On Monday I had another chin-wag with Donald. This time, we met in The Elephant House on George IV Bridge.
The Elephant House is a gourmet tea & coffee house, located near the National Museum of Scotland, and famous for being the place where J.K. Rowling sat whilst writing much of her early novels.
The back room is super, with a very light, open feeling, and views to the castle. As usual, Donald was in good form. The day before he’d walked up Stob Binnein, on the top of which there is still a lot of snow.
Tuesday, I did some more tidying of the garden, and ran round Newhailes House, on the way to which are some “footballer’s houses” beside a private golf course.
On Wednesday, the weather was grim! Too cold and snowy for more than a two-mile run, so it was time for clearing out email, etc, and seeking solutions to the cold draughts in this old house we live in.
Thursday was a busy day. I went to the Queen’s Gallery, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and spent more than two hours looking round The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton and Antarctic Photography. Fascinating photographs, made all the more so by the fact that you are handed headphones, with a commentary, which has the effect of blocking out any distractions. Of course, you want to know what the toilets are like at the Palace:
Then on to some decidedly cold tapas at La Tasca.
And finally, a book event at Waterstones, in George Street. The book in question was “Still on the Sound: A seasonal look at island life“, written by Michael Faulkner. The talk and slideshow was very well attended and appreciated. Here is the author’s website, where there are some pictures.
Made a start on painting the first of the 19 internal doors, on Friday, and on Saturday we had an excellent meal with Ro, Dave, Les and Cathy at Tapa: Barra y Restaurante in Leith. The food was hot, and much superior to La Tasca earlier in the week.
And, to finish the week, a four mile run along Milton Road, on a very windy Sunday.