Bartimaeus

I had come to Edinburgh to attend an afternoon get-together for an ex colleague and because I had been given a jury citation. I didn't  know how much time I would be in Edinburgh and if I would be able to catch up with friends and relatives. At least I would enjoy the retiral party and then see what the rest of the time would hold. I was given a lift there by my niece Sandra, as she is a speech and language therapist in the same team as I had been. It was a good job as it was out of town and the host was someone who started after I arrived so she was a bit surprised I was there at all. She was an excellent host and makes a fabby sangria and great Polish salad. I went easy on the savouries to have space for some slices of desserts. I didn't know it was a bring a dish and had only brought a drink but there was too much food anyway.

I got dropped off home after seven, only to see Shane leaving the house. He, Nye and I had been invited round for dinner by Helena and Kenny. I had a tasty Portuguese meal, to look forward to and more good company. The main dish was one of Nye's favourites, duck rice.

The next day I met my friend Peter for lunch at Curran Geal, a vegan cafe that I was surprised, he had never tried. When I first looked up what the name meant, the translation I was given, from Gaelic, was 'white carrot'. Pete is vegetarian and I thought he would like it. It had lovely home made soups and the reviews recommended the cakes. I had tried an excellent soup before here, and this time chose a parsnip and apple soup. There is always a good selection. We had coffee after (with oat milk). I couldn't believe how good the vegan slice of Jaffa cake was - a tangy orange jelly and rich chocolate icing. I didn't have a knife but it cut well with a teaspoon. Only later did I find the alternative translation of curran geal as 'parsnip', makes sense, literally white carrot but means parsnip. Well I had the right soup there then. 

Peter and I went for a walk along the canal, as if I might already be missing it. I hadn't noticed the flamingoes before, and they were rather small.

It was good for me to exercise after a day of eating the day before. We even tried the adult exercise equipment there. I tried two different static cycles, one upright and one recumbent and an assisted chin up. We did a fair walk along some cycle paths as well as the canal tow path, then as we turned to make our way back we stopped  to admire the cheery mural. 

Although it wasn't a very warm day Peter was keen for an ice cream so we made our way to Luca's. I hadn't been sure about having any but when I saw a black one I had to find out what it was. I was told it was called a black Hawaiian, chocolate and coconut flavoured. That sounded delicious - I'll have that thank you.

When I rang that evening to see if I was needed on the jury they said I  wasn't needed yet but to wait for a call during the day and ring again if not called. I wasn't needed again when I made the second call but I was at least told my citation was finished. I hadn't been able to make arrangements to meet anyone knowing I might be unavailable, and some people I did contact were not available but I  managed to fit in a few short notice meetings during the week. I admired plants with my sister, and their fruits. The crab apples look amazing and we sampled brambles. Peter came to dinner and tried my rigatoni Topkapi for the first time. Beata  called by for a walk with  Alfie. 

I also had a carpe Diem moment. Before coming up I had heard of the statue called Knife Angel. I now discovered it was touring and had arrived in Edinburgh for September, so I decided to head to Leith Walk to check it out. I had also contacted Yvonne and was pleased she got back to me and said she would be able to come and see it too and had reason to go to Leith anyway and we managed coming from opposite directions to arrive at the same time. It is part of a publicity campaign against knife crime, highlighting the devastating results. A memorial to a local youth was added. The Knife Angel is made from blades recovered from crime scenes, confiscated weapons and those handed over in knife amnesty collections. All blades were blunted prior to inclusion in the project.

The Foot o' the Walk has had a statue of Queen Victoria for a long time and while they were almost the same height, she was on a plinth. Obviously the new statue with flowers and candles at the foot was drawing people over. Yvonne and I met a couple we knew, who had children the same class as ours, from primary school. Queen Victoria was more popular with the pigeons.

Yvonne wanted to get some ingredients from a Chinese supermarket so we went round there and she shared some recipe ideas. I only had one more day in Edinburgh so I didn't buy anything. 

We tried an interesting tea experience in a nearby teashop. There was  an extensive menu of teas to choose from. We were served beautifully with the server timing the infusion and pouring into a separate jug so it didn't  over brew. All the pouring and filling was done above a tray to catch any drips. 

We also got some resin flavoured Turkish delight which we both enjoyed. We both had a top up of our teas. The server had a lovely bit of knitwear on and while there Yvonne and I discussed our crafts. She had embroidered individual napkins for wedding attendees and showed me photos. I had my Close to You scarf with me to knit on the bus journey so showed her that.

I did more of it on the bus the next day going to see Sandra for a walk in the Colinton area. We have been there before but there was a new artwork, by a local artist I hadn't seen before. It is a section from another piece in town so I need to see that another time we are back in Edinburgh.