Tuesday and another adventure. After picking up Alf we drove to Kevin's place and dropped the kids off so they could have a day with uncle Kevin, and their cousins Hannah and Alfie. Meanwhile Alf, Neil and I caught the bus into Edinburgh to have an Alf tour of the Royal Mile and the old town of Edinburgh. It was great getting the inside information of the area as Alf is a history buff and knows the good stuff. After a yummy lunch in the Greyfriar's Bobby pub, overlooking the statue in honour of the dog that loyally sat by his owner's grave for years, I left Alf and Neil at another pub called "Deacon Brodies" while I took another quick wander up to the castle to look at a gorgeous little chapel which was built in the 11th century making it the oldest building in Edinburgh. It was worth the hike up the hill. After returning to Kevin we were delighted to see that he survived the day with the four kids and they all had wonderful stories of their trip to Gorgie City Farm, a green oasis for the kids in the city. Wednesday was a possible back up day to try the Puffins again but after waking up to torrential rain and fog so thick we couldn't see across the valley we knew the puffins were off. Neil had his own plans as this was the biggest Pyrenean mountain stage of the Tour de France and he had booked his seat on the couch to watch the live coverage. I braved the rain, fog and flooded roads to take the kids to Nanny's house for a day of play with the cousins again while I did "Mum stuff" which included a peaceful lunch in a cafe. After picking up the kids and returning to Neil in the cottage we noticed a small stream had started coming down the small mound in the back garden and was threatening to flood the cottages next door while creeping towards our back door. Even the bugs were looking for higher ground with beetles, slugs and centipedes scurrying up the wall. A quick call to the owner was made and he promptly arrived with sand bags which stopped the threat of flooding and diverted the water. The reports are that Edinburgh got a month's worth of rain yesterday (yes it is summer). Today we are hosting a lunch for about 18 friends and family and for the moment the sun is out.
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