The Pentlands from Cockburn Crescent

A lovely if cold day in Edinburgh today. A bit of a lie in this morning and then a late lazy breakfast meant that getting out for 1.00pm was nver going to happen.

While the houseful took it in turns to use the facilities we were able to get out for an hour before going visiting. This shot was taken just off Barbara and David's road looking out over farmland towards the Pentland Hills.

It may not be farmland much longer as a development company, Gladman Developments, has proposed a large housing development on the fields in the foreground.

You may remember me blipping about this in October and remarking that this was the same company who wanted to build houses on open farmland adjacent to my parents old home in Shropshire. Have a look at my website and you'll see literally dozens of similar situations up and down the country where speculative property developers are proposing to build large estates of houses around small villages or on open farmland on the edge of small towns.

If this proposal is successful, then in just a few years, this view will be of houses, not of open fields and the Pentlands. There is still so many brownfield sites that can be used and must be used before we ever consider building on land like this. Yet it is cheaper and more profitable for speculative builders to try their luck here than to develop brownfield sites.

Enough of that - in the afternoon we went for a Boxing Day lunch at Alan and Heather's place in Colinton. All the Smith brothers were there and all the children and the little babies too.

It was an excellent afternoon and early evening with good company, good food and good conversation.

We're planning to head back south tomorrow, but the weather forecast is not too kind. We'll make a decision after watching the news tonight.