Ahhh...what an absolutely gorgeous day! It is one of those rare Saturday afternoons in Edinburgh, when teh sun is shining and there's a crispness in the air that is refreshing rather than chilling to the bone. Autumn is upon us and, so far, has been splendid in comparison to the summer we had.

Ok, apologies for gushiness..it is just that I have absolutely fallen in love...with our little neighbourhood in Edinburgh. WEll, technically, it is the neighbourghood just adjacent to us, called Stockbridge. This morning, I decided to take a meandering walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens and then wind my way thrugh Stockbridge. The Botanic Gardens were lovely..they have anoutdoor exhbition on right now called Earth From The Air. Arial photographs taken by a true artiswt, which demonstrate the intricate links between humanity and nature. ALongside each massive pictureboard were thought provoking details about the fragility of nature and the impact humans have had on it. Some stats to ponder: Scientists stimate over 50,000 species become extinct EACH YEAR. 77% of the world's freshwater sources are used for agriculture, namely for irrigation. OK, so that was that......

Right, so next I meandered in Stockbridge, which is this lovely, bohemiam area with plenty of little shops and sunshine. Previous to today, I'd generally just walked through the area and taken pleasure in that, but today I decided to check out some of the shops. Wow...from the quaint Second Hand Bookshop to the Bread & Cheese shop to the bakery with free samples of almond cake and the ORganic grocery with lovely Carrot Cake samples, I was stunned. Who knew one street could pack in so many treasures? And I didn't even go into any of the cafes or restaurants, although I suspect they are just as tempting and unique. Yes, I must say, we are in an excellent location, adjacent to posh New Town, the BOtanic Gardens, within a short walk of Princes Street and alongside the lovely Stockbridge. I only hope the weather holds for Sahra's visit, because the sunshine makes all the difference.

Last night was a quiet one as Keri & Jen were changing rooms. It came to the attention of Jen & I that Keri is a pack rat. That being said, I was impressed by teh speed with which she made her new room a cosy little retreat with candles and pictures up on the wall..I only wonder where she hid all those 'essential' items that had been shoved in a dresser drawer???

Jen's parents arrived this morning. They brought treats, like good parents do, a nice sisters will! Amongst the treasures- red licorice & Cripsy Crunch bars, THat's right people, these are necessities we've been living without for the past four months.

Shite..low time warning..this is post for now..sorry for lack of wit..blah blah blah.