Showing Off

Edinburgh was wearing her summer best today, with the city centre awash with every shape, size and nationality strutting its stuff or basking on a bench with face raised to the sun.

His Lordship and I were out and about paying bills and generally window shopping for doll sized furniture to fit in with our new life style. We detoured by John Lewis to look at mattresses to fit doll sized beds, and were horrified that it is possible to pay £1,500 for one. Given that we can have a fairly comfortable sleep on a camping mattress, that particular price tag seems a trifle expensive.

We strolled along to the West End through Princes Street Gardens. These were at their very best in the sun, with the new, freshly green leaves on the trees dancing in the breeze, while the assortment of flags on the Bank of Scotland Building, the Castle and the National Galleries blew horizontal like the standards on an advancing army.

There was a dynamic summer sky with white clouds bottomed in pale grey chasing each other over a blue background and producing a lively backdrop for the castle.

The gardeners were busy filling the flower beds with pink and white geraniums, and there were two men strung out on ladders planting the area around the floral clock commemorating 100 years of Girl Guiding. Blip sorted!

As we left the gardens for the noise and bustle of Princes Street, the office workers were beginning to mingle with the tourists, and all the benches were full with people enjoying ice creams and sandwiches. The younger ones were already down on the lower slopes taking advantage of their lunch hour to top up their tans.

This is when the city shows off to the world. It's just a pity the tram fiasco and the road diversions spoil it somewhat.