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.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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.
Picnic By Bike
Tuesday was the first in a series of holiday-sitting days, where Holly and school pal Eloise will be looked after, in turn, by me, Helen and Eloise's parents. Tuesday was my day, and when the day dawned bright and shiny we decided to go for a bike ride down to Drylaw park for a picnic. We stopped to pick raspberries on the way, and did a few post-picnic laps of the BMX track before heading home to regroup.
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