The forecast for Saturday 24th Nov was horrible. Little point in traipsing down to East Lothian to get a good soaking so Mary came up with the uninstinctive notion that to combat fear and loathing of the xmas chaff accumulating in town we should run right through the centre of it and take some some photos of the horrors. This was weirdly appealing and appalling.
We started by getting a famously inexpensive Pret 99p filter coffee in Waverley Station and drinking it along from the swingy chair tower of doom. This gave us the strength to mingle with the great unwashed along Princes St for a very short while but, unable to run except by dodging out into the bus lane, we ran up to George St. I had meant to photograph the German Market which seemed to be the real reason they executed the trees in the gardens there, to make room for even more German Market stalls which allegedly are filled with booze and tat, though I haven't had a strong enough stomach to investigate.
And yes the weather was suprisingly blue skied and upbeat
- not at all what the forecast had predicted.
top of which building?
Mary had mentioned the Silent Disco at the west end of George St. I assumed this was the same structure as was there before (The Virgin temple-of-the-money-lenders) however it is an entirely new pleasure dome with about a million tiny bulbs set in a large skeletal frame. I assume it is to entertain the rebellious children of mothers and fathers who campaign for ecological thrift and not squandering resources. I was amused by the way each end has a subliminal churchy feel mimicking (mocking?!) circular stained glass windows set in a basilica.
So where to now asked Mary. Since we were at the west end I suggested Corstorphine Hill, our favourite new-this-year running venue. I also suggested popping into Run and Become to say hello, but it was Saturday, so Corstophine it was. Unfortunately we hadn't realised there was a game on at Murrayfield so from Shandwick Place were fighting through the crowds. Mary pointed out they (Rugby fans) were far more polite (and some were even encouraging) than the football fans we get milling along to Easter Rd every home game. It was still a relief to turn off the main road and through the wee gate that leads up the hill. Immediately, fuelled by coffee, we started singing nonsense songs, taking photos and larking about.
As we got to the top of the hill and turned the corner, before beginning the descent to Ravelston the sky grew dark and we saw a massive downpour directly ahead. I hadn't bothered to take a waterproof so put the camera in a poly bag and dashed under some trees on the golf course. We stood for a few minutes until the worst had passed over, but it was too cold to stand for long, and we ran into the tail end of the rain, which fell on and off for the remainder of the run home. The camera only came out briefly to try to record a dipper asleep under the Pizza Express Bridge at Stockbridge. I believe it was asleep because it wasn't moving or bobbing as they do constantly.
just under 10 miles
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