Self-isolation, Day Nine, being the Feast of Adamnan of Iona
You know you've spent too much time in Scotland -- wait, that's a conceptual impossibility; let's start that again -- you know you've spent a delightfully rich amount of time in Scotland when Adamnan of Iona comes up in the calendar and you think, "Ah, yes. Adamnan of Iona," rather than, "Who?" But in case you're wondering, Adamnan was abbot of Iona around 700; he was kinsman and hagiographer of the much better-known Saint Columba.
(I have to justify the name of this blog somehow.)
On this ninth day of self-isolation I think I have finally hit my stride. Not that I wasn't being reasonably productive before, but more things fell into place today. I finally started writing my chapter on Scotus's account of the virtues. (The virtues are not that important in Scotus's ethics, but the reasons they're not important are important.) I attended the weekly research-in-progress seminar for the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), which was an informative and not-at-all-depressing talk about the co-opting of cultural (rather than confessional) Christian identity for political purposes in the very secular Netherlands. I learned that I have been admitted to membership in the Scottish Arts Club, which among other things will allow me to have lunch there when the building is open again, which is not looking to be anytime soon.
It was another lovely day, a great day to walk along the Water of Leith (pictured above). I'm not saying I did walk along the Water of Leith, obviously, because that would be illegal. But one does long for a nice walk on a day like this. (I didn't take this picture, in case you're wondering; I downloaded it from Google Images.) I do have all kinds of plans for walks around here as soon as I am unshackled, and even in the Cairngorms next week. I am also looking forward to eating out. I may have to do even more eating out than usual if I can't figure out my oven, which has a lot of mysterious symbols on it that carry no meaning for me. So far I have been able to set it at either 80° or 250°, but nowhere in between. This is too much for me to work out at 8:00 in the morning when I just want to have a nice sausage roll. I realize that I am reaching Bill Bryson levels of bafflement in the face of basic life tasks, but without the talent for making it funny, and this worries me.