Gifford and Calton Hill

Fridays are a busy day for Sharon, especially when she has Angus and Finlay for mini-kickers in the morning, then feeding them and dropping them off to pre-school in time to pick up the skiers and feed them before taking them up to Hillend. To top that off this Friday she had a show in the evening. There's not much time for sitting about Chez Wallace.

This weekend we had Nina Butler up for a visit as special guest at Sharon's grand-a-month dinner. I took the big three out to Gifford in the afternoon to let Sharon get on with chatting and cooking. Angus was at Finlay's 4th birthday party at Bonnyrigg. Me and the lads had fun down by the river in Gifford, clambering over a rake of recently fallen trees and throwing stones. Finn learned how to skim a stone properly and was pleased with his efforts. After some see-saw fun and "base-jumping" off the big wall that bounds the playing field, we picked up Angus but the boys wanted to play more at Bonnyrigg, spending a further ninety minutes at the playpark there. So by the time we arrived home for a chilly patio picnic they were decently tired out for once.

On Sunday morning I tidied up the aftermath of the big dinner and prepared brunch then we drive into town with the boys giving Nina the guided tour. "There's the doctor's", "There's the shopping village (Buckstone)", "There's the dentist"... We parked up at Regent's Road and made our way up Calton Hill which Sharon had never been up in her twenty years of living in Edinburgh. Despite the indifferent weather the views over Edinburgh and down the Firth of Forth were still quite special and there seemed to be a Beltane Fire festival rehearsal going on, with plenty of drummers and strange types hanging around in cloaks. Local colour for the tourists!

We popped in to Stockbridge Market to spend far too much money on chocolates, fudge, pies and venison. Sharon acceded to demands from the boys to retun to Bonnyrigg while I cooked dinner - at least it's good to see them wanting to play outdoors for a change. Finn twisted his ankle quite badly on the boulders on Calton Hill, however, so he's hobbling with a swollen joint today. Angus and Rowan have been very whingey and grumpy of late. Angus was barking with a cough during the night, so he may be coming down with something, but Rowan seems to be in over-reaction mode, wailing every time something goes against him, which can be very tiresome.