Yikes indeed ...

I remember us buying Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats Gemma - seem to remember we used to buy books for everyone for everything! Nice you've still got it but boy do I feel old now :))!!

Steve, Gemma and Clive - good luck with the moving, and with settling in to the new house ...

Hugh - fascinating stuff about Edinburgh Castle; didn't know you had those connections. I'm working my way through the diaries and really enjoying them ... enjoying the blog too ...

I'm now off to Arthur's Seat to take the dog for a walk - not up it you understand, only along the valley ... even Arthur's Seat is a bit much for a three-legged dog ... and the valley is very pretty just now with millions of different kinds of grasses and wild flowers dotted about the place. Holding my breath for the extra onslaught of tourists as the Festival starts this weekend - lovely stuff, and Edinburgh needs its tourists but getting to work takes up to three times as long (understandable if you know that the Festival - in all its many forms - doubles the population of the city) ... Howver hoping to get out there and see/hear some things this year (last few years have been a bust). There's some great Japanese drummers coming and some Shetland folk groups and oh! 'undreds of stuff ... Saw the Jasper Johns exhibition at the weekend and was kind of impressed and disappointed at the same time ... ah well youthful heroes and all that.

Hope you're all well.

love

Barbara