd still be applying for them... All I really knew was that I really didn't want to leave Scotland. At all. I was predicting getting very emotional at graduation but having crossed the "so what are your plans after uni?" bridge by the time graduation came around, I was on much firmer footing  and therefore wasn't a teary mess... 

That's not to say I'm not sad to be leaving Stirling! I've made some amazing memories here and met lifelong friends. I'll miss orienting myself using the Wallace Monument, quiet walks around the loch to clear my head and the incredibly distracting view of Dumyat from the psychology labs...

So here's to four freshers weeks, 22 exams and approximately 60,000 words in essays. To ASH, Wallace Street, Haultain Street, Pendreich Way and Willow Court. To studying in two of the most beautiful countries in the world and climbing to the roof of Africa. To moral support, face paint, sea monkeys, climbing into buildings through windows, roast dinners at midnight, ceilidhs, pub crawls, adventures in the snow, impromptu road trips, hikes to the viewpoint, bonfire nights, open mics, zoo trips, barbecues, Game of Thrones viewings, pumpkin carving, flat banquets, and last but not least, a cardboard cutout of Zac Efron.

Time passes – Gardeners die – They are remembered