Crikey, can it really be seven years ago we got married? Seems like only yesterday. In among the hectic festive schedule, Helen and I managed to slip off for a nice Thai meal and some cocktails, and very nice it was too. So much water under the bridge, and so much still to look forward to. Including more cocktails, with a bit of luck. For keen spotters, Helen's (on the left) is a Zeppelini, mine (on the right) is a Who Dares Wins and comes highly recommended.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Further Festive Fun (and Fire)
Boxing Day, and we had Christmas Part 2 with Pat and John, as well as a spot of baking, lunch with the Stirlings, and general pottering. In the main though, at least in photographic terms, we popped up Calton Hill for the son et lumiere finale to the torchlight procession. Amazingly, just like two years ago, we got a good spot and the weather was fine.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Chez Nous
We had the family round for Christmas this year. Holly and Louis were up sharpish to see what Santa had brought, and once everyone had arrived we opened pressies and had a splendid meal. An excellent day.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Finger Puppet Nativity
Visiting Grandma's for a quick pre-Christmas catchup, I couldn't resist a finger puppet "collabo" with the ol' nativity scene. I expect a thunderbolt from on high anytime soon...
Friday, December 21, 2012
Camel Toes
Louis' camel drawing was one of three selected to appear in the programme for Wiggly Nativity. Here it is in all its glory. I particularly like the way the other camels are leaving and entering the picture too.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Phone Ketchup
It's been a while since I sooked some pictures off Helen's phone. Here's a wee selection going right back to my hernia op in October, but also including baking, swimming, swinging and climbing at Alien Rock.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Wiggly Nativity
It's that time of year, when P1 children are compelled to dress up in silly clothes, stomp around on stage wondering what's going on, and sing along to funny little songs about some made-up kid being born to some made-up deity. Louis was a wise man (or possibly king) and did a brilliant job. We were very proud, and he was very happy. He looked so grown-up. As if all that wasn't enough, his drawing of a king on a camel was selected for the programme too.
Sunday, December 09, 2012
Shiny New Features!
I've been meaning to do this for a while, but only lastnight finally combined the time, inclination and JavaScript skills. Check out the top right corner of the blog. There are two new links under the heading "Looking Back" which will simplify life for fans of nostalgia. Click them and see what happens.
Blackford Chill
A long-overdue catchup with la famille Evans today. We had a breezy but splendid stomp around Blackford Hill, then back chez Evans for a splendid roast dinner. On the way home, we stopped off for a Christmas tree, and wasted no time decorating it upon our return.
Saturday, December 08, 2012
School Photo
Not the best shot of either of them, but the least bad of *both* of them. Holly seems to be having a stroke...
Sunday, December 02, 2012
On Thin Ice
The last few days have been characterised by crisp, frosty mornings, chilly afternoon breezes and braw bricht moonlicht nichts. Yesterday the skatepark had a thin coating of ice on all level surfaces - as Louis found out - and today the flooded rugby pitches at Inverleith Park had turned into ice rinks, unfortunately not quite strong enough to prevent even small children breaking through and getting wet feet.
Utterly Butterly
Found these on my iPhone, the first is of Holly with a pat of butter she made from some leftover whipping cream. Her class were studying dairy products at the time, and it's something to behold, the transformation from cream to butter. The other pic is of Louis, putting his own interpretation on the times tables (they haven't even done addition in P1 yet).
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Never a Cross Word
Louis' reading and writing is coming along - last week he helped Helen and I with a few tricky clues in the i crossword...
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Light Blue Touchpaper
We had a lovely evening with the Stirlings and Paula and Dave at a fireworks event in aid of SLA, held at George Watsons' playing fields at Myreside. The school pipe band played, some Glee-types sang some songs, there were fire twirlers and - best of all - a cracking firework show. I didn't get any decent pictures of that, so you'll have to make do with the kids.
Chilly at the Gym
Another combined day out; Louis on his bike, both at our local BMX track and at the short mountain bike trail at Hailes Quarry Park, where there's also (slightly bizarrely) an outdoor "gym" area with machines for lifting, stretching, bending and so on. Holly loved it, but most of the pictures seem to be of Louis. I won't tell her if you don't...
Magic Numbers
Helen's firm have been working on the volunteering website for Glasgow 2014. One of the features there is a countdown clock made up of various people holding numbers; they needed some to get the ball rolling so Holly, Louis and I spent an entertaining hour in the garden mucking about with numbers. Some of them came out quite nicely.
Autumnal Hues
Don't be fooled; this isn't one outing but a combination of three - we made a tree swing in D Mains Park, we visited the Fitness Trail in Inverleith Park, and we walked along the Water of Leith to Stockbridge, there to visit Dick's, the new shop opened by cousin Andrew and Uli. It's very cool indeed - drop in if you get a chance.
Lochore Meadows
Well, it's been a while. There was an unfortunate incident with a laptop, a daughter and a glass of water, and the poor electronic device has only just been brought back from the dead. Here's some snaps of a lovely day we had at Lochore Meadows across the water in the Kingdom of Fife, it's a cracking spot and will merit further investigation. It was the first outing both for my newly-operated-on hernia, and for my shiny new zoom lens. Both survived the day without incident.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Great Wee Runners
Sunday was the Bupa Great Edinburgh Run, and the day dawned bright and blue and chilly. I ran the 10k, and the kiddies did the 1.5k Mini Run in the afternoon, with Helen and I running alongside. 10k was hilly and hard, but I managed a respectable 46:05. The Mini Run was easier, with both Holly and Louis held back only by the sheer number of other punters getting in the way. After that, we met up with old pals Meesh and Edd from New Zealand visiting Nelly and family, all the the kiddies played together and ran about happily in the sun. A glorious day.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Tour de Ben Nevis
A selection of snaps from the Tour de Ben Nevis, which Keith and I did yesterday. Final results not available yet, but it was long and hard (ooer). The weather was magnificent though, I've rarely seen the Highlands look so gorgeous.
Meet The Teacher
Last week, we met Louis' new teacher and had a nose around his classroom. Here's a shonky phone shot of one of his first-day drawings on the wall...
Monday, September 17, 2012
Dragons' Den
School holiday today; the Stirlings came to visit and we spent the morning in D Mains park, swinging from trees and building a wee den (pictured).
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Tour of Britain
This week I attended stage 3 of the Tour of Britain as a "VIP" guest of NetApp, who sponsor a Pro Continental racing team. As well as an entertaining race in itself, it was a lap of honour of sorts for Brad Wiggins and Mark Cavendish (pictured), who went on to win the stage. Watching bike races certainly beats working for a living.
Sunday, September 09, 2012
Wildlife & Mud
This morning, Holly was honing her Wildlife Ranger skills and went on a frog hunt in the garden. We found loads of wee ones, one big one (which we couldn't catch), and this weird lizardy thing. Is it a newt? I've never seen one before, at least not in the garden. In the afternoon, we took advantage of the low tide to explore Cramond Island, where Holly waded out into the slimy, smelly mud of the Almond estuary and promptly (and perhaps inevitably) fell over.
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Skyride
Evil Empire the Murdochs' Sky organisation may be, but they're also trying to help get a million people on their bikes in the UK, and they've invested in cycling in a big way, not least in the form of the Sky Pro Cycling team that took Bradley Wiggins to his historic victory in the Tour de France this year. Today we joined 10,000 other cyclists on the SkyRide, a closed-road circuit round Arthur's Seat. It's a tough climb, but the kids worked hard and made it to the top - helped by the SkyRide helpers cheering and honking them on their way. Back at the bottom, there was face painting, displays of trials and jumping from Andrei Burton, a grass track where the kids could sample racing, and a 500m WattBike sprint, among other things. We also picked up more water bottles, dayglo bibs, Soreen snack loaves and t-shirts than we could shake a stick at. A grand day out.
Monday, September 03, 2012
September Sun
Summer has, according to popular wisdom, ended. The sun, apparently thus freed from stage fright or whatever affliction has prevented it emerging these last two months, has been shining happily since September began. Today after school, swimming costumes and water were the order of the day.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Give 'em Enough Rope...
...and they'll swing and swirl and whoop and grin and refuse to go home for tea. After a successful trip to Alien Rock with Holly on Tuesday, I was hoping to revisit with both of them today, and introduce Louis to the joys. Post-school mobilisation, however, proved problematic so we returned to the park to make another rope swing instead. At least my knots are improving...
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
On The First Day
Today was Louis' first day at school. Admittedly he was only in for an hour and half, but he took it in his stride, queueing up when summoned and waving us off without so much as a quiver of the bottom lip. He looks so smart in his uniform too, we left the classroom all puffy-chested with parental pride. Holly, starting in P4, set off promptly and walked to school herself as if it was the most natural thing in the world - which of course it is. For the sake of nostalgia, here's a wee reminder of Holly's first day.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Kings of the Swingers
Last Monday of the school holidays, last Monday of Louis' pre-school era, and last Monday of - er - the weekend. We took a rope, a tree, and a bit of wood, and made a swing. And what a swing it was, I could barely persuade the kiddies to go home for tea. The tree swing marked the end of a splendid weekend where we'd had Sam and the Stirlings round for tea and drinkies on a sunny Friday, pottered at Harlaw on a breezy Saturday, and dined al fresco at the splendid Café Cassis in Newington. A fitting end to the - notional - summer.
Monday, August 06, 2012
Feeling Gravity's Pull
Another summer holiday week, another Monday of distracted parenting and light supervision. The electrician arrived at 9. While I showed him around the house, Holly and Louis had constructed a pile of mattresses and were throwing themselves off the windowsill onto it with unalloyed joy.
Weekend at Grandma's
We flew down to sunny Essex last weekend, there to spend a few days punting, pottering and playing. The kids stayed there for the rest of the week, for the first part of their London 2012 spectating schedule. Helen and I came home and went to work as usual, harrumph.
Friday, August 03, 2012
España - Tardes
In the evenings, we'd generally have a leisurely dinner cooked on our own barbecue, and hang out in the warm early evening light. Occasionally, we'd go out for dinner but we never really found the authentic tapas experience we craved. It didn't really matter. After the kids went to bed, it was still warm enough to sit outside sipping beer or Rioja until it got dark.
España - Cañas y Helados
After a long afternoon in the sun, we'd typically retire to the nearest bar for an ice cream and a cold beer. Or three.
Thursday, August 02, 2012
España - Paseos
Some afternoons, rested and refreshed after a wee siesta, we'd go back to one of our 16 pools. Other days, we'd visit a beach on the Mar Menor, the mud baths at Lo Pagan, a water park or zoo, or hire a bike and ride around the salt lagoons looking for (but not finding) flamingos.
España - Mañanas
We quickly settled into an easy rhythm on holiday in Spain. Mornings were spent in one of the resort's 16 pools. Each one was different, some were busy but most were quiet. We didn't quite manage to visit them all, but both kids' swimming came on a treat. After a busy morning in the water, we'd retire to the house for lunch and a wee siesta in the hottest part of the day.
Friday, June 22, 2012
'Scuse Me, While I Kiss The FIsh
Kiss The FIsh, a set on Flickr.
The next phase of Holly's Birthday 2012 happened at Kiss The Fish in Stockbridge, where Holly a few of her pals made decopatch animals before tucking into the traditional pizza, sarnies and birthday cake. Mere hours later, I rushed home from work to witness the opening of the post-Fish pressies.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Truth Of Sport...
... plays rings around you, or thus quoth the mighty Yes on Going For The One. I'm not sure they were talking about school sports days, but should you really chase so hard? Holly's sports day finally happened on a glorious Wednesday morning after being postponed from the previous week. I took the opportunity to skive off work for an hour and snap a few pics of the first three "events".
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
BOGOF
BOGOF, a set on Flickr.
You wait months for a birthday, and two come along at once. We'll be in sunny Spain for Holly's birthday this year, so we took the opportunity to have a joint family get-together in honour of her and Grandma Sheila's birthdays. We'd planned a barbecue, so inevitably it rained - I barbecued in the garage doorway so the bikes all now have a nice smoky bouquet.
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