I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS...

The snow came - first a morning with white on the ground - we were wondering if it was just a heavy frost. (turns out it was overnight snow)
Then a couple of days later we looked out the window and were sure!

































Lucas and I had to take a closer look!















































Lucas instantly displayed an intuitive understanding of snowball fights.

WARDIE BAY

We had a nice time at dusk (like 4pm) down at the breakwater...

FERRY RD PATH DESCENT

With love from Lucas and I.

The video can be viewed full screen by clicking on the arrows on the video - bottom right.

Or if you have the desire (and the bandwidth) a full sized one can be viewed by clicking HERE - again click the arrows to go full screen.

LUCAS - HANDY IN THE KITCHEN

THE FERRY ROAD PATH

We have been exploring the 'Ferry Road Path' since we arrived - it's this sealed track, with woods and trees along the sides, that runs sort of parallel to a main road near us. (Ferry Road) There is an access to the path just across the road from our place, so we get along there a lot. Lucas loves it of course, in fact we all do. The path runs below road level most of the time, and passes under roads when they intersect. There are these cool old stone tunnels where we go under the roads. Voices echo under the there - Lucas always yells. Our current chant is Echo!... Echo-Lo!... Echolocation! (A quote about the dolphins, from his fish DVD)























Turns out it's much more than just one path, there are networks of them all over the city, especially over our side. We get to Lucas's football and Gym via the track, and I get to work (a hired desk) the other way. They are tram lines (or some say train lines) that were dug up but the paths are maintained for walkers and cyclists. (Now new tram lines are being built in town, but that's another story, on another blog...

This map shows the 'Tramways' - all of the dotted lines - which are now paths. (The red crosshair is our place.)



















It's like a secret subway - and is a really nice way to get about. Below is a stylised version of the tracks and entrances. ('Stops') And now we have bikes!...

GETTING AROUND

Getting around for us has been on foot or by bus - both work very well at the moment. (As weather gets more wintery and Katherine gets more pregnant it might be more buses)
The buggy still gets a run sometimes - for Lucas, the shopping, all sorts.













































I like to run down here in the mornings - (well some mornings...) the Granton Breakwater.

OUR PLACE

Here are some pics of our place - we took them when we first inspected the place so it's a bit more warm and 'homely' now with some of our bits and pieces, but you get the gist. Complete with light streaming in... for now



















Living/Dining. Still trying to work out the feng shui and what is needed - to get/add



















Kitchen - pretty well equipped



















Lucas' room - double bed has been swapped out for a single so he has room to romp



















Our bedroom




















Office/studio. (Will see how that goes, may need to get an office elsewhere. Up until now if Dad's home he's fair game for Lucas - more difficult to be home but not available.)



























Tiny balcony




















Bathroom



















Not glamorous but very useful - separate laundry/utility/drying room

HOLYROOD DESCENT

Lucas was charging down the hill, and not really interested in help (note the pulling away when offered a hand) until a wardrobe malfunction hampered his plunge. (Blew out a button holding the elastic on his pants)
Side note: My recovered achilles has felt fine and I have been running regularly which has been great for the once wasted leg.

A LOOK AT ARTHURS SEAT

As promised, some pics of our ascent up Arthur's Seat - the main peak in Holyrood Park (a range of hills in the heart of Edinburgh - below, not my pic) and the ruins of St Anthony's Chapel.

BACK ONLINE

Apologies for the quiet spell - we have been busy qualifying as 'real people'. (Address, Bank Account, Phone, Internet, Mobile Phone, Mobile Internet, Health Care, Kindy, Library, just the essentials!...) After a few hiccups it feels like we have some progress. The weather has remained really pleasant.

















I think either
A) the Scots (all Brits) are pessimists and discount 300 lovely days to harp on about the rotten ones
B) the Scots don't want anyone to come here and spoil a great spot so propagate a 'terrible weather' myth, or
C) it's about to get very cold and dark

… probably C) and we're about to get ours...

KATHERINE EARTHY BRIT

Katherine is fast becoming an earthy Brit.
Case in point: she has just produced a large homemade (very earthy) batch of marmalade (very British!)

PICS - EDINBURGH

1. Manchester to Edinburgh in the 'Dash'
2. Our (first) place - 11 Albion Pl. First morning. Not so bad after all
3. The weather (which has been great, especially the first week. Shorts and tees even!) Apparently we shed 10-15 degrees and a few hours of daylight in the next 4 weeks...

PICS - ABU DHABI

1. Lucas says 'Hi'
2. Le Meridien
3-4 Lucas savouring the local cuisine. (Lucas has seen me shut my eyes when enjoying particularly good food and loves to ham it up!)
5. Boys in the pool

WALKABOUT

It has been 2 weeks since we left Sydney, seems longer with all the varied experiences and challenges packed into those 14 days. We walked some of Holyrood park, up to 'Arthur's Seat' - this great wild craggy, hilly range right in the heart of Edinburgh. Complete with 500 y/o chapel ruins.  We all loved it, Lucas especially enjoyed the descent - running out of control down the steep slopes. (pics and video to come!) We have done some walking this past 2 weeks, After suburb and soul searching we have a home to go to - we have a lease on a 3 bedroom flat in Trinity Court in Trinity - a really nice green suburb next to parks and botanical gardens, walking distance to the ocean and near enough to town and Leith. (interesting, somewhat grungy port suburb) Yesterday we looked at a kindy for Lucas - a couple are starting one in Jan. They are really qualified and passionate, and met us at the site to show us around. It is stunning - this amazing old stone building with things like round rooms, big windows, great old details inside, amazing gardens... Just the kind of people and place I would have hoped for for Lucas. He will start there early Jan. We have done a fair bit of walking, the child care walk was an 8-9 km round trip (we added a bunch of extra stops) so the buggy has been invaluable - worth the airport stress!  I have had some nice catch ups with (cousin) Guy a couple of times, we took the boys (he has a near 1 y/o) to a local kids' pool, and had breakfast together this morning while we watched the French rugby team deliver a 'passion and flair' clinic for the English side.  Things are coming together, the lease will mean we can get bank accounts, phone, proper Internet, get set up for work, join libraries, find decent local coffee... all the essentials! 

FIRST DAYS

The weather is warm this first week - 20‘s and clear, warm nights. I am wondering if all the weather complaints are a local conspiracy to keep visitors away (I will get mine...) lucas is correcting from jetlag one hour at a time, which means he is up and rearing to go at 3.30am on morning one, 4.30 morning two, he has about equalised now. Our Albion Place accommodation is right next to the big Edinburgh soccer ground, so we are Hibernian fans. (when i got on a bus and asked if it went to 'Easter Road, where the Hibernian football stadium is' he replied 'you mean the greatest football team of all time' and insisted I ride for free! The Albion Pl stay is for  2 weeks so we have that time to find and secure long term accommodation. Hence we have been doing an intense tour of the Edinburgh suburbs and trying to work out 'what we want'. The buses are excellent, all the routes go from different points on the edge of the city to the other side through the centre. Because they are frequent and the city is pretty small, one can get from anywhere to anywhere in 1-2 trips and 20-40 mins. We are narrowing it down...

GROUND ZERO

After fumbling around at the airport trying to get some local currency, we caught the airport bus into the city. The challenge of bundling the aforementioned excessive baggage onto the bus in time was topped only by the challenge of getting it all off. 'You'd better hurry mate' was the helpful exhortation from the driver. I feel a little unsettled leaving Kath, Lucas and the mound of bags on George Street as I head off to find an ATM and a cab. The cabbie knows 'Albion Place' and we set off. The beautiful facades and flash retail outlets give way to progressively grungier old apartment buildings and we arrive, tired and bewildered, at number 11 Albion Place. The door is locked and 1/floor 3 is not marked on the intercom so we buzz a few of the places hoping to get lucky. Nope. The arrangement was to meet the landlord out front at 8 and by 10 past we are talking about getting another cab to a hotel. But when some guys arrive and someone buzzes them into the building, I follow them in and head up to 1/floor 3. I pass a shady looking guy on the stairs, get to the top and knock on the door a few times. No answer, but the shady looking guy asks who I am looking for. He turns out to be the landlord of course. We lug the bags up and he shows us around the little apartment. The place has a fresh coat of paint and a new faux timber 'floating' (rolling, creaking) floor. I am wondering what we've come to. After beans and eggs on polish bread, we try out the beds. The morning's assessment is much brighter. The apartment is actually pretty charming. We overlook a graveyard ('the neigbours are quiet' was the landlord's gag) and some beautiful old buildings. The kitchen is well kitted out and there are some interesting little shops on the main street. Muggings here seem less certain than they did last night. And the weather is warm and clear. Like in the 20's. The locals don't know what's going on. Fine with us for the moment though.

FLIGHT 3 - MANCHESTER - EDINBURGH

Having unchecked our bags we rechecked with a low cost carrier - 'FlyBe' for the last leg. Felt like Jetstar so we were a bit nervous that our 100kg of booty was again at risk of being censured. The man at the desk was lovely but wanted to check everything. I had been trying to lug the bag with 2 laptops and a swag of power supplies, and the bag with cameras, thick books and electrical stuff as if they were light little sub-7kg cabin bags. Then at each desk we would do the Ray shuffle - Lucas looking cute with the stuffed lion, bags behind trolleys etc. But this guy was onto us. He politely hid his strain as he lifted each and tagged each of them with 'approved cabin baggage'.. Yes! Then we're on to a cute little twin propeller Dash 8 - a great little 'bare bones' plane. Lucas and I are becoming plane boffins. Every so often up in the air you can look at the wing, and all that sky, and let yourself freak out - seemingly sitting up there in the clouds. Very cool. The landscape all the way was stunning. More dramatic and less genteel than i expected. We made it into Edinburgh. (The landings are rather funkier in the smaller planes) We were the last off and wandered across the tarmac quite on our own. With a slight feeling of 'what are we doing here'.

FLIGHT 2 - ABU DHABI - MANCHESTER

We made it on to flight number 2 without too many hitches - Etihad are much stricter in Sydney than on home turf. We got bottles of water and all sorts through security. Having rested, the 7 hour flight was a pretty light proposition compared to the 14hr. The flight wasn't full so there was room to move about, lie down etc. I had a Scotch - just to prepare for what's ahead. Manchester airport was a bit of a muddle (we were primed to leave bags checked all the way to Edinburgh but the Etihad girl wasn't up for that, so we checked them out and back in. The Border Security attendant was not going to let us in on grounds of insanity for leaving Sydney to come here. We said we are heading up to Edinburgh. She relented - just.

FLIGHT 1 - SYDNEY - ABU DHABI

They pack us in and we're away. With Kath being pregnant and my run in with DVT's earlier this year, we are all set with compression stockings and talk of walking the aisles, drinking lots of water and stretching. Which we pretty much do. Kath had ordered vegetarian meals in advance and the attendant would bring these out before the regular service - much to the chagrin of the people ahead and behind. The women in front wondered why Kath was getting served before them and the woman behind kept trying to order vegetarian meals too, not grasping that 2 hours into the flight was not early enough to do this. Eventually we reach Abu Dhabi. A wild taxi ride later we arrive at Le Meridien - a beautifully decked out place where we are recuperating in bed, in the pool and over nice local food before 'the final push.'

BAG DROP

Sun 25 - Rob van Dalen dropped us at Sydney airport in fully loaded Ford Focus (which is still for sale on carsales) and we join the Emirates queue.
Bags weights were tuned down to the gram to get our worldly possessions under 23kg each. The less closely scrutinised cabin baggage is maxed out in number of pieces, and the weight is… well think lugging bars of gold bullion. Because a cabin bag is never weighed. And having been told by out travel agent that we can take a buggy swell, that is with us too - wrapped up and perched on the trolley.
We watch as the people in front of us in the queue are pulling things out of bags and rearranging as a stern middle eastern man looks on. Then the unthinkable happens: the couple in front of us are told 'you can't have 2 cabin bags - can I weigh your backpack?' She's not gonna be able to lift either of my cabin bags to put them on her scales… (The 'one bag plus laptop bag/1 bag plus handbag' cabin allowance is interpreted most liberally in our monads 'It is not literally 1 bag, It is more the idea of 7kg, that size is just a guide etc…)
Then it's our turn. We place the bags to be checked in onto the scales in turn. 22.4kg.. 22.2kg (why didn't we fill that one up?!!) 24… no 22.. no 22.9kg. Nice. Next the buggy. Which we can check on - sure - but the weight comes off our allocated lot. We're 13kg over. After our man has a chat to his supervisor… we're on - buggy and all!