Culture!

Have spent half the day ringing, or trying to ring, chimney sweeps, handy men, gas fitters, plumbers, Scottish Power, the City Council... to get these chimney pots pigeon-proofed.

Did some shopping with Uncle A and I was back here on the chimney pot search for an hour or so. A chimney sweep is not enough. I need a plumber. A Corgi registered plumber. I need a special topping on this chimney pot. Who would have thought it was so complicated??

JR is now on holiday, so we went into town for drinkies before the Private Viewing of a May Ray Exhibition. Us and just about every other person in Mid Lothian. Every place we went into at 4pm-ish was mobbed with big groups, probably teachers, loudly celebrating a special Friday night. And if you're not a teacher, you don't know how special that is!

However, we did find a suitable cocktail bar, positioned ourselves out of the way of the speakers and the blasting air conditioning (neither were needed!) and had a pleasant carafe of wine and excellent nibbles, checking out the fashions - they are always, er, interesting...

On to the Private Viewing of Man Ray's exhibition at the Portrait Gallery. Yes, drinks and nibbles flowed. In fact, we had the best plan - after the speeches, everyone surged to the exhibition, but we hung around in the foyer, so the wine waitress and the nibbles waitress came round much more frequently. We eventually went to see the exhibition when the wine waitresses stopped coming round, and the exhibition was nearly empty. Good plan!

I took loads of photos, and this is the least blurry one, taken on my knee.

Just those chimney pots to get pigeon-proofed now and I can begin the holidays proper.

A rugby breakfast tomorrow!