Ballet & Bikes

IMG_2317, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

This weekend was Holly's first ballet exam. She had been selected, along with most of the girls in her class, and has been working hard, practicing at home as well as taking extra classes in the run-up to the exam. They performed for the examiner in groups of four, but won't hear the results for six weeks! Louis' time to perform came in the afternoon, when we visited the little skatepark in Gyle Park. It's quieter than the Saughton skatepark, much more on Louis' scale, and much less heart-stopping for observing parents.

Pigs & Pottery

DSC_2748, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

A couple of wee weekend trips; first, we were off to the Ceramic Experience so Holly could make a Christmas mug for her teacher. She worked hard on the details, and it turned out great. We also popped into Gorgie City Farm, where the pigs were the highlight of the day, and not because we'd had bacon rolls for breakfast.

Autumnal Hues

DSC_2682, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

I hesitated to post this batch of pictures; it is, after all, just a few more snaps of the children pottering about with wheeled things. However, we awoke this morning to gloom and misery, both meteorological and figurative; I returned to work today after three delightful weeks of school holiday, pottering, visitors and training, and the weather reflected my mood more than somewhat. This batch of idle snaps captures a couple of delightful autumnal days - Holly rollerblading at Silverknowes, Louis debuting the new bike at Glentress - and restored the post-work cheer.

Remember, Remember...

DSC_2641, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

We decided - at almost the last minute - to do something for November 5th. Lesley, Luke and David were heading down to Holyrood Park to watch the fireworks at Meadowbank. It was a lovely clear night, so we met them on Haggis Knowe and got a splendid view of the display. Lesley brought sparklers, and we brought biscuits and hot chocolate. As well as the spectacular Meadowbank display, we could see fireworks and lanterns going up all across north-east Edinburgh. It was delightful, but chilly too, so we were all glad to get home and warmed up before bedtime.

London Links

DSC_2582, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

Last weekend, we had a half-term visit from Catherine, Matt, Isobel and Sally. They stayed for a few days, and we had a lovely time with them, pottering around and visiting the Botanics and the Inverleith playpark in the autumn sunshine. The kids all got on incredibly well with each other too, Louis especially is coming out of his proverbial shell and becoming really quite sociable...