Two watercolours - two children

 

The Beach at Brora, Sutherland. By Karen (age 29)

Blue Campervan with Purple Seats. By James (age 3)

What talented artistic children I am blessed with :)

Shadow Shot Sunday - Some sunshine at last.

Great to see a bit of sunshine - and some clear dry ground to run around on.  It just makes you want to skip with joy.  See more dancing shadows around the world with Tracy at Shadow Shot Sunday.

Skywatch - Capital skies

Some dark foreboding clouds hovered over Edinburgh castle, but that figure of light soon chased them away.

Looking down over the chimmney pots of Frederick Street towards the River Forth and the Kingdom of Fife. I so often forget Edinburgh is a coastal city.  I love to be reminded with a glimpse like this.

Check out our planetary skies at Skywatch every week..

Quick trip

Sometimes, there is no getting away from it- we have to make a trip into our capital city.  Fortunately it is only 20 minutes away, and it is a nice town. James is ready and is taking one or two friends with him.

 

As son as the car is parked, we have to stand under this tunnel and listen to out echoed calls.

Now our errand is done, we can have a walk around. James runs on ahead, but stops to wait while we catch up.

In we go to the gardens.  I always think of the fact that we are walking along the bottom of a loch basin.

 Looking up at the castle on the rock.

Noticing things we had never noticed before - like that thistle detail on the very top of the window corbels.

Looking for Mr Squirrel's house, but we thought he was still deeply asleep in his cosy nest.

The Ross Banstand, which less than a month ago saw the likes of Madness and The Noisettes strutting across it's stage, while a spectacular firework display welcomed in the New Year, lies empty and forlorn.  Ah well, spring and summer are on their way and festivals will once again brighten it's space.

James tries to find some wind to blow his new windmill.  And it does blow!

But running down those steep banks are just the best fun.

Book Sharing Monday, book shelf sharing - and Burns.

 Book sharing Monday today could only be about the Bard himself.  So we are sharing Rabbies Rhymes - by Robert Burns, illustrated by Karen Sutherland. A fun wee book which has the first few lines of Burn's most famous works, with pull out flaps and such, especially geared to young children.

 

 My Luve is like a red, red rose

Thats newly spring in June

My Luve is like a melodie

That's sweetly played in tune

 

 Quite kitschy pitures for what must be one of the world's great love songs, but there you go.  Lots more books to share with Alex at Book Sharing Monday.

Book shelf sharing is from the 3 bookshelves in the conservatory, which John built to hide an awkward recess.  It was quite hard to get into photograph as it is an alcove, but I think most of the books are visible.  It is a bit of a mixture - cookery ,gardening, craft and all sorts really.  Feel free to enlarge and have a browse.

 

 

And just to make up for such a short snippet of Burns - and to celebrate his birthday - here is a beautful version of the song, sung by Eddie Reader.

On a Saturday afternoon.

Papa was up in his loft and dug out the old Hornby train set.  It certainly made a little boy very happy.

And both boys were soon lost in the game.

A fresh warm batch of pancakes for the train drivers' tea break.

and then dinner cooked by K, home for the weekend

helped by his lovely girlfriend L.

Joined by John and daughter Kristine - a  fuzzy but warm family meal. 

An extra hour!

It was five o'clock when we came in from the garden this afternoon.  Still light enough to finish planting the raspberries  that had been imprisioned in the greenhouse since their Christmas Eve delivery. (More on this and other growing type things on the gardening blog). Today there is a whole extra hour of daylight here.  What are you dong with yours?