I (don't) see... EDINBURGH CASTLE

One of the delights of writing in the Elephant House is to look out of the window at that castle in the air, Edinburgh Castle, perched high on its stump of extinct volcano, in-between the trees of Greyfriar's graveyard and the tenements of Merchant Street. But sometimes, like today, I look out of the window to find that the trees are there, and the tenements are there, but the castle isn't - mist has descended damply on its ramparts and crenellations, leaving just a hazy impression of the building behind.

To the right of the mist-obscured castle, above the houses, you can just see a spectator stand for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (7th to 29th August). The Tattoo isn't really my thing, but if you like men and women in uniforms, marching parades, pipers, drummers, fireworks, dogs and really loud bangs that wake up everyone in Edinburgh late at night for most of August, it could be yours...