Over hill, over dale, through bush, through brier

I felt a strange tug to go for a walk late this evening without quite knowing why. I don't make a habit of wandering the streets of Edinburgh after dark I promise, but there was something odd in the air tonight that compelled me to venture outside. Along the Dene valley I strolled in the darkening dusk, and up through the newly finished New Town, the last street of which opened today, some 200 years after the project began. I watched a cleaning crew remove the last vestiges of a street party held earlier in the day to commemorate the occasion. It was only then twigged the significance of the date and the time - 'twas Midsummers night.

The days will start to shorten soon enough, but there's summer enough ahead to keep my spirits up. With that in mind, allow me to take this opportunity to wish you, my readers, a happy summer solstice.