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.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
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.
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