May 2021

May just disappeared. Where did the time go?

We had Scottish elections at the start of the month. I voted Bruce Wilson for Edinburgh Central. I have occasional frustrations with the Liberal Democrats, but there aren’t any other options that align with the general thrust of my political beliefs. I think this will continue until the Scottish constitutional questions can be settled one way or another.

I finally completed on the sale of my flat in Tollcross. It was almost a year since I decided to put it on the market. I had offers late last year, but they fell through due to problems with financing. My understanding is that the banks weren’t keen on people who had been on pandemic furlough for too long.

It felt strange to be packing up and moving my stuff. I spent a few weeks trying to store or sell larger pieces of furniture. I’ll be down in Morningside for the forseeable future, but at some point we hope to sell up here and move to a larger place. I’ll miss the Tollcross flat, with many happy memories over the years.

My parents came to visit to pick up some of my stuff. I’d not seen them in months, so it was a very happy occasion. We set up a gazebo in the garden for lunch, as lockdown had still not lifted at that point.

I have continued to take photos for the 52 Frames Photo challenge including a portrait, “red”, and “wide angle”.

I spent the month reading around Dante’s Divine Comedy for the June Interintellect “Reading the Greats” book club. I also read Thinking in Systems by Dana Meadows, a straightforward introduction, and Full Catastrophe Living which is the guide to the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction programme pioneered in Massachusetts.

I have been out cycling, extending my routes through the Pentlands a little. My running has been a little patchier, which is one of my focuses for improvement in June.

Towards the end of the month lockdown was lifted a little more, as Edinburgh moved down a “level”. I managed some drinks in beer gardens, brunch with friends, and the first dinner out with Harriet that we’ve had in a year. I’m very grateful for both the vaccination programme and the conscientious patience of my fellow citizens that has helped us get to this point.