Oh, and one more thing. Last week we had Niall & Laura and Grandma & Papa over, helping out with the house painting. We made good progress, but there's plenty left to do. Here's a wee selection of pictures from Niall.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Doors Open Day
Last weekend was Doors Open Day in Edinburgh. We met up with the Evanses and selected a couple of kiddie-friendly possibilities, the Granton Lighthouse and Alien Rock, a climbing centre located in an old church in Newhaven. The lighthouse is home to some kind of arty architects' office, but was once used for storing and testing the lamps. We had a long queue - during which the kiddies played in the art - and a climb up a couple of steep staircases to the lamphouse, which offered great views over Granton-in-regeneration. It was really quite vertiginous. After that though, we headed to Alien Rock, where they were doing taster sessions for 5 year olds and over. We signed up Holly and Leo, and had lunch in the viewing gallery. Holly had a wee practice - without shoes, ropes or helmet - in the bouldering room, and took to it straight away. Oddly enough when she was kitted up and roped up out in the main arena, she was much more hesitant and cautious - too much fuss, too much of an audience perhaps. Back in the bouldering room, off she went up the wall, way above my head height, secure in the knowledge of her own abilities and the big, soft mat to fall onto. She loves the climbing, so we'll definitely be back. Maybe she'll be a climber and cause us endless anxiety as she grows older and more confident...
September Ketchup
Much water has flowed under the proverbial bridge this September; not so much in the way of pictures though. Here's a catchup collection of snaps, most are pretty much self-explanatory but include cavorting in the garden, mucking about before school, drawing on Louis, drawing with Jasmin and taking to the air at the Queen's Gallery.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Pulling Power
A remarkable event when I picked Holly and Louis up from Grandma & Papa's the other day. Louis, keen as ever to be involved with the bicycling aspects of the journey, towed his big sister along in the trailer and didn't want to stop:
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Going Dutch - The Movie
A selection of video clips from our recent holiday in the Netherlands, bolted together for your viewing convenience.
Monday, September 07, 2009
I Love My Bike
On Sunday, Pete Evans invited us to stop by his cricket club's end-of-season match and barbecue. A slight slope outside the clubhouse gave Louis just the incentive he needed to work on his balancing skills...
BOOM!
Lastnight I took Holly to see the fireworks concert that traditionally marks the end of the Edinburgh Festival. Helen had been given a couple of tickets for Princes Street Gardens by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, one of her clients. It was a late night for Holly, and she started to get a bit nervous as "zero hour" drew closer, and the test flares went up. But the look on her wee face when the sky lit up in front of her and she realised there was nothing to be afraid of was something to behold. The music was all Handel, I think they always - for obvious reasons - play the Music for the Royal Fireworks, which didn't do that much for me. It was sandwiched, however, by two choral pieces, Zadok the Priest to open with and the Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah to finish. These big, bold, bombastic pieces fitted the fireworks nicely I thought. Stirring stuff. The whole thing lasted 45 minutes, which was more than enough for Holly, and she finally hit the sack around 10:15. And on a school night! We'll get into trouble...
We've Got Woods pt II
A portrait of a fairly "typical" weekend, up to a point. Ballet on Saturday morning, and the Royal Command Performance that precedes it; a walk in Ravelston Woods, this time equipped with a rope for the purpose of - quite literally - lashing up a swing among the trees. Louis' bike riding develops apace, he even seeks out the little muddy tracks off the main path for extra amusement. The first quorate Sunday morning Evans rendezvous for a while took place at Dobbies garden centre, reportedly the largest in Europe or something. The kids had a great time exploring the myriad sheds, huts and summerhouses on display. And to round it all off, today we juiced some of the apples from our tree for a nice accompaniment to lunch.
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