Silent Majesty
“For all who love shelter and the blessings of the sun, who hate dark weather and perpetual tilting against squalls, there could scarcely be found a more unhomely and harassing place of residence.”
Silent Majesty
Unlike Monday’s dusting, Friday’s (Dec 10) snow blanketed the city in pillowy white. I quickly dressed and went up Calton Hill to capture the moment. I was going to try and put some music to this, but I think snowfall is so naturally soft and quiet, it works better in silent majesty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Z6Do3cPcs
After filming the snow we were having breakfast in our kitchen when I looked out the window and saw a cat staring at me from the small space behind our building. It was a big and funny-looking cat though.
As I looked more I realized it wasn’t a cat but a beautiful red fox. He’s not in the picture above. Sadly, we tried to get a photo or video but he ran off too quickly. It was so surprising to see a fox in such an urban setting. He was a beautiful animal!
Sadly, snow turned to rain as we headed out to visit the National Library of Scotland, stopping by the Edinburgh City Chambers along the way.
The City Chambers sits across the Royal Mile from St Giles Cathedral. The Chambers’ courtyard is paved in Craigleith stone—the same stone the building is constructed from—with multiple slabs carved in tribute to some of Edinburgh’s greatest living citizens.
JK Rowling received the Edinburgh award, by popular vote from the city, in 2008—a year after the Deathly Hallows was released on the day of Hermoine Granger’s 19th birthday.
Rowling has small hands that match Amanda’s nearly perfectly. Cool coincidence!
Also celebrated are author Ian Rankin…
Medical law and bioethics professor and author Alexander McCall Smith…
And singer-songwriter, political activist, and philanthropist Annie Lennox.
Mom, I know you certainly don’t need another bag, but this would be a good one for you! We meandered through the Library and found they had a rather extensive exhibit on Ian Rankin. There was an associated exhibit on the extensive use of nom de plumes by authors. We were both shocked to learn how many authors use pen names and the various reasons why.
At 5:30 pm we attended the Christmas Favourites music celebration at St Giles Cathedral.
Confronted with homeless people begging on a daily basis—often in the rain, snow, and extreme cold—it was nice to learn that all ticket proceeds from the Christmas Favourites music event are used by St Giles to assist the homeless.
The event was a mix of audience participation and songs sung only by the choir. Interestingly, we did sing Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, but the music was completely different than we use in the US.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the choir is so enjoyable. Choirs are an aspect of earlier church life that so many churches have abandoned as outmoded, but they really can be something quite magical to hear. The choir sang an a cappella version of Silent Night that gave me the chills! They also sang a song I’d never heard of called In dulci jubilo that was sung in 8 parts rather than the usual 4, so that was also amazing to hear.
We were asked not to video, but I couldn’t help but sneak two very small samples. For the first snippet I wish I had picked a more powerful part of the singing to film, but you get the idea. They ended the evening by singing Jingle Bells and inviting everyone to shake their keys during the chorus. Here is a video of the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EJnveKSOU4
After the Christmas Favourites event. we walked up to the castle and filmed the “teaser” light show on the outside of the castle, trying to entice you to pay 20 quid to see the full show inside. The show on the outside was still fun. Check out the cool light show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C-fJs1q-dw
