Red Admiral

I can never resist a red admiral, this healthy specimen was in Malleny Garden where we spent the afternoon.
We woke today to a warm morning (hooray, at last). After yesterday's cleaning binge, today it was clearing out.
I sorted out my shoesrack which was full of shots I'll never wear again. I've two bags, one for the charity shop and the rest, not fit for reuse, for the bin. Those that are left fit a much smaller shoe rack. There are still too many but it's no longer ridiculous! All I need now is a plumber to remove the non functioning shower pump, then the rack will fit much better in the cupboard.
Today is my middle sister's birthday, she died in 2009 aged 51. It's so hard to come to terms with the fact that she never met the next generation. They know of her though and talk about her, even Josie recognises her picture. She'd be 66 today, Clickety-click!
We headed out for lunch to the Bridge Inn at Ratho where we had a bowl of soup (again) then headed off along the tow path of the Union Canal, eastwards this time. No sign of the swans and only 3 mallards in view.
We did see the two Seagull Trust barges making their way along the canal. They are a charity who run canal cruises for people with disabilities and other groups. The boats are adapted for wheelchairs. One of our friends was involved in setting the charity up, a long time ago.
I remember I was driving my class in our school minibus on our way to the barge when the news of John Smith's heart attack came over the radio. By the time we got back on the bus, a couple of hours later, he was dead. I wonder what our country would be like had he survived to be prime minister.
From Ratho we made our way to the National Trust's Malleny Garden in Balerno. Always a lovely place for a visit, the scent of the roses, which are just coming into their own, was wonderful. There is a wonderful collection of old roses there, including old Scots varieties.
The extra is the lush green of the fountain at the edge of the woods in front of the house.
Fish and chips for tea, in the garden, delicious!