Hello all, it's G here. We've been out shopping (again!) and back home a bit earlier than usual. I must say that the novelty of the big red Number 26 double decker bus into the city has worn off almost completely. Hopefully, we'll get word soon about the house we've applied to rent and then we'll be a lot closer into the city (and catch the Number 26 from the other direction). Actually, our new place, if we get it, is only about a 20min walk to work in Princes St so I think I'll be doing that mostly.
On a side note, only one more day of freedom until I'm back at work, although I shouldn't complain too much as I haven't worked since the beginning of July. It'll be good to have the moula rolling in again.

Yesterday, Kitty and I forswore (if that's the word I want) bus travel and decided to walk to the Holyrood park. It was only about 7 degrees but very calm and sunny so was really delightful. For much of the way, we walked along a delightful little stream with the not so delightful name of Figate Burn. It looked very clean and healthy apart from being the final resting place of quite a few bricks and bottles and assorted rubbish. But clean rubbish.

I really wanted to have a good look at Duddingston Loch which is in the southeast area of the park. We elected to walk to the south and west of the loch, which seemed to be the most scenic route from looking at our map, however it turned out that our view was mostly blocked by trees and then by a very long high stonewall. We saw a squirrel, though.
The wall was actually one of two that border a disused railway line, now a cycle path, called the Innocent railway. It was called this because the trains were initially horse drawn, in an 'innocent' age, when it was thought that steam engines were dangerous.
It's quite a long isolated path and as we seemed to be the only people on it for some time, Kitty was continuously looking behind us for potential muggers or other people of ill intent.
We made it to the park unscathed, however, and were amazed by the number of people crawling like ants up the hills and along the cliffs. Also some people in shorts and t-shirts doing sprints up a hill. Nutbags.

We eventually had lunch outside the Scottish parliament and then went to an exhibtion next door called Our Dynamic Earth, where we got to go in a time machine (elevator) to just before the big bang and then be flown in a spaceship (walk) through a series of rooms about the geology, climate, biodiversity etc of the earth (including an entirely plastic and animatronic rainforest). At the end of the exhibition, we went on a time trip to the future (this time more like a movie theatre rather than an elevator), which we got to democatically choose along with everyone else in the time machine with 2 voting buttons on our chairs. I found the options for the potential futures to therefore be annoyingly dualistic. After leaving the time machine, one walks straight into the gift shop where, strangely enough, I immediately started looking for the didgeridoos. Obviously, I've been to too many theme parks/museums in Australia.
Overall the exhibition was kind of fun, but probably not 9 pounds worth of fun.

We ended up getting a bus home as we were sick of walking by then. For dinner, we thought it would be a great idea to get fish and chips. A lot of great ideas are not so great in hindsight, and this was one of them. Greasy battered haddock and moist chips did not an enjoyable meal make and neither of us finished more than half of our portions before binning them.

On a brighter note, we've bought tickets to see Jarvis Cocker in concert next Friday. Woohoo!!
Also, I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a big fan of the Proclaimers, and a musical based on their music, 'Sunshine on Leith', will be playing here shortly and we are (I am) revved up about going. Seeing the musical will, I think, almost be as good as seeing Craigie and Charlie in concert. Given that my two music based goals for living in the UK are to see Jarvis Cocker and the Proclaimers in concert, I'm over the moon about how quickly things are moving. (On a side note, we've been to Leith and it seems like a dump. Maybe it's nicer in summer)

That's about all from me.
Bye for now.
G.