Sunday, October 24, 2010

Edinburgh and some knitted ghosts

On Friday night I said to Daughter 1, on the phone, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'm going up town," she said.

"Oh yes? What for?"

"Well," she said, "I need a guitar E string, some cider apple vinegar, some syringes to feed vitamins to guinea pigs and some wool to knit ghosts."

I might be wrong but I rather think that she was the only person with that particular shopping list that weekend. Anyone know differently?

Earlier that day, Mr Life and I went up town too, to go to the Scottish National Gallery. Here's the view looking east. It wasn't so sunny as earlier in the week but it was a lot milder.

That's the Gallery at the end with, to the right, the Royal Scottish Academy. Edinburgh was going through its Athenian phase at the time they were built.


Looking over the fence towards the Old Town, with the lower slopes of Arthur's Seat just visible in the middle of the picture.

Princes Street Gardens - the park on one side of Princes Street, the main shopping street - with the Scott Monument like a mini Eiffel Tower behind the trees. The Monument was built as a memorial to Sir Walter Scott. Imagine someone proposing a huge thing like that nowadays in the middle of a capital city as a tribute to a writer. I don't think even J K Rowling would be honoured in that way. And who reads Scott these days? Not many, I wouldn't think.


Another view of the Old Town, with the Bank of Scotland bravely flying its flag. Banking crisis? What banking crisis?



The Gardens again with, in the distance, the clock of the Balmoral Hotel.
Back to work tomorrow. Hmm. It's possible that our original thought of going to Florence might have been more... foreign. And thus exciting. Still, we've achieved a lot this week. As well taking lots of stuff to the charity shops and the homeless place, we purged our books and took a huge box and two big sacks of them to a charity book shop (explain to me how the shelves are only a bit emptier than they were before?) and we did quite a bit of Freecycling. Thus we disposed of a desk, two desk chairs, a dressing table and two bedside tables, a chest of drawers and a lampshade - all to people who wanted them. Hooray!
Mind you, my mum has almost definitely - no, definitely - decided to move in with us. So we need to enjoy the fruits of our decluttering while we can. She has a lot of possessions....
What's that you say? Have I done the marking and preparation that I planned to do this week? Well, not yet. It's only 8.38 on Sunday night. Oh, you think I should stop bloggifying and get on with it? Ok, ok. You may have a point. Watch me go. Whoosh.





13 comments:

  1. Well, I certainly wouldn't read Scott nowadays. My teenage years were blighted by 'The Antiquary'....

    Good for you, clearing all that clutter. I hope all goes well for your mum's (definite) move to live with you.

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  2. As always, love the pictures! Adore the ghosts, btw. Yay on the decluttering - we're sort of in the middle of that, too. Refreshing, isn't it?

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  3. I've never read Scott either, and after Rachel's comment I may never do so! Love the ghosts and the shopping list, and the virtual tour of Scotland, thank you.

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  4. Hey -- you might be surprised -- someday there might actually be a building or monument or whatever to JK Rowling??? And I'd choose Edinburgh any day over Florence. Not that I've ever been to Florence, but gosh, I just love Edinburgh. Speaking of which...I'm thinking all your pictures, while I love them, are just trying to torture me LOL!

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  5. Isabelle, you're just taunting me now, aren't you? Play nice....

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  6. Gosh, isn't Edinburgh a nice place? You forget it sometimes, when you live here and never lift your head up to look. As for the shopping list, I can't play the guitar, I don't have guinea pigs and I can't knit. I do however usually have cider vinegar around the house. I clearly don't come close to qualifying as interesting daughter material!

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  7. Love the idea of knitted ghosts. And starting marking at 8.38 on a Sunday evening is also much to be admired.

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  8. Knitted ghosts? mmmmmmmmm...the mind boggles.

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  9. You are so brave, having that decluttering! I would have taken your ramekins, we like them for pot pies and soups.

    The photos make me long to visit those scenes in person!

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  10. The Balmoral Hotel... that's where J.K. Rowling wrote the last chapter of the last Harry Potter book!

    I think they should have an honorary spire built to Ms. Rowling. She is truly amazing.

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  11. 'knitting ghosts' - great title for something... a novel maybe?
    Courage for the return to work, and your mother's move!

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  12. Another thoroughly enjoyable post, with photos to match. I do love going on your 'tours' here! You've done well, clearing out all that Stuff. Do you think your Mum will be able to part with enough of her own Stuff to keep your house uncluttered? Perhaps she could put some into storage. One of my friends has done that; her Mum is happy, knowing that her Stuff is still there for her, even though it is no longer in her own home.
    Those knitted ghosts are so cute! Did your daughter follow a pattern, or just make them up? I don't knit, but if I had the pattern I would ask my knitting friends to make one for me!

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  13. Love that shopping list! Brilliant. Thanks for visiting me and leaving such a nice comment, glad you found some things to enjoy and inspire :-)

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