Afternoon tea with Alexander McCall Smith

For something different than our usual outdoors adventures we signed up for an afternoon tea with Alexander McCall Smith - the Scottish author of a number of wonderful series of books, including the latest: 'Tea Time for the Traditionally Built' (http://www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk/Pages/events.aspx).

We weren't quite sure what to expect when we turned up at the National Library of Scotland. It turned out to be a formal sit-down afternoon tea, complete with white linen, delicate tea-cups (with both traditional and red bush tea - which appears in his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series) and cake stands with cucumber sandwiches! It was the first time they'd allowed the drinking of tea in the reading room. Alexander came over and shook hands with both of us.

On leaving, we both got a goodie bag of red bush tea products and were grabbed for a short videoed interview on the event. It was for the history department rather than BBC though so don't look out for us on the news!