Spent red roses

Originally posted at about 7pm; edited at 10:20pm after the appearance of the Northern Lights across Edinburgh - please see the extras.

I was about to pop some spent red roses into the compost bin first thing this morning when I thought that they might make a good blip. Here is the result of my photographic experimentation.

The extras, however, really represent my day. 

Bruce kindly came over to sit with Mummy hazelh this afternoon so that we could go out for lunch at Chez Jules (very busy and loud) with Katharine and Jack. We returned home via the Botanic Garden (very sunny and colourful), stopping at Di Giorgio to buy cakes to serve with tea and coffee back at the flat. We are so grateful to Bruce for giving us the opportunity of a lovely afternoon out with our (mutual) friends.

Then, on seeing evidence of the Northern Lights in Edinburgh on Facebook just as we were preparing to go to bed, Mr hazelh and I rushed out to observe the spectacle. It was amazing, and with even stronger colours than we saw at Gruinard Bay a month ago on 12th September. It's astonishing that they are visible to the naked eye in the middle of a city lit by street lamps. I include two shots of the lights in my extras. One is from the park down the road from us; the other is of the back of our building from over our garden wall.

Exercise today: 1 hour on the exercise bike; 40 minutes of running intervals; walking (25,060 steps including run).