sparklers by the sea....

Ruth invited me and Ruthbuth to her's and her flatmate, Anna's lovely wee place in Portobello, which is next to the sea! it was to be an evening of pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup and sparklers by the sea!

Ruthbuth and i had been meaning to go swimming together last week but we never managed to for some reason or another...so we thought we might visit Ruth a little early and pop round to the Turkish Baths round the corner from where Ruth and Anna live. alas....it was already closed at 4pm....we only managed to get to Ruth's at 6pm....nevermind....we'll make it the next time!

we soon found ourselves occupied with carving out pumpkins!....i have never done it before...and it is really quite fun and i was totally engrossed in it.... i made a really happy pumpkin face and Ruthbuth made a gory one...Anna put a candle in each and boy did they look pretty!

....outside their ground floor flat, Ruth had already lit up wee tea-light candles in used glass jars and lined them along the wee path from the door to the gate...two other larger carved pumpkins were also lit and guarding the doorway. it was a really beautiful sight.

inside, the wee flat was filled with people from all walks of life...Anna is now a doctor in her first year of placement and currently in the Neurology unit of the Western General Hospital. it was amusing to her what she and some of her medic friends have been up to...there's Dave (i think he's Dave or is he Robin?) who's an artist and art-teacher....he was trying to stop himself from thinking about how to paint some scenes!....in fact, he was my ceilidh partner that hogmany street party which Edinburgh was trying to make a record for the longest "strip-the-willow" in the Guinness (it got certified i think!). there was Frank (i think that?s his name?.gosh i am hopeless with names!) who is from Ireland and is a graffiti painter. he works with ?problem-kids? who vandalise and get into trouble?..it?s a rather extraordinary approach to educating these mischieviously creative souls?.by making them complete a proper piece of work rather than just spray-painting their names everywhere. and there?s Christian (this time i am sure that?s his name!) who is from Kosovo and was working for Oxfam and various NGOs prior to him doing a Masters at the moment?.a few other interesting people whom i didn?t manage to really speak to but we all had a lot of fun going down to the sea which is some 200m away from where Ruth and Anna live?..it really reminded me of Aldinga Beach in Adelaide?.where Auntie Helena and Uncle Albert live. the sound of the waves is so calming? and there was some brilliant fireworks in the distant?. we watched in delight and lit our sparklers ?.they too were beautiful even if miniature?

the sea?.it?s great that Edinburgh is so close to the sea?.i will have to visit Ruth and Anna more often?.!

posted by ~overacuppa~ on Sunday, 9 November, 2003 at 19:04 hrs