Steeple Jacks

Wednesday morning, so started the day with church. When I got home Colin greeted me with the news that one of our oldest friends had died overnight. He'd had Crohn's for over 30 years and Colin had visited him on Thursday in hospital so we knew things were bad, but the suddenness of his death was unexpected.
We have so many shared memories and experiences over the decades. From leading each other astray when we were all still at school, buying records at his first second hand record stall at Cockburn Street Market, his being DJ at our wedding and playing our wedding waltz at 45 instead of 33rpm, at least it was over quickly!, to sharing memories over bacon rolls just a few weeks ago. Rest in peace Breeks, you were one of a kind.

This afternoon, Colin and I went for a walk down to Stockbridge coffee at Soderberg then back along the Dean valley walkway to Dean Village. We decided against fighting our way beyond the closed section of the walkway - which has shamefully been in need of repair and so out of use for over 3 years - and turned up towards Orchard Brae.
As we were walking up from the Dean Village we spotted still more clouds of Painted Ladies, see extra.
Carrying on, towards Dean Church, I looked up and spotted my main blip of this amazing ladder up the side of the steeple. You wouldn't get me up there! Thanks to the photobombing pigeon too!

Ali has found an artist online who is going to do an oil pastel drawing of Maisie from a photograph, so she's looking forward to getting that. Pickle seems to be regaining her bounce a little which is a great relief. E commented when she was round yesterday, that 'Pickle and Marvin (the pug) must be sad because their sister had died.' Out of the mouths of babes....
19938 steps today so met my week's target in spite of the last few days.