Ballet
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Ballet
Ballet
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar
Nativity
Nativity
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar
Louis Chatting
Louis Chatting
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar
Jack
Today, in a strange déjà vu from last year, we saw Jack and the Beanstalk at the King's Theatre. We were right up in the gods but it was still a good laugh - in a pantomimey kind of way. My favourite joke? Dame McTrot announces she's been likened to a rose - because she's "terrible in a bed but good up against the wall" - boom boom!
Christmas Day
The kids treated us to a lovely lovely lie-in until 8:30am on Christmas Day. We had Santa's pressies at home, then had a morning of toys and pottering before we headed over to Grandma & Papa's to rendezvous with the rest of the clan. Mounds of food and pressies and gallons of wine - the pictures, I reckon, speak for themselves.
Nativity
In the final days before Christmas, Louis and I made a special trip to nursery for his Nativity play. The oldest kids (who will leave next year) took the on-stage roles, with the younger ones (including Louis) making up the choir. Louis sat sullenly at the back and indignantly removed his hat after the performance began, making getting a photo difficult. Perhaps he's not destined for the stage, but afterward as we played in the snow outside he claimed that he'd enjoyed it. Later in the week, we visited the Val de Drylaw (a grassy slope at the end of our street) for a spot of sledging and skiing in the sun. Still no chairlift, alas.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Shows & Snows
A quick photo summary of the week; performances from Holly in both her nativity play and her end-of-term ballet performance. Video to follow for both Real Soon Now. Yesterday we pottered with all the IKEA kitchen stuff that has materialised in the garage, and then popped into town to visit the Winter Wonderland. We got spectacular views of Princes Street, the Gardens, and the Castle from the top of the big wheel. Overnight, the snow returned and we had an indoor day to celebrate, with the kids only getting out of their pyjamas at 4pm to pop out for a bit of shopping in the snow!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Parky
The fluffy white stuff has stopped falling from the sky, and the mercury recently rose above the 273 Kelvin mark for the first time in many days. The snow disappeared like - well, like snow off a dyke - to be replaced by pools of slushy meltwater and watery ice. As the temperature has dropped again this weekend, so the cycleways, footpaths and parks of Edinburgh have refrozen and turned into impromptu ice rinks. It was inevitable then, that when we decided to pop around to Ravelston Park for a bit of (very) fresh air today, Louis would insist on riding his bike. We had a nice time mucking about on the swings and seesaw, and Louis did indeed manage to ride along the icy pavement.
Train 'n' Wheels
Helen was out lastnight, so I passed the long, lonely hours by doing a - badly overdue - rear wheel build for the everyday commuting bike. So far so bike geek, but the newly-built wheel was still around when Louis and Holly got up this morning, and spinning it rapidly became a source of some fascination for them. I'm hoping I won't be such an incompetent n00b by the time they're old enough to learn to build their own...
Tree's Company
Tradition holds that we all do our little bit for deforestation in these festive times, and so it was that we took ourselves down to Stockbridge to part with our hard-earned in exchange for a modest conifer. The hapless sapling was duly introduced to its new home, and subjected to the further indignity of being draped with seasonal baubles and trinkets by an inordinately excited Holly and Louis, to a soundtrack of yuletide standards courtesy of Spotify. It was all rather jolly.
Dump
Just when we were all getting used to the snow and finding new and exhausting ways to deal with the impact it has on daily life, we got another dump on Monday morning. I was setting out for school with Holly and Louis when the first flakes fell, and by the time Louis and I got home there was a good inch or two of fresh stuff already. Needless to say, Louis wanted to ride his bike in it. We tried, but even he had to admit defeat.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Extreme Commuting
Yesterday, I towed the kiddies along the cycle path to grandma & papa's. It's hard enough towing the two of them at the best of times, but with the snow lying deep and crisp and even, it was tough going. Continuing on to work, I found that my bike was the only (private) vehicle in the car park. At least the sun was shining though. As darkness fell and the temperature dropped, I became concerned about the comfort of the kids on the way home, sitting stationary in a wheeled tent for 45 minutes. Luckily grandma & papa had thought of that, and furnished them with an old sleeping bag to snuggle inside. As it turned out, the snow had frozen hard and we had a speedy and cosy journey home.
Guess What? More Snow!
Another overnight dump of snow, another day of school closures. We're settling into something of a routine here, but today I took the day off work instead of slogging along the cycle path with the kids in the trailer. A fine day we had too, I cleared a path or two and we started to build a snow fort in the garden which may or may not - in time - become an igloo. Thoroughly chilled, we came inside for a bowl of hot chicken soup and a cosy movie in the shape of Toy Story. I hoped we might get back out to work on the fort, but the kiddies weren't keen to go back out into the falling snow and failing light. Softies. So we made flapjacks and played board games (Bus Stop was the game of choice today) until teatime. A nice day, but I for one am glad the school's open again tomorrow...
Monday, November 29, 2010
More Snow
Snow is a wonderful and entertaining thing at the weekend; come Monday morning it takes on a less appealing aspect, when the road outside is undrivable and the school is closed. Today Helen walked to work (and quite nice it was too apparently, 45 minutes of crunchy strolling with the iPod on) and I looked after Holly and Eloise as well as Louis. We had an epic hike to Tesco along the cycle path in a variety of weathers, with diversions for snowballing and sledging. (Remind me never to take three children to the supermarket again). By the time we got back, more than one of the party were hungry and fractious (self included) but a plate of warm lunch and a couple of Wallace and Gromit movies had us all cheered up again. The schools are closed again tomorrow, but I for one am going to work come hell or high water...
Sunday, November 28, 2010
November Rain
Last week, on the other hand, was a more typical rainy November weekend. We met the Evanses at the Botanics, where the new(ish) gateway centre thing provides an indoor alternative for when it all just gets a bit too chilly and intolerable.
Snow
There's not *that* much in the grand scheme of things, but it *is* only November and the recent snowfall has certainly dominated the weekend, one way or another. The kids loved it, and we've had plenty of time mucking about in the back garden and sledging. Louis and I even cycled to Tesco along the cycle path, we got many "are you mad?" looks from people slipping and sliding on foot but he did incredibly well and rode it like a pro.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Strictly Come Dining
Eating in front of the TV. I guess we can rule out the "good parenting" award this year...
We ♥ NY Part 4
Better late than never, here are the snaps from the last few days of our summer holiday in Sandsend. Left to our own devices again, we headed back to Whitby for some traditional seaside fun, including pedal go-karts. In the evenings, Holly started reading Louis' bedtime books to him, leaving Helen and I to relax and quaff wine. We headed to Monk Park Farm, with plenty of animals to play with. Their USP is that the kids get to feed the lambs at certain times of day. This was summer though, and when the now-reasonably-mature "lambs" were released from their pen and came thundering across the grass towards us, more than one little person had second thoughts about the whole idea. There were plenty of more benign animals to pat and stroke too though. Holly was quite taken by the high waves we found crashing against the sea wall on our return to Sandsend. We ended the trip with another visit to the beach, and then ice cream at Beacon Farm, where they make the stuff. A cracking trip, and is all seems like a long time ago. Oh wait, it *was* a long time ago.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Birthday
Last Sunday saw a gathering of the Edinburgh Millars to celebrate the second birthday of the newest addition to the clan. The birthday girl took the sudden influx of well-wishers in her stride, and was a model hostess. Holly and Louis idolised cousin Calum, and barely left him alone the whole time. Gifts were exchanged, and grub and grog consumed. Holly even gave us a wee dance at the end. It was all very jolly. Niall has more pictures of the birthday week here.
Cammo Redux
A sunny Saturday afternoon, and we headed out to Cammo for a walk and a ride and a bit of fresh air. Nice golden sunlight as the sun descended inexorably towards the horizon.
Sunny Ride
Every Monday, Louis and I ride round to the local supermarket for a spot of food shopping. I used to take him in the trailer, but now he prefers to ride himself. What's more, he likes to potter on the way, riding up and down kerbs, through muddy puddles, and down leafy slopes. On a sunny day like Monday, I'm happy to indulge him and take a few snaps. Sunny it may have been, but it was icy too, and he took his first ice-related tumble on a frozen puddle. We had some tears, but he was back on the bike and looking for the next puddle in no time.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Meanwhile in West Lothian
On Wednesday, Grandma and Papa took Louis to Almondell Country Park in West Lothian for a wee pedal among the autumnal hues. I can't post the image on the blog, but you can see the pics here.
EICA
We start with a couple of pictures from Monday, when Louis went down to Cramond with Will, who has just started riding without stabilisers. Louis was vocal in his support, shouting "good work, Will" as he chased him along the promenade. This morning, we met the Evanses at the EICA for a session in Scrambles, and the kids had lunch overlooking the main arena. Dave and Paula turned up, and we took a stroll along the canal to the Bridge Inn at Ratho, where the grown-ups had lunch and beer. Very pleasant it was too. After that, we headed off to see Grandma and Papa, having not had a Sunday visit there for ages. Grandma dug out the ancient Lego, which brought back many happy memories for me. The kids really enjoyed it too, but not as much as the game of Who Knows Whose Nose which degenerated into a game of "make up a name for the composite animal" under Holly's leadership. She does enjoy a play on words, and ended the soiree declaring that she and Louis with plums on their noses should be called "Plolly and Plouis".
Dew Bug
OK, I've got a new camera and I like playing with it. Saturday morning was sunny but cold, and after an equally cold night there was plenty of dew on the (uncut) grass in the back garden. I was moved - while emptying the vegetable trimmings into the compost bin - to prostrate myself to get a few low-angle dewdrop shots. I like this one because there's also a wee bug caught in silhouette on the central blade of grass.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
All Hallows' Eve
October 31st, and time for a bit of seasonal tomfoolery in the shape of Caroline and Craig's traditional Halloween party. With Holly in her cat costume, Louis in his skeleton outfit and Helen in her witch's hat, we cut quite a dash. Even I put on a clean pair of jeans. At the party, we had sparklers, mummy wrapping, more treats and sweets than you could shake a stick at, and fireworks by the dozen. We went trick-or-treating in the sumptuous environs of the Grange, and the denizens were very nice, laughed gamely at the kids' jokes, and dispensed yet more sweeties. An excellent soirée.
Water of Leith Walk
On Saturday, we met up with Niall, Laura and Skye for a wee wander along the Water of Leith. With little ones exploring along the way we didn't make it very far, but it was a gorgeous autumnal day and perfect for pottering by the river.
This is the way
On Wednesday, Grandma and Papa took Louis to Cammo. Here he is, showing the way through the pinetum. I think.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Crisp Autumn on Corrie Hill
It's the last day of the October break - Holly goes back to school tomorrow - and the sun shone as we headed back to Corstorphine Hill. We tried this last week but got rained on. A lot. We went to look for conkers and mushrooms, and had a great time running about, climbing trees, visiting the tower and looking for the aviation lights Holly can see from her bedroom. We also found some mushrooms and took pictures of them. It was blummen chilly though. Pottering in the garden this morning, we needed to have hot chocolate *and* chocolate brioche to warm up again...
Breakfast in Bed
This morning, Helen was off to work at the crack of dawn. Holly and Louis, bless them, didn't get up until nearly 8am. I stayed in bed to see what would happen. Louis popped in briefly but disappeared again, only to reappear will Holly bearing bowls of muesli. We all had breakfast in bed, with hardly a drop spilled. It was a lovely way to start the day, but the big question is whether they can reproduce it at the weekend...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Porty Prom
This morning's rendezvous with the Evanses was at Portobello; we'd had Skye for a sleepover and we took her home to her new house in Porty beforehand. The sky was blue, the sun shone, but it was - unsurprisingly for October - more than somewhat parky. Still, we rode most of the way along the Prom towards Joppa, and popped into the Beach House Café for hot chocolate before returning to the sands for a chilly lunch. The café has a brilliant poster for a Treasure Hunt at the old pool. As befits my advancing years, I started reminiscing about the open-air pool in the shadow of the power station at Porty, both now long gone. No-one believes I used to have milk delivered by horse and cart either.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
October Week
This last week has been the October mid-term break. Louis was a wee bit poorly last weekend, so much so that he took an afternoon nap in Helen's arms. We visited the pet shop to get Princess a new ball, but Holly and Louis decided to move into a kennel instead. Monday was like most other Mondays, but with a bonus Holly. We went shopping on the bikes, and made pizza for tea. Through the week Helen took the kids to the museum, where there was a special lighthouse exhibit, and Holly built a lighthouse of her own. On Friday, a meetup with Luke included a little light cross-dressing, and Holly was able to try on her new cat costume for the Halloween disco next week.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Saturday Night's All Right For...
Saturday night is generally alright for dancing. Strictly Come Dancing, that is. Louis and - to a greater extent - Holly enjoy the show, but as it's stretched to 2 hours long it's more than they can sit still for. This evening, they discovered Photo Booth on the MacBook. They discovered how to take a self portrait, they discovered how to make it black and white, they discovered how to make it sepia. And then they discovered video... The other pics are from earlier in the day, fun in Ravelston Park and Louis on some kind of Emergency Services motorbike at Ocean Terminal.
The Write Stuff
We had a parents night for Holly last week. After a generally positive but fairly generic chat with Mr Hilton, we got the chance to go down to the classroom to rummage through her work. We came across a couple of pages in her writing book which describe our visit to Keith, Leila and Ella and last Sunday's riding trip. Click through to the flickr page for the subtitles.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Mini Kickers
For the last few Mondays, I've been taking Louis to Mini Kickers - that's football for the under-fives - with Sam and Will. Louis runs pretty hot and cold on the idea, but like a true Millar it's the group interaction he objects to rather than the activity itself. This was the best week yet, and while I still had to stay in the hall, he joined in all the activities and didn't need me at all other than a quick peek to check I was still there. For the first time, he even gave coaches Murdo and Dean a high-five at the end.
It's just a shame it ends next week...
It's just a shame it ends next week...
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Horsey, Horsey
Today's rendezvous with the Evanses was at Vogrie Country Park, by all accounts Midlothian's Best Kept Secret. It's not *that* secret though, we found it pretty easily. Also in attendance were Andrew and Amy with Oliver, Bea and William, and visitors from London in the shape of Paul, Beth and Rhys. All but the youngest kids were on bikes, and they made quite a peloton, weaving through the woods towards the adventure playground. We had lunch at the Cedar Tree Café in Vogrie House, and Andrew and Amy suggested we join them at the stables where they keep their horses. Holly and Helen didn't need to be asked twice, and - along with everyone else - we had a great time touring the stables, fetching the tack, walking the horses out, and - of course - riding Rosie the horse. Holly loved it, and Helen even went out with Andrew (riding Mac) for a canter round the fields. I think we'll be back.
Happy Birthday to ME!
This year, I decided to get a year older on my birthday. It seems simpler that way, and keeps things consistent. Among the many fine gifts and entertainments laid on by family and friends (including two dinners here and here, both recommended) was a rather splendid Nikon D5000 dSLR. It's a long time since I laid hands on a "proper" camera, and I spent a couple of days experimenting and shooting snaps, a few of which are presented here. If you can bear it, I also took the precious device on a trip to Glentress with Dave and Pete. Alas, for reasons too banal to relate here, the camera had to return to the supplier. Another is on its way, for which I with bated breath.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Conkering Heroes
It's conker season! We had spotted a suitably ripe horse chestnut in Barnton, so last Monday (which was an Edinburgh holiday; Holly was off school) we rode out and collected a few conkers from the ground. And then we collected a few more. And then some more. Holly collected 53 in total, Louis didn't count his.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wiggly Woo
DSCF0006
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar
More Odds and Ends
Here's a selection of snaps from the last week, including yet more cross dressing and the basket swing from the fraternal lunch-up as featured on Lightning Millar's blog.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Odds and Ends
Here's a collection of pictures from the last month or so which didn't really fit into any obvious event or category. We have - among other things - cross dressing, housework, visits from Grandma Pat and Auntie Kate, the Return of the Mac, a birthday party, a vertiginous climb, and Louis' Manchester City top. Normal service will resume imminently.
Row, Row, Row Your Sumo Suit
A couple of weekends ago saw the Duathlon World Championships come to Edinburgh, and Holyrood Park in particular. I wanted to see how proper athletes fared riding the loop round Arthur's seat so we dropped by. They had activities for kids too, including rowing machines and Sumo suits. Holly was particularly taken by the rowing, and set a good time for 400m before doing it again and beating her own time. Louis had a go too and did 100m, before Holly and Leo got suited up for a bit of comedy Sumo. Holly knocked Leo to the ground three times in a row, but we called it a draw in the interests of the pax Caledonia. Oh, and the winner of the elite women's race did her 7 laps of Arthur's seat in 1 hour and 10 minutes, kicking my feeble effort well and truly into touch.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Arthur's Seat Challenge
On the 22nd August, the Bike Station (under the guise of A Better Way To Work) ran the Arthur's Seat Challenge, a fun event in Holyrood Park to - I guess - raise awareness of cycling as a mode of transport. There were various activities on offer, I rode as often as I could round Arthur's Seat in 90 minutes (I managed 7 with a few minutes to spare - 8 was the best recorded on the day) while Helen and the kids did the "Family Quiz Trail". They were first back and so notionally "won" but nobody checked their answers! Either way, the sun shone and a good time was had by all. Helen and Holly went on to Gregor's birthday party, Louis and I hung out on the prom at Portobello. I fell asleep when we got home. More pictures of the Challenge here. There's a picture of me getting dropped by the ERC group here.
Firestarter
Towards the end of August I think, Paula had the bright idea of visiting Crichton Castle, one of her family haunts. We met her and Dave and the Evanses, walked past the castle itself into the leafy valley behind, collected some wood and started a fire. The kids were fascinated, both with the fire and the wee burn running through the woods. We toasted marshmallows and cooked sausages, and headed home (via a swift pint at the Stair Arms) tired, happy and smelling of wood smoke.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Making 22 Splashes
More summertime frolics in the back garden, stills this time. Once again you'll need to be logged into flickr to see them.
Making A Splash
One of the highlights of the post-holiday summer has been the massive pool Holly got for her birthday. It's filled with cold water which never really warms up, even on the warmest Scottish summer day. It's pretty bracing in there. The kids love it though, and especially love hurling themselves into it. Here's a wee video montage of watery summer fun (you'll need to be a friend or family on flickr to see it - click on Making A Splash to get there).
Tour de Harlaw
About a month ago, we drove up to the Pentlands for a bike ride. The kids rode along Thriepmuir reservoir, round Harlaw and back again. It's three miles or so, and probably about as far as they can go on rough paths. We had stops to poke at mushrooms, climb on fallen trees, and throw stones into Edinburgh's water supply.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Return of the Mac
After what seems like an age, our lovely insurers have finally delivered a new MacBook to replace the iBook that was nicked in July. We're back online, and - a few missing pics notwithstanding - I'll get caught up with the picture uploads and family blogging soon. In the meantime, I've been playing with AutoStitch, an iPhone app for creating panoramas. Here's a picture from Sunday, when we met the Saughtonhall Millars and the Lismore Millars down at Silverknowes. Calum and Holly had a good time wading out to the causeway, as recorded on Calum's blog. Click through for Edinburgh Park, Lochrin Basin and our back garden, knackered by the paddling/swimming pool over the summer.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Easy Like Sunday Afternoon
Still in a holiday frame of mind, on Sunday we drove to South Queensferry and the kids rode their bikes along National Cycle Route 76 through the Dalmeny Estate to the wee beaches near Hound Point. There was a stiff breeze, but the sun shone and we had a great time pottering in the sand and water. We got dried off and "recovered" with beer and ice cream in the excellent beer garden of the Hawes Inn, while trains rumbled across the Forth Bridge above us.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
We ♥ NY Part 3
Paula and Dave came to visit on our middle weekend. After a quick trip to the beach and lunch at the Sandside Cafe, we headed to Whitby to visit the abbey (inspiration in part for Bram Stoker's Dracula), play crazy golf, take a boat trip and jump - with some gusto, in Louis' case - off Tate Hill pier onto the sand. We ended their visit with one of many trips to the Hart Inn for al fresco fish and chips.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
We ♥ NY Part 2
Left to our own devices for a few days, we did a bike ride on the Cinder Track, the former railway line from Whitby to Scarborough. We didn't make it quite as far as Scarborough, but returned to Whitby for beer, ice cream and the new playground in Pannett Park by the museum. We visited Playdale Farm Park to play and feed the animals, and we went fossil hunting on the beach at neighbouring Runswick. The coastline is strewn with different sized chunks of shale, you can peel the layers apart by hand and find fossilised shell shapes mostly, but Holly was very pleased to find her own ammonite. It's astonishing to think that this little imprint is at least 65 million years old, and we're the first human beings to look at it.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
We ♥ NY Part 1
Yes indeed, we ♥ NY. North Yorkshire. We had booked a wee cottage in Sandsend near Whitby, and "Part 1" of the holiday included a visit from Pat & John and Kate, Mick & Matty the dog. We played by (and in) the sea, had fish & chips in Whitby, visited Robin Hood's Bay, built dams, and bought a boat. A busy little weekend in glorious weather.
Bike Ride to Drylaw
Back from our holidays, and easing ourselves gently back into normal life, last Saturday we decided to go for a family bike ride to Drylaw park for a spin on the BMX track. We'd been burgled while away, so it was a chance to get out of the house and not think about it for a while. Holly, in the meantime, got a birthday package in the post from Kirsty and Peter, a splendid skirt all the way from LA which she was eager to wear as soon as possible.
East Links
Last Sunday saw another flying visit from the Lonies, in town from Munich to catch up with friends and do some property stuff. There was a three-line whip at East Links Family Park near Dunbar, and we arrived to find a beautiful day with lots of new stuff to play on and lots of pals to catch up with. I only managed a few pictures mind you.
Gormley by Bike
After lunch on Tuesday, the girls jumped in the trailer and I towed them down the Water of Leith to see the six statues in Antony Gormley's "6 Times". The first is buried in the ground outside the Gallery of Modern Art, and the last looks out over the Forth from a disused pier outside Ocean Terminal. The others sit in the river itself, and we paused at each one to observe, discuss and photograph. Since these pictures were taken, the river has been in spate due to heavy rain, and two of the statues have apparently been tipped over.
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