Hanging around Edinburgh and its environs for the last few days. Given had spent the last few weeks travelling on and off was ready for a bit of a break. Edinburgh is getting more crowded - definitely more tourists around. Oh those annoying tourists. The Festival brochures are all out now and we wandered into the main Fringe Office on the Royal Mile - like the pros we are, to print off some tickets for 3 shows we have booked. We feel like old hands at this. Stephen made an important purchase, visiting our local Majestic Wines to top up our "cellar" . He is missing having his cellar handy but we are getting to sample some interesting wine that we do not generally drink at home. Will apparently had some great bottle of French wine when out to dinner for his birthday. He sends photos of wine labels to his father and Stephen answers with copies of wine labels from our purchases here. It seems to work for them.
We visited my favourite pub from past visits called the Cafe Royal. It is smaller than the Standing Order pub and is decorated with artworks made of ceramic tiles from Royal Doulton, depicting celebrated inventors and scientists like Stephenson and Watt. I think it is a pretty classy place. Read that Edinburgh has more licensed premises than any other part of Scotland. Thought Glasgow would have beaten them to it. Saw another funny pub name today - "All Bar One". Sydney really has to lift its game.
Been doing some shopping while sales are on. We visited a place called Livingstone (about 30 mins west of Edinburgh) as were told it has an outlet store and we were curious. Was expecting Birkenhead and got about 4/5 times that size. It was massive. We were suffering from shopping fatigue before we finished with the first building. Stephen got a coat (his second one for the trip I must say - given luggage restrictions he will now be wearing 2 coats onto the plane going home) and we found a nice shirt for Will. I bought nothing but did make up for it today.
Stephen has headed off fishing today as has located a loch that is only 30-40 mins drive from here. Sent him on his way this morning with all his equipment. It is actually lovely and sunny today but was told that is not ideal for catching trout - something to do with the trout being able to see you better with the sun or it glints on....things. Given the vagaries of Scottish weather I think you just fish whenever there isn't a howling gale. I did a dash to the shops as the sales are ending. Very sneaky of them before most tourists arrive. I may have bought a few items of clothing and given weight restrictions on luggage, I too may be wearing home a strange combination of clothing flung around my body.
We also used the car to visit a place called Granton. Never heard of it? Me neither. But it does have a fishing mega store. Stephen in ecstasy. It does also have a huge harbour - part of the waterfront along the Firth of Forth so funny why Leith is so well known and this place isn't. It became part of Edinburgh after WWII and actually had a more useful harbour than Leith due to tidal flows etc. Unlike Leith though was no long standing settlement or village there (Edinburgh basically was a series of villages that eventually all joined together). Rows of tenement houses for the workers. Even had a castle at one stage but certainly doesn't appear in any tourist brochures. Not that I am recommending a visit. Basically an old industrial area - some cute houses, bigger ones up the hill and a huge fishing mega store.
Discovered that Edinburgh is also famous for having one of the world's worst poets. I have come across him a few times. There is a pub named after him (naturally) called "The Captain's Bar" as he lived his last few years above the bar. His name was William Topaz McGonagall and he also got a mention in the Guardian literature review this week so I assume the poet in question who was reviewed, was not thought highly of. His poems are widely regarded as some of the worst in English literature - his only understanding of poetry was that it needed to rhyme. Amused myself last night googling him. He also thought that he was a talented actor and played Macbeth in one production but was so bad he had to pay the theatre to put the play on and when he believed the actor playing Macduff was trying to upstage him; McGonagall just refused to die. I am late to the party as Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers had a character called McGoonagall; Monty Python featured a McGonagall - esque poet and the Harry Potter books have a Professor McGonagall.
We got back to Stockbridge this week and visited George Bower - the butcher with the animal heads in his shop. Stephen bought some game to make a game stew so got to watch Wimbledon one rainy afternoon, smelling a delicious game stew cooking on the cooktop. He has been cooking some impressive meals. We also purchased 2 little liquor glasses at a charity shop at Stockbridge for a total of one pound. Stockbridge has an impressive number of charity shops for reasons that escape me. The shop we visited had some rather nice things including some Italian Art Deco style demitasse coffee cups. Anyway stuck with 2 liquor glasses as decided was too difficult to drink the chocolate and cherry liquor we bought back from Poland in the kitchen glasses we have .
Was also so excited by sun shining this morning (been a bit dreary last few days) that when walked back from gym, decided to do a circuit of Leith Links before ventured back inside. Is difficult to stay inside when sun actually shines here. Recognise some of the early morning dogs now - favourite is a cocker spaniel with a feather duster tail who I see trotting back from Leith Links with his favourite hollow frisbee in his mouth. The dogs love Leith Links. We also went for a walk around Leith Links after dinner last night - the best sun of the day is often from 7.30pm onwards. Could have worn sunglasses.
The gym has been refurbished in my absence. Lots of shiny new weights and some strange black box with thick ropes attached. You grab the ropes as best I can tell, stand back holding ropes and flick them towards the box in wave like motions. Looks ridiculous. Am told by Sydney based adviser from Martin Street that it is a full body high intensity thing. I kid you not. Told son and heir the other day that I was developing a Scottish accent. He asked if that meant I couldn't understand myself then. No respect.
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