Right back at you

I've just seen Ridgeback's blip, so that inspired me to use this photograph.

Yep, I had a busy (and immensely hot) afternoon. By the time I took that clobber off around 5.30pm my shirt was wringing wet. Luckily I wasn't wearing a jacket, but I was already sweltering just sitting in the sun for the graduation photograph in the Old College quad. I don't quite know how my (German!) colleague wearing his newly gifted (by his wife) university tartan kilt and all the clobber was feeling.... It was my first time reading the names, and it was a bit nerve racking, although I'd practised them many times, and we do get pronunciation prompts these days. If in doubt, carry on with pizzaz and all will be well was the line I took. I also felt a little emotional reading out the names of students that I taught whom I knew to have achieved first class honours degrees.

Afterwards there was a series of receptions. A short one in McEwan Hall for the platform party, and then a huge sprawling reception for the students and their supporters in Old College, where we expected the main focus to be in the Playfair library, but in fact because the Scottish summer happened in the afternoon, it was rightly hard to persuade people to leave the quad, even for the cool of the Playfair. Consequently, I had to deliver my little speech and hand out a medal to one graduand standing at the top of the steps and bellowing at the top of my voice. Exhausting!

Afterwards, I hid in my office for half an hour, generally cooling off before walking over to Summerhall to meet with RM, whose family owns the place. We were introduced by a mutual friend. Very interesting chat. Lots of buzz about the place, of course. I was lucky he gave me a lift home, as I was by then feeling pretty much worn out, so was thinking I'd be looking for a taxi.

As it was the Scottish summer on Thursday, and we won't have this view much longer, I've added a view of the skyline in the morning sunshine as an extra.