Ready, at last

After what seems like weeks of sorting, packing, moving and dumping things we have finally finished clearing the upstairs.  The 2 boys have made their home downstairs in amongst boxes, chairs and other interesting items. The work starts tomorrow morning.  Here’s a photo of the front room upstairs on Saturday afternoon just to give you an idea of what we have shifted since then.

Saturday 26 Jan
Saturday 26 Jan

That’s the first stage done and hopefully the most emotionally and physically demanding part too. Renovation is one of those things, you know, when you discuss something and agree on this and that and then you find yourself telling people what’s happening and, secretly, you feel that the time will never actually come.  Then the time does come and you need to face the music and you feel almost surprised this day has actually arrived. Or is that just me?  It has happened lots of times in my life, too many to mention at this time of night.

While his parents were busy busy on Saturday, our wonderfully talented boy F made a plasticine model of  the Titanic on its way down, like you do.  I promised to show the world his amazing creation so here it is.

titanic in plasticine by F
titanic in plasticine by F
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The Light

Witch hazel flower
Witch hazel flower

The light today in Edinburgh was amazing.  It was an incredibly bright clear day with pure clean light. It was one of the days that reminds me how absolutely stunning the city is and how very lucky I am to live here.  I took some phone photos this morning at Inverleith Park and they hardly begin to show how incredible the skyline was with piercing sun in one corner stretching on past the castle to the other buildings that make up the fabulous view from the park.  I so wished I had grabbed my camera before we dashed out.  The photos are not up to being published I’m afraid but I will be straight back there the next bright day.

Introducing Lennie, our other dog, who does not stay still long enough to have his picture taken very often.  He was sitting on the earth beside me, enjoying the sun, when I was photographing the witch hazel and I managed to catch him being still for once.

Lennie, the hardest dog ever to photograph.
Lennie, the hardest dog ever to photograph.

The witch hazel is the only colourful thing in the garden at the moment, it is a stunning yellow burst against the green.  I did spot these snowdrops coming through though and if you look really closely you can see some white petals getting ready to burst.

The first snowdrops are getting ready.
The first snowdrops are getting ready.

Just in case you thought that I had totally forgotten what’s happening on Tuesday, I haven’t.  We have spent hours moving boxes about, treading carefully down those perilous stairs with heavy loads and have just about cleared the upstairs now.  It feels ever so slightly wrong to be ripping what has been there for so long.  There are some before photos coming this way soon.

For Mum

Raspberry, Banana and White Chocolate Bread
Raspberry, Banana and White Chocolate Bread

Just a short post to show you the cake I’ve made in honour of my mum who would be celebrating her birthday today. I’ve made it in her loaf tin. Mum was not so bothered about presents but I knew exactly how she felt when I once forgot a card, she was not impressed to say the least. I think I was about 19, I never missed another birthday again, no matter where in the world I was.

My sister and her daughter will be up later to share the cake, it’s raspberry, banana and white chocolate.  I have adapted it from the banana bread on The View from the Table blog.  I hope this link works.  This is a brilliant recipe, the first time I tasted it it was the curlywurly version. Amazing.

http://www.viewfromthetable.co.uk/2012/05/big-bad-banana-bread_17.html

I added a handful of frozen rasps, one banana and half a bag of white choc chips (well what was left after H checked they were ok).

Better go and stop the cake being eaten before my sister has arrived.