Thursday 7 September 2023
Another misty start followed by blue sky; I’m getting used to this. Today, sunrise around us was at 06:28 with sunset at 19:50. In Lewisham, 06:22 and 19:33. So we still have slightly longer days in Scotland than in London.
Our shopping errands were only half successful (didn’t stock the gate-paint we wanted in the paint store I chose but did get insulation foam and bits for the lawnmower) but Chris and I had a lovely day out visiting a new place, Musselburgh, just along the coast from Portobello, Edinburgh. I had chosen Musselburgh because I knew it would be one of the last longish, sunny days of 2023 (that sounds a bit melodramatic), I wanted to go to the beach and we needed a specific paint to continue with the gate.
It was indeed sunny and we had a lovely day out. I even got up early and did the main chunk of writing that I try to do every day – an uncharacteristic efficiency when there’s the promise of a day out by the sea. We had a short walk around Musselburgh, the beach area rather than the high street. Good for walking along, a sandy, shelly estuary beach with miniature sand dunes. I lay on the beach for a while writing a letter before we headed off to Portobello for lunch. Neither of us wanted fish and chips. I had in mind a doorstep crab sandwich. We both sat on the prom at Portobello with fish and chips from St Andrew’s fish restaurant and take away on Portobello High Street and it was very good. The fish was soft and fresh and the chips were really good. I lay on the beach again and finished my letter. I even got it posted; a letter written and posted within 24 hours is quite an achievement for me. These days, just writing a letter seems an unusual thing.
We got stuck in traffic leaving Edinburgh shortly before 16:00 and both of us commented how good it was to get back onto our more familiar, quieter roads (though we were stuck behind an incredibly slow American sedan for a large chunk of the drive). As usual, it’s great to leave the quiet of our valley and visit the beach/somewhere different/a town/city. But it’s always also great to return to the quiet, greenery and space where our house is.
