Mr and Mrs Duck

Just out for a walk at lunch and caught two ducks posing for the camera.

Morning Glorious

Waking up and going to work on a cold october morning isn't the most pleasant experience. Sometimes little thing can break your gloom and bring a smile to your face. This morning we had a glorious rainbow over edinburgh. I wonder how many people were lucky enough to notice it!

Travelling with Friends

Walking back from lunch today, I spotted this car with a very full back ledge. There was no child seat in sight, so I guess they all belonged to the driver. That's definitely taking your friends with you!

Anna Drawing With Grandma Barrie

Andy and i both had the day off, so we went through to Troon to see my parents. Shona was down to see her hairdresser and brought Anna too. So, we spent the morning with my lovely niece.

Love a duck

Well, it's a moorhen, not a duck, but i thought it was still dead cute!

Moonset over south Edinburgh

Dawn starts to rise over Edinburgh and the moon contrasts against a purple sky.

Penguin Feeding At Edinburgh Zoo

The Penguins getting their sunday lunch

Botannical Gardens Recycled Light

Currently in the Botannical gardens in Edinburgh, a really cool art installation made from recycled plastic bottles and containers. I think it looks fab.

Lovely Leanne and Diane

We just had a fire alarm and i thought i'd snap two of our staff in their lovely warden vests. Very fetching!

The Season Turns

This is the artificial lake next to where i work, Edinburgh Park in the very west of the capital. The trees on the south side of the lake realise that despite the sunny, but cool weather, it's time to start preparing for winter. They've started to suck their sap back from the leaves into their trunks and the display of bronze and gold crowns has begun. The trees on the north haven't twigged yet ...

Troon Beach and Border Collie

My parent's dog, Jock, looking cute and playfull on Troon beach. It was a beautiful summer's day and we all enjoyed a walk and an ice cream, as did Jock! :-)

10 year-old hit and run tragedy

Getting home from work on Thursday 5th October proved to be a trial. I sat in my car cursing the traffic, the roadworks and the fact that my usually short 10 minute journey had taken just over an hour. Then I turned onto Saughton Road North and saw a police accident roadblock. "Typical", i thought, someone must have tried jumping the lights and two cars had had a bump, how stupid.
The truth was much, much worse. Quite frankly, it was horrific. Three men, who had been posing as utility workers earlier that day, to gain entry to local houses to burgle, were making their way out of Corstorphine, aware that the police were searching for them. They failed to stop at a red light, at which was a lollipop attendent, instead speeding through to make their escape and in the process, hitting and killing a local 10 Year old boy, Jack Anderson, who was crossing the road.
Aware they had struck someone, these cowards then carried on to dump the car in a local car park and escape on foot.

The story was reported in the local papers, national papers and on BBC online. The RS McColls newsagents, where Jack died, is now a temporary floral tribute. My heart goes out to Jack's mother. I hope the cowardly monsters who snuffed out this boy at the very start of his life have the guts to turn themselves in or are otherwise cought by the authorities.

If anyone in the local community knows these three men, do the right thing, contact the Police.

My Old House

On a recent trip to Cumbernauld, to collect my Aunt for a weekend break, I passed the house from my earliest childhood memories. "Berowra", 2 Waverley Crescent, Cumbernauld.

Astonishingly, the only change since I lived there aged six in 1977, is a new front door ... everything is just as I remembered ... including the cast iron script nameplate and the garage. They build 'em good in the 70s :-)

It's a dog's life?

Smudge, a friend's new puppy. Asleep on his owner's lap. We'd all met for lunch on a pub in leith walk, edinburgh and stayed outside in the sunshine. Smudge, tired from the excitement of meeting new people, dozed off to sleep.