Monday, September 15, 2008

On Saturday

On Saturday, our son bought a new car – well, newish – in the town where he’s living, to replace the one that slid into a wall the other week.

He was telling his dad about it on the phone: man-talk of heated seats, electric sunroof, alloy wheels and such fascinating details. After a while, I said, “What colour is it?”

“I never asked,” said my husband and then said into the phone, “Your mum wants to know what colour it is.”

Pause. “Black.”

“That’s a bit boring,” I said. Then, rethinking this, I said, “Ask him if it crashes.”

“Your mother wants to know if it can crash.” My husband listened to the answer. “No, it apparently runs on little tracks fastened to the road.”

That’s ok then.

On Saturday also, I went for a walk in the Botanic Gardens, one of my spiritual homes. It's coming on to autumn but there were still many flowers, such as the rose at the top of the page (yes, it was raining slightly) and the asters immediately above here.

There were frilly Japanese anemones...


... and little cyclamen under a tree.



Look, here's a very old fossil tree from Craigleith Quarry, a couple of miles away.

It still looks quite like a tree...

... despite being 340 million years old. I don't think I'm quite so well preserved even now.


Dahlias - a wonderful bright red on a grey day.


Autumn leaves on damp ground.

Quite a lot of the benches have dedications on them, including this one. The dedication always intrigues me: to "Our spirited parents". I feel that spirited parents might be a bit wearing, myself. It sounds like a euphemism, don't you think?


I wouldn't have known that this was a euonymus, but that's what the label says. Singing colour, though.


If there's anything Scotland does well, it's puddles.


And grey squirrels. Some people don't like them - rats with tails, they say - but the tails make them so pretty and graceful, even if grey squirrels aren't indigenous and are crowding out the red ones.


I love the herbaceous border, though am glad we don't have to cut the hedge.

On the way home, I passed Fettes College, alma mater of Tony Blair and, one hears, part of the inspiration for Hogwarts.














19 comments:

  1. Glad your son got another car hope he drives carefully in it.I love your photos I have just enjoyed my trip Through part of Scotland Puddles and all.
    Hugs Mary.

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  2. Beautiful pictures Isabelle! Glad son now has wheels again. Scotland sounds perfect to me -- puddles, gray squirrels (do you know how they got there?) and all. And where is this beautiful college? Is it in downtown Edinburgh?

    Anyway, it sounds as though you had a wonderful day!

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  3. I had to take a second look at the fossil tree, at first I mistook it for some broken pavement!

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  4. Like "stomper girl" I thought that piece of tree was a sidewalk, too.

    Your son's new car sounds wonderful - let's hope it doesn't crash. lol

    That garden looks lovely and I bet it's even nicer in the spring and summer.

    We're still having summer weather here - very warm during the day, but cooling off at night.

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  5. I agree thae the colour is vitally important. Not to mention whether or not it crashes. And England does puddles very well too. In fact we could win gold medals for puddles this summer. Can you believe my sister has already had snow in Switzerland.....!

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  6. Once again gorgeous photos - you know what you could do if you ever decide you've had enough of teaching!! Zxx

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  7. Can I have one of those cars too, please? And I hate to have to correct you, but my children would have you know that that is not a fossilised tree, it's a climbing frame. They know because they have been using it as such since before they could walk.

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  8. Pleased the car issue has been sort for your son.

    Love the photos:-)

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  9. You've taken lovely pictures as usual ... but I'm not aware of cars that run on tracks. Perhaps these have not yet reached America?

    Care to explain them for those like me who are riddled with ignorance? LOL ...

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  10. Please get all the details about where to buy such a car and send them on. It sounds like the sort of car we've been looking for for one [or two] of our offspring, who shall of course be nameless.....
    Lovely flowers, as usual!

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  11. Thank You for that lovely outing, such a wonderful place.
    I was feeling rather sad and you have cheered me up.

    One of my best friends was in Edinburgh last week, had I known I would have sent you around the gardens together!

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  12. Hello Isabelle and thank you so much for commenting on my blog.

    I love your sense of humour - very dry.... the idea of spirited parents being 'a bit wearing' had me grinning and I'm sure you're right there!

    Thank goodness your son's new car is on tracks and I suppose he only drinks lemonade when he goes out, too? Such a relief ;-)

    PS never fear, I am not ever nasty to cold callers - the worst I ever do is have a slightly exasperated tone. After all, cold callers are people, too right? Even if I hate those pestering calls!!

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  13. I've just come back from the dentist via a long detour through the park, isn't it lovely this time of the year, you can really smell Autumn in the air. Love your car story, I have just been given a courtesy car whilst mine is in for repair and a friend asked me what make it was, to which I replied I didn't know but I knew just what shade of blue it was!
    Kimx

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  14. there are times when your son sounds so much like my brother in law talking to his mother.

    I love the memorial trees in the Botanics even if some of them bring a lump to my throat.

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  15. Oh, I don't know -- you seem like a rather spirited parent! :0)

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  16. Spirited parents .. lol. I am going to have to use that on mine. Your son is clearly witty - the car runs on tracks. I hope it really does!

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  17. How can anyone not like squirrels? Our possums are just as cute in their own way, but are mostly nocturnal, so we don't see them as much as you see your squirrels. I wish the British had brought squirrels to Australia instead of rabbits and foxes; I'm sure they would have done a lot less environmental damage..

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  18. That is ok then. Your lovely son will be safe!

    What beautiful scenery!

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  19. There wasn't a single rose in your photos, yet for some reason I have the scent of roses in my nostrils. Brains can be mysterious, it seems.

    Lovely photos. Thank you for sharing them.

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