Armstongs: Vintage Clothing Emporium

Armstrongs is an Edinburgh Institution: Armstrongs Vintage Clothing Emporium. This is the Newington Branch, the smaller of the two I visit. Haven't been there for a while - they were getting a bit expensive, and I got fed up with them. But after being worn down by chain store high street homogeneous clothing, I have returned.

I wasn't looking for anything in particular, and in my forties, I'm aware of not looking too studenty, so don't buy nearly as much here as I used to. Well worth a visit if you are in Edinburgh. Their Grassmarket shop is much bigger than this one. Be warned though - it truly is second hand/vintage, and you have to be careful about what you buy.

Here hanging on the railings outside the shop is my bag containing 2 crochet blankets and a little blue spotty 1960's shift dress. Crochet blankets: £12 and £8. You know that IKEA sale advert where the woman in the car goes "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW" - that's what I was doing in the shop when I saw them (except mercifully with my sound turned off!). Little blue dress £16. It does have a little stain on the shoulder but I thought I'd risk it - it will probably wash out, and if not, I'll make more bunting.

I've never actually bought a crochet blanket before, but when I saw them, I just couldn't resist. I've seen similar "vintage" blankets for sale in Cath Kidston for 40-60+ pounds before, and wanted to buy them but coudn't bring myself to pay that much.

So, to whoever crocheted them, don't worry, your blankets have gone to a very good home. Once they are washed, I'll post some pictures of them in all their clashing colourfulness.

Little Snapshots of Edinburgh

A day off work. In the middle of the week. Children in nursery/school. Luxury. I'm almost never on my own for a whole day, and I confess that I am at something of a loss. So, a little trip to the library first - always a treat (I am easily pleased, lol). I get to park in Victoria Street, a double decker street - perhaps one of the most beautiful streets in the city. Above the pastel painted lower buildings lies another street, essentially a big balcony. Yesterday was a bright sunny day, and I was in work, and today its a bit grey and not at all good for taking pictures.

Victoria Street is home to the delightful K1 wool shop - it stocks only good wool: alpacas, wools, fair trade wools and I could easily spend a fortune here. Thank goodness it was closed, but I just have to say that it was awfully nice of them to paint it in my favourite Aga Blue colour.

Down at the bottom of Victoria Street in The Grassmarket, two British style icons sit close together: a red telephone box and a blue Dr Who police box.

Crossing the lovely cobbled road, I avert my gaze from the Vintage Emporium: Armstrongs, another Edinburgh institution. It looks like a little shop but is a very long narrow shop containing billions...billions of lovely vintage items. Want a vintage velvet jacket - they have a hundred to chose from etc. Although open, luckily for the old wallet, my parking ticket is about to run out - two pounds to park for one hour! I head home for a cup of tea.

A Zoo Day and Second Hand Books

I guess that a lot of families, "make plans for the weekend". Not us! We never much seem to plan what we're doing, just wander through the weekend, taking it as we find it.

Yesterday found us at the zoo. We are very fortunate to live a mile from Edinburgh Zoo, home to many endangered species. Edinburgh Zoo is on a hill in the middle of the city. In the penguin picture you can see how close the houses in the background are - just a stone wall separates their gardens from the zoo. It would be nice to live there, so close to the penguins, and be able to see them from your bedroom window, maybe with binoculars, or night vision binoculars even, lol.

The penguins are always a favourite at the zoo. They have a large enclosure, with a long, deep pond. At one end there is a viewing hut packed full of info on penguins - if you crouch down in front of the window, you are at penguin level. In the middle there is a pedestrian walkway over the pond, so that you can look down and see them swimming, swooping and diving from one end of the pool to the other. Sometimes a group of penguins dive into the water together and swim up and down the pond, very fast, together, swooping and diving. At the other end, you can walk down the hill and there are viewing windows, into the pond like the ones you get in some competition swimming pools, so that you can see the penguins flying underwater.

Edinburgh participates in breeding programmes, to help out species like the Koala Bear, now sadly threatened in its homeland. Edinburgh is fortunate to have two koalas in residence at the moment - "Teddy! Teddy" shouted the toddler.

I drive my husband crazy with my book-mania. Many a midnight has seen me wailing about not having anything to read, like an alcoholic needing a drink - I've got NOTHING to read - I shout. Fairly unlikely I think in a house with literally thousands of books, but there you go, and the long suffering lives-with-a-bookaholic husband goes with me to the late night supermarket to get me a book or two. So, just-in-case I need a book or two, I say, and ever mindful that I'm not allowed to buy anything unless it is thrifted, as they say in the US, or second-hand as we say here, I popped into my favourite bookshop. Shelter is a UK charity which helps the homeless and their local bookshop is excellent. Ten minutes, and five pounds later, and I'm out, clutching an F.Scott Fitzgerald, and a V.S.Naipaul, and a Spike Milligan for my dad.