From Inverness to Edinburgh

I can't believe that the week at Moniack Mhor is over. Our last full day was a special one that started with the sunniest morning we had all week. We had been up late singing away the night before and I also was feeling the pressure to have a story to read in the evening. I actually had a nightmare that I didn't have anything to present to the group and the tutors would shake their head at me, so I woke up early and worked away at the elevator story. We had a workshop that morning that helped me figure out parts of my plot, and we also came together as a group to work on another story. Laura showed us how to map out the storyline with post its once you have spent time on the characters. The is way you can move around the pieces and if you are out and have an idea, you can jot it down for later. The whole process was quite a revelation for us all. We took Hillary's free write about two unmanageable dogs she had adopted and laid the groundwork for the story, which turned out to show great promise. Speaking of stories, I got a great idea for a story yesterday when I arrived back into Edinburgh and put somethings together that happened to me and I can't wait to start applying the skills we learned.

The response to my elevator story was really positive. I got so many laughs and a lot of praise for the dialogue between the characters. When I read the story, just as I said "ding" for the elevator, Laura's phone sounded off and for a moment everyone thought it was a sound effect from the iPad from which I was reading. It was so funny. The next day several of the guys told me how much they enjoyed it. In fact, Ben from London told me he could really picture the characters. "I'm really critical," he said, "and I thought your piece was spot on." I couldn't help but smile. I will be sure to send it on to people who are interested.


On the drive back down from the highlands, we stopped a few times and Philip treated me to a delicious bite and a scenic drive. The sun kept shining and I enjoyed the open sun roof as we drove through some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. Golf courses, sprawling mountains with sheep roaming, blue lochs and streams made it so that not one bit of the drive was boring. Before I got the train in Stirling, I got to see an absolutely beautiful old church just off the road and later the remains of Stirling Castle perched high up on a hill. This is where the legendary William Wallace roamed (Braveheart guy).

My B and B, Hotel Ceilidh Donia, is outside of the center of Edinburgh and just past the University of Edinburgh campus, which is beautiful. I wandered through the city even though I was so tired, and found a perfect spot for an Italian dinner. Il Positano is the name, and I enjoyed the freshest Bruchetta and ravioli I have ever tasted. The ristorante is like a little piece of Italy fell down from the sky into Edinburgh. The tiramasu was fantastic and the Italian servers bustled around, winking and waiting on everyone with such animation. Next to my table, a Scottish family of four sat, eating dinner and bantering about. The father sounded like Sean Connery and the whole scene made me miss my own little family. The teenaged son and the younger daughter put an image in my mind of what our future family dinners out will be like with Kole and Jessa (similar age difference). Their father got them started on a game with a coin while they waited for food. Their waiter served dessert and bowed to the daughter, "For the princess, for the Queen, the prince, AND of course, the king, " as he set the sweets in front of Sean Connery 's sound alike. "Well, this is the first time I've been called a King," he declared with a huge grin. As I read my book and sipped wine, it made me feel content in the universe, but I also cannot wait to return home to hug my three favorite people.

On my walk back to the b and b around 9 pm I heard a glorious choir singing in a nearby church. I had to stop and take it in. Edinburgh is such a diverse city with so much to see and do. I am always stumbling upon inspiration here.

Today, I hiked up a hill overlooking the city. Amazing weather for a hike up to Arthur 's Seat and what a view. I got to see Edinburgh Castle from far above, which put everything into perspective. Their was a Moon Walk last night that started at midnight and had walkers going for 26 miles and today the Seven Hills Race was going on. I passed several runners churning up to Arthur 's Seat this AM. What a race. I talked to a woman at the top who was trying to get a view of her 28 yr. old daughter who was running in it. She thought I might be a race person up there to check off the runners because I was wearing my Reach the Beach shirt and running clothes. Too funny! When I came down the hill, a girl was playing bagpipes on the green. Spectacular. I am off to Dublin this afternoon and I will upload pics when I arrive. Cheers for now!