Back in Snowy Edinburgh

It snowed for most of Wednesday. That relentless fall which melts on the garden and lands on the footpath, leaving your feet to crunch along the ground in the hopes you don't slip on the ice between the slushy bits.

I didn't really find out about the ground until I left the house that evening - sometimes a pyjama catch up day is in order. Went to a place called Southpour for dinner, and on the way discovered I'd lost my bankcard. My friend had to pay for everything, but I'm sure I'll make it up now that said card has been located.

Southpour isn't the most vegan friendly place, but it does have a delicious super salad, with just enough flavour and spice to make it more-ish. Top that with a wee dram of Oban single malt, and good company, and I'd probably go there again.

The highlight though was the walk home. Most of the Old City was covered in snow. Arthur's Seat almost glowed in the dark, and we walked to the base of it, across piles of snow that had only fallen that day. The clouds had cleared by the evening, and other than the occasional icy slide, it was quite magical standing below a luminous hill at almost midnight.

Annika and I wanted to see the People's Story museum on Thursday. We got as far as the first room, when a group of overly enthusiastic French students arrived, with clipboards and a mission to tick items off a "viewed" list. They had no concept of other people, and crowded in to the point we were forced away from the displays we were viewing. The teacher accompanying them just said "excuse me", as she stepped forward and pushed us to the side. We decided to return the next day instead.

It was time for food (when is it not time for food?), and Grassroots was on our minds. Jo and Dean are truly the loveliest people. They don't just serve food, they provide fantastic conversation and a wicked sense of humour. We bumped into Kifahh and Lily at the cafe, and over a sausage roll and chocolate caramel pudding, the group of us talked as much as we ate, which is quite impressive given how much we can all eat. As a point of interest, Grassroots serve Unicorn Tears as part of their beverage menu. It's not gin, as I'd originally thought, and the level of hydration was refreshing. No surprise really, given that it's a fancy name for tap water.

The walk home was solo, and as usual, I took a different route so as to absorb as much of the city as possible. I've found a series of walks and paths through various parks, and given the different levels of the city, the perspective is as changeable as the weather. Speaking of

which, the sun was shining and the snow has all melted, with just a hint of the snow which covered Edinburgh the day before. Most people are just shrugging it off as "Scotland", as though the extreme weather patterns are as normal as a Melbourne day.

I met up with David at Holy Cow, where the company was lovely and my body finally caught up with all the misdemeanours I've been feeding it. Couldn't even look at the cake, and by the time I got home I was doubled over in pain. Annika set me up on the couch with a hot water bottle, and I think I need a few days of healthy eating before the next transgression. Normally I say it's worth it, but right now, I feel like a kid who spent too much time at the lolly table, and a little sheepish.