Last Day in Edinburgh.

After tidying the house I made a last visit to the cheesemongers for a tasty memento, then awaited the taxi. I deposited my luggage at the train station and fund later that it cost £24, but was my only option.

I filled the day with cultural activities starting with the Fruitmarket gallery.  I had to return later as the exhibition didn't open until 11am.  Meanwhile I walked to Holyrood Palace and the Queen's Gallery, (past the Scottish Parliament building) to visit the Dutch Masters and Vermeer exhibition.  This was one gallery where my Art Fund card didn't help. It was a splendid exhibition.  I sauntered along the Royal Mile, tried the Fudge shop and various little galleries and jewellers, returning to The Fruitmarket which had a modern sculpture exhibition by Damion Ortego, a Mexican artist.  There was an amazing bookshop with art book, of which I noted one or two!

By this time it was lunchtime so I treated myself to a wonderful French lunch at La Garrigue; it was genuinely French so I enjoyed both an aperitif and a glass of wine with my meal and went for the full three courses! By this time I was in the correct mood for shopping and found the little Scottish earrings I had been searching for, straight away. I finished the day with a return to the museum where I visited the Millennium clock, which was in full swing on the hour.  It has a very interesting story about human suffering depicted.

I visited the design galleries and the Scottish galleries, before a final tour around the Grassmarket and back towards the station for my luggage.

This is a statue of Greyfriars Bobby, a little dog that sat by its owner after they died and died itself.  Very sad, but the attraction seemed to be that people touched its nose, which as a result was very shiny!

And of course the flight was delayed, such a hassle when all you want to do is get the journey ver and done with.

I am sure I will be back. Its such fun to live in a different place for a while and Edinburgh has so much to offer.

Into week two.

Some better weather this week with a real heatwave on Tuesday. On Monday I did two good deeds-firstly reporting the broken bottles in the park, which I thought potentially very dangerous. However the building in the park housed the Forestry management team, not the park staff, but all was cleared by the next day. My second deed was to move a rather frightened frog that was sitting in the middle of the path ready to be squashed by a large foot. I moved him to the side and hoped he could find his way back into the gardens.

The gardens are lovely in this weather, as lots if people go there to picnic, to walk and relax. They are free to enter so obviously a regular venue. And just across the road is Inverleith Park, another huge open space. 

The pressure is on with the painting; we have a composition to complete by Friday. Under normal circumstances I would allow several months but this process is certainly getting me moving and has the advantage of allowing you to work from a live specimen. So Monday was spent thinking about the composition and painting sample leaves; Tuesday I started the final piece and managed to paint two flowers and a bud!

By Wednesday, I made decent progress with the rest and may find time to do a dissected element too!

I have enjoyed walking home in the sunshine and trips to the local pool. But on Wednesday we had storms and I got rather wet on the last 50 yards to class! At least the temperature rose from the cool winds at the weekend, so the fleece went away but the rain jacket came out!

I decided to keep the painting simple as it addressed all elements necessary and did further dissections and added to the evidence folder. That has all been handed in. The variety and quality of work was great and some people had never done water colour before. All down to the quality of the teaching and course structure. My confidence has returned and I know how accurately measure and structure a composition and paint more speedily whilst the living plant is in front of me. This will make such a difference. 

It was a day of last times on Friday. I did my last walk along the river and discovered what the colonies are.  They are these rather pretty cottages running up from the Waters of Leith. Apparently they were built in the 1860s by some stone masons who were locked out of their factory. I read a sign telling the history. This is where I will have my pied a terre when I win the lottery! I had my last meal in the canteen, they have looked after us very well; after the close of class I had my last walk around the gardens, this time exploring the rock garden area. I did a few last bits of foodie shopping at Herbies but may see if the cheesemongers is open early enough Saturday.

My last evening was spent seeing Oliver at the Playhouse, a very pleasant evening. It was about 20 minutes walk away and £6 for taxi back. One of my observations about Edinburgh is how most people wait patiently at the pedestrian crossings, although at multiple junctions you only get time to cross one section unless you are pretty quick, so there's a sort of eyeing up of the options as I approach to work out the best route! The pavements are very higgledy piggledy and I had a few trips the first couple if days until I adjusted my step! Clearly they don't sue the council here.

Busy Sunday!

I visited the glasshouses which have been in place for over 200 years. On my way I made friends with two dogs, one of which laid it's frisbee at my feet, obviously expecting me to play. The glasshouses hold plants from different zones. It was quite good to go into the warmth as it was really quite chilly again today and quite overcast. Having been introduced to Peter Rabbit by a visiting toddler I set off through the various zones. I have to say I am less excited by some of the specimens these days, having seen many of these plants in the wild on my travels. However I found some very interesting specimens that might be useful for inspiration.

And of course I meet this little creature everywhere I go!

Next after a mug of chocolate I had a brief break at home for lunch and some more painting, before setting off to see the carnival. It was well supported and quite lively with various groups in costume and a lot of music. I imagine some will be exhausted by the end!

Following this I went to The Impressionists exhibition and topped off the day with a meal at Rollo's, just round the corner from 'home' and a real treat!

Thank goodness for the weekend!

Well the pace increased with pears, colour wheels, leaves, with tight deadlines to complete. So tackling new techniques, colour mixing and getting to know new specimens meant not a moment to spare! At the end of Thursday I was painting so fast and furiously my hand began to shake, so decided to go in early on Friday. But am continuing to enjoy living in my little house here and the walks through the park to and from the class. The gardens are full of people and the parks very well used. I have found several different routes to and from class, some taking in the river walk, so am getting to know the area well.

On Thursday I worked a bit later and after a quick supper went off to see the concert with Simply Red. I walked down aiming to arrive by when the gates opened and chatted to a few people in the queue. Then of course there was a long time whilst everyone arrived and then the supporting act. He was a pleasant young man, one of who's records had been on Ken Bruce's record of the week but of course it wasn't him I had come to see! 

It was an interesting evening but a bit chilly by the end. I was glad to have worn a few layers. It was intriguing to ponder on what aspect of 'dress appropriately for an outdoor event' some people might have thought of! There was a variety of dress codes to say the least; and some of the less agile struggled to access their seats. A very large stand had been erected in front of the castle, so the backdrop was amazing and as the sun went down the torches were blazing too.

Simply Red were as good as ever; I last heard them live at Proms in the Park some few years ago. They sang all their old songs and did two encores.  By that time it finished I wanted to get home as soon as possible to my bed and a hot water bottle so instead of trying the night bus just got a taxi. Edinburgh was very lively and I saw police escorting a crowd of chaps, possibly football supporters.

Friday started with a trip to the local surgery to get antibiotics, not what I had planned,  but found the local services quick and efficient. By the end of Friday I was ready for a zombie evening and an early night. I treated myself to a lovely early evening  meal at a local bistro and sample fried cucumber which can be added to my repertoire of things to do with the cucumber glut. It was pouring with rain, so I headed home when it had eased off.

I started Saturday with a lie in too, and tea in bed!I went off to the local pool for a swim then had breakfast at Maxis, avocado and sourdough bread with smoked salmon, but the smoked salmon was forgotten, so they then added it but wouldn't charge me. I took it leisurely reading the local paper, finding many events I could go to, if only I had the time!

I spent a couple of hours shopping at the local shops, the fishmongers, greengrocers, cheesemongers ( where they always give you free samples) and the butchers, by which time my laundry was ready at the laundrette. It was a pleasant experience as everyone seems so friendly, no rush and the quality and range of products is great. So I got my tuna steak for dinner tonight!

In the afternoon I walked into the city to the National museum where I visited the Celts exhibition. On the way I picked up a couple of pairs of extra socks from Primark. It took that long to put them through the till you would have thought I had bought a full wardrobe! It looks a useful shop and I was tempted by some Pilates trousers, but don't think I will fit a lesson in next week!

 The museum is an amazing building, part Victorian and part modern and would warrant many visits.

The Celts exhibition was fascinating, focussing very much on their art work; it traced the life of the Celts, who were not a homogenous group but a network of Europe wide groups. It explained how what we know has been mostly from Roman records as they had no written records, and therefore there has been much mistranslation through interpretations. Current science is enabling more accurate information to be discovered. The amazing gold and silver work and jewellery  were breathtaking. There were torques, brooch clips and ankle bracelets that had been found in hordes in all over the Uk and across northern and Eastern Europe.

I sauntered through a couple of other galleries then headed for the Elephant House. This is where J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter and was obviously now on the tourist route. There were plenty of Japsnese tourists around but I have also heard a lot of Spanish. I had a pleasant stop with tea and a local cake ( keep abandoning the healthy eating plan, but I am on holiday), with great views to the castle. I didn't try the loos but there must have been something of interest as people were taking photos.

Having consulted the map I decided to take an alternative route home joining part of the river route. This proved more challenging than I expected. First I found myself in Grassmarket where the whole population of Edinburgh seemed to be standing and drinking beer outside numerous pubs accompanied by loud music! I picked up a lime to go with my tuna from one of the food stalls and moved on.

Next  I had to climb Granny's Green Steps; well she must have been more agile than me as it was a steep climb.

After circling the castle, I headed across Princes St to Queensferry Street and Dean Bridge where I expected to find the river path. But after a little exploration and asking someone, I found I was not in the correct place. I reconsulted the map and headed in the opposite direction where I found the spot where I had left off on Wednesday evening. So from there it was familiar territory!

Then I saw this sign! What are the colonies?!!!!

I spent the evening having my supper and doing more painting exercises accompanied by some TV. As a result every time I awoke in the night all I could see was little squares being painted!

Today (Sunday) I plant to visit the glasshouses in the gardens as there is not time during the week. I am told they are quite extensive.

Work and play!

We have now worked for three days, at quite a pace. We only stop for lunch, so I arrive early enough for a coffee and take enough time off at lunchtime to walk around part of the gardens, hoping that I will have seen it all by the end of the course! So far I have seen the cottage garden, the alpine area, the Chinese hillside. I will go to the glasshouses this weekend as next weekend I will have to take my case into the city to store at the railway station. The gardens seem to have a buzzing educational centre with all sorts going on. I think I could be tempted back especially now I know somewhere good to stay. I rather like this idea of living in different places and settling into a new community for a while. It has all the excitement of travel but is less superficial in that you get to know an area well and experience life in a different place.

 With my 20 minute walk each way, explorations of the area, I am getting plenty of exercise. On Monday I did an exploratory walk along Comely Bank Road and found the local Waitrose, then the circuit brought me back to Inverleith Park, a very busy park, full of people exercising, walking and  even an allotment area.  Last night I swam in Glenogle pool, a rather attractive Victorian baths just round the corner. It is a bit more expensive than at home at £5 but has a steam room and sauna too and I will most certainly return later in the week. Today I tried the river walk called Waters of Leith walk, which goes quite a long way inland and to the coast in one direction. However I returned after finding part of the path closed and ending up on the main road. But I did pass through some very attractive parts of the city. There seem to be a lot of interesting locations with many old buildings made into flats and apartments. The weather was beautiful, although it rained later.

I have eyed up the fishmongers and plan a tuna steak for the weekend and the bakers tell me they have rye bread delivered tomorrow and will keep one for me. I also need another trip to the cheese mongers. I have made friends with the cook in the cafeteria and today tried Scottish pie. I try to avoid walking past the coop when I go shopping as there has been a homeless man sitting there since I arrived and he is quite abusive. I might say something to him one day as he is the only unpleasant person I have met so far.