Edinburgh Festival

I've just spent a few days in Edinburgh catching up with a friend, helping to celebrate his birthday, and taking in some of the festival. I'd never been to Edinburgh before, and I was surprised. It's very beautiful, with huge old dark stone buildings, wide streets, and gardens and hills all over the place. It's also very cold. I had to dig out some winter clothing, and ended up shopping for more layers. Most of all, in August, it is busy beyond belief. The cash points run out of money and the city runs out of space. It's hard to find somewhere to rest your weary legs after a heavy morning of theatre viewing.
I was really lucky, as Ben was working for the festival, so I got to see loads of shows for free. It's astounding just how much there is on offer, as almost every theatre, pub, cafe, university building and open space is turned over to music, comedy and dance. I saw some fantastic stuff, favourites being a comedy play called 'No Son of Mine', an improvised musical by Showstoppers, the comedian Andrew Lawrence, and Axis of Awesome, a comedy band.
As I had a lot of time on my hands, I had a go at writing a few reviews, and after sending them off to various editors, have returned to Bristol with quite a busy week ahead of me. Writing, teaching, festival going... I can't imagine how I'd fit a job around my hobbies, and I'm getting quite nervous about getting one now! In the light of the madness of Edinburgh, I've come to realise just how calm and lovely my life has become this Summer.