Darling Buds of May

When last we, the daring explorers, posted, we had shortly returned from jaunts across all parts of the UK. The intervening month, however, has been far simpler: Isaac and I have been staying close to home, trying to get used to the concept of a "normal" schedule once again, and enjoying the loveliness of Scotland in the Spring.

The first weekend in May is always marked, here, by a tremendous and glorious affair: the Castle Ceilidh. The University's Celtic Society rents out the castle grounds on the day in question, and a large crowd of interested individuals flock for a chance to dance the evening away. This is followed by a torchlight procession as dusk falls (around 9.00 in the evening). As it rained heavily on the first weekend of May when I was first here, this was my first Castle Ceilidh, and a glorious evening it was!

This is from a dance, the name of which I have forgotten, that allows lovely young ladies to choose various men as partners throughout the dance:



When not dancing, we've spent the weekdays busily working (I've met my first word-count deadline, which is terrific) and the weekends relaxing. Last weekend, my wonderful husband made hummous for us to eat during a picnic at the edge of the sea. It was high tide, so we sat on the grass instead. (This photo was taken less than a hundred yards away from our front door).



And finally, because it is turning into summer and the days are stretching on into all hours of what we would normally consider nighttime (this morning it was bright by five and last night the sun set around half past nine), we've been getting into the practice of taking evening walks on the beach near our house. Here's last night's sunset, with the cathedral ruins in the distance:



And, as it is a weekday, I must now get back to work!