I've had this book already a few years, but as I am going to give it Halonhakkaaja for winning my 11th bookiversary RABCK, I need to read it now. Not that reading A McCall Smith is ever a burden, but I've been reading promised tags for weeks now.
It is funny how he keeps entertaining us with pretty much similar stories over and over, but there lies the talent of storytelling.

I’m glad that I haven’t been living in Britain during the corona pandemy, but otherwise Edinburgh wouldn’t be a bad place to live. I first visited it in 1984 on Interrail, then for a long weekend in May 2017, when my brother had a flat there for a month, and the most resent visit was a day during the Fringe, so I’ve a had a glimpse of the famous book festival in 2018 and have to say the Helsinki Book Fair is much better. But if I came back in another life, Royal Circle, Edinburgh, would be quite ok.

Bertie's Mom is the one who should be hit on the head with a blunt instrument at least fifty times...
Bertie's upcoming birthday reminds me of the only one I held or at least the only one I have any recollection of as a child. All the kids from the yard were invited. Somebody gave my a My Friends -book, you remember those where you fill in your name, DOB, weight, hight and a long list of favourites; book, film, song, hobby, subject at school, person and what you will become. The boys laughed at what the girls had written in all seriousness, wrote silly things in the book and made fun of the whole thing. I got angry and hurt and simply left the party. Went next door where my brother lived and Dad had escaped. I said I don't care what will happen with the guests, I'm not going back. And I didn't. My Mom and sister-in-law-to-be dealt with it and soon the guests left. I still do not like to throw parties. I've never held a party to my classmates, but I do remember how Liisa from my class always invited everybody and her mother was there very actively organizing all sorts of fun competitions, like eating chocolate as a team, one at a time for a minute, with a knife and fork and with mittens on and eyes blinded. That was always a party to look forward to.

Ha ha, Ian Rankin was put in the book. I've heard that these guys have a little competition with doing puns to each other in their books. Haven't read any Rankin, so I have no idea what he has done.

A Brit once told me that Marmite is the Backbone of Britain. Horrible thing, tried once, never again.
I have once had somnambulistic activity - I sleepwalked out of our backdoor and woke up to the sound of the closing door behind my back. I was still living with my parents, but unfortunately the backdoor's doorbell had been out of order for years... Parents didn't wake up to my knocking. My brother lived in the flat opposite, but slept like a log and didn't wake up to the very loud noise of his doorbell. My only option was run through our back yard from back door to the front door, at that time all doors inside the backyard were open at all times because the back gate was closed for the night - nowadays everything is tightly locked. We had just gotten first snow that night, when I run barefoot across the yard in my nightie.

On page 213 I suddenly feel I've read this book before. I'm not sure, which means I probably have Alzheimer's or Levy's bodies. Will carry on to make sure, about the book that is...

Finished. I'm still not sure if I've read this before or not, because the way I remember Irene's prolonged trip was that Bertie's granny came to live with them for a while. Has something similar happened to her before (or after, because I don't read these in chronological order)? (Edit: In The Revolving Door of Life Irene spent six weeks in a harem due to a misunderstanding at the airport on her vacation and Bertie's granny came to run her son's household).
I wonder why Bertie thought turning seven was special. In Finland it is, because kids go to school at that age, but in the UK they begin school at 5 yrs old.
I've been to the Sound of Mull, Eigg, Muck, Rùm and Tobermory, first in 1998 and then in 2017. There is something very enchanting in the Hebrides.

Pic: Tobermory from the sea.

This was a tricky release, could not find Riistavesi anywhere! Had to go to Halonhakkaaja's profile to find out and it turned out to be part of Kuopio!
Congrats again for winning my 11th bookiversary RABCK, found this from your wishlist.

Thank you so much!!! Book is now here in Riistavesi :) :) :)

This was so enjoyable to read - as always McCall Smiths' books are :) Irene's trip to Dubai was very nice surprise! I've never been there and I'm not planning to go there, but with Irene's trip I can participate in Delenna's Travelling around the world -challenge with a new country (United Arab Emirates).

Going next to Sannuli. Enjoy!

Thank you! Timing was actually perfect as Monday 25th is my birthday :) :)

Bertie is still my favorite character of alla McCall Smith’s books :) These books (I guess all of MacCall Smith) are so soft and fluffy and comfy that I’m getting a bit bored. What happened?