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Later the same day, we met up with la famille Millar in honour of Calum's 18th birthday. Holyrood 9A was the venue, they do splendid burgers and beer, the latter of which Calum was able to partake for the first time ever. Really.

On The Touchline

Following Louis' new-found interest in rugby, Calum, Scott and I took him to see Edinburgh vs Treviso at Murrayfield in the Guinness Pro12 league. As it's such a small game (look at all those empty seats!) we were allowed to go and stand on the touchline.

It's not fair to compare, but it's a much gentler, more civilised vibe than Tynecastle on a Saturday afternoon. Less shouting, and definitely less "industrial language" than the footie fans.

So This Is Christmas

A few snaps from the gathering of the Millars chez nous, starting with morning present opening and carol singing taken before (a) we sat down to dinner and (b) my camera battery ran out. All very jolly it was, even unphotographed.

Busy Weekend

What a weekend it's been. We began on Friday afternoon with Holly's performance as Amanda Thripp in her drama group's performance of Matilda. She was brilliant, even allowing for parental bias. She sang and performed with confidence and expression, and looked like she was loving every minute:

"My mummy says I'm a miracle"

Saturday was a family gathering in honour of Louis and Helen's birthdays, although we did manage a wee outing to D Mains park for a bit of rope swinging and fresh air beforehand. The food theme of the afternoon was Mexican, so Scott, Michelle and Calum brought a piñata, which went down a treat:

"The donkey's pooing sweeties!"

Sunday morning saw Holly making and decorating a cake for Louis' birthday, this time modelled along a minion from the Despicable Me movie series. It was a tricky project, but she had the vision, the technique and the patience to pull it off (with minimal grownup help). The end result was brilliant, and drew comments of admiration, even beyond the (unbiased, naturally) family:

"Gelato!"

Just in case we didn't have enough on, we took Grandma Pat to Roseleaf for Mother's Day lunch. It was splendid, they do the most marvellous burger with an additional slice of Stornoway black pudding which rendered even me sated for a good couple of hours:

"Happy Mother's Day!"

Finally, the highlight of the weekend - Louis' "friends" party at Jenn's Den, our local and recently-opened family cafe and play space. It all went remarkably well, considering the apparent predilections of a dozen or so six and seven year old boys, which mostly run to beating the stuffing out of each other:

"Ahoy mateys, the force is strong with this one, arrrr."

Good As Gold

DSC_0798, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

So the Mater and Pater have been married for 50 years. That's a long time, and quite a thing. Such a thing, in fact, that the Millar clan gathered en masse in Dumfries and Galloway to mark the occasion. We wandered in Mabie forest, dined Mediterranean in Dumfries, visited Sweetheart Abbey, and braved the squalls on the Solway shoreline. all very nice. Fifty years though, that means I must be almost... d'oh!

Christmas Chez Nous

DSC_8291, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

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.

Porty Birthday

DSC_4794, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

A happy confluence of events; birthday lunch, a beautiful proper summer's day, and the seaside. We gathered at the Espy in Portobello in honour of Scott's umpteenth birthday, and even afterwards it was still balmy enough to splash around, dig holes and play cricket on the beach until bedtime. All afternoons should be like this.
Oh, and Scott and Michelle have some pics here too.

Cool Walkings

DSC_3251, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

Today, under a clear blue sky and a crisp frost, we went for a stroll up the Pentlands with the full quorum of Edinburgh Millars. The occasion was Niall's birthday, and after throwing a few found objects into Glencorse reservoir, we returned to the Flotterstone Inn for a celebratory meal. The kids did very well with the walking, and Holly was very curious about C.T.R. Wilson's cloud chamber, an apposite subject because I'm reading about particle physics at the moment, and was actually able to explain what it was for. A nice father-daughter science moment.

Seventh Heaven

DSC_0155, a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

Where does the time go? Holly was seven this weekend! On Friday (her actual birthday) we had early-morning presents, of which the trampoline constituted the greater part. It was an immediate hit, and we were out bouncing about in our jammies before breakfast. Later that day, she had a wee party with a select group of friends at the Build-A-Bear Workshop. By the time I came home from work, she and Louis and Eloise (the last of the party pals) were *still* on the trampoline. On Sunday, the weather gods sat up and took notice, and we had an excellent family BBQ in Holly's honour. Such was the temperature that we even had the pool out, and it proved a great attraction in the sweltering - no, really! - Scottish summer afternoon. Much splashing and bouncing all round.

UPDATE: Scott and Michelle have also posted some nice pics here.

Hippo Birdie Two Ewes

DSC_0089 a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

Another family gathering this weekend, this time in honour of Scott's birthday. We visited Jupiter Artland, which is fabulous. We had what can only be called "mixed" weather, but the winding path through the woods brought regular new and interesting *things* to look at. The kids loved it, and did well to walk the whole way. They needed their dinner though, so our meal at Chop Chop came just in time. Again the kids did well to try new things (in this case, the dumplings for which Chop Chop is renowned) but were knackered with a capital "K" when we got home. Scott also has some pictures of the day here, and Niall's are here.

Flying & Footie

DSC_0036 a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

Easy, as the song has it, like Sunday Morning. We had a bit of a lazy one, but managed a little bit of kite flying down at Silverknowes. The sun shone and the sky was blue, but the stiff Easterly breeze kept things - ahem - "fresh". In the afternoon, we went to Olive Bank to see Calum's football club, Musselburgh Windsor, play Longniddry Villa in the final of somethingorother. Alas, they were beaten despite some cracking - and exciting - goal attempts. The Millar support consoled themselves with an ice cream from Luca's afterwards.

A Week of Birthdays

DSC01201 a photo by Fraser Millar on Flickr.

A selection of snaps from the week of Helen and Louis' shared birthday. The celebrations were many and varied - from lunchtime drinks at Helen's work on Tuesday, through the big day itself with a nice lunch and birthday tea to a nice party in the garden, Saturday dinner in town and a Sunday lunch at Pizza Express. The unseasonably warm April weather also precipitated a bout of impromptu splashing in the most expensive paddling pools in Scotland. Again.

(2^3)(3^2)

DSC_0039
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar

Today we gathered to celebrate pater's birthday at the Toby Carvery at Lauriston Farm. All-you-can-eat is a concept I could get used to, and it's a good family-friendly place for the kids to run around when they inevitably get fed up sitting at the table. Afterwards, we had everyone back for tea and birthday cake, and to have a nose at the almost-completed kitchen. By fluke, I was able to get a picture of all four cousins together, looking at the camera, and smiling.

Birthday

DSC_0053
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar

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.

More Odds and Ends

IMG_0016
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar

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.

Return of the Mac

Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar

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.

Septuagenarian

DSCF0118.JPG
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar

This weekend, we were shacked up avec la famille in a converted mill house near the Borders town of Peebles. The sun shone, the river Tweed gurgled and splashed and sparkled, and Grandma Sheila edged a little closer to her 70th birthday (which is in fact today - Happy Birthday mum!). The kids had a great time, both of them in complete adoration of Calum, and enjoyed playing on the swings, throwing stones in the river, collecting tadpoles, riding bikes in the forest and dining out with the grownups. More pictures, if this isn't enough for you, from Dad, Scott and Niall.

Niall & Laura Get Married

IMG_3462.JPG
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar

A grand day out. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll spare you too many more of mine at this stage. Suffice to say that although Louis wasn't on top form thanks to another coldy cough, Holly did a great job as flower girl, and this Millar family went home tired but happy.

Scott Is Old

IMG_2779.JPG
Originally uploaded by Fraser Millar

Scott's birthday, and we gathered at Zanzero for a spot of lunch on Sunday after our usual Evans rendezvous at the Botanics. Food was good, drink was taken. And then we came across a wee drawing of a bird that Holly had done on her Disney Princess sketch pad thingy.

Rugby Addendum

Pater has posted a video of Calum's semi-final match from yesterday. You may be able to hear Holly shout encouragement, although she was unusually quiet on the subject at the time.