Comments

'And finally, not everyone’s being doing topical. In fact, here’s the rather lovely 6 Oxgangs Avenue devoted to the history of the development of the area, this week highlighting how the block of flats came into being. Could have been prompted by Who do you think you are? Or just a timely reminder that not everything worth blogging about is in the here and now.'

Kate Higgins, Scottish Roundup 26/08/2012



Friday 17 August 2018

The Sunday Post #4 Bed in Summer




When we were young we had to go to bed far too early on summer evenings.

Photograph, Dave Hennicker

We children had the back bedroom which faced toward the Pentland Hills and the scree slopes of Caerketton and Allermuir. It was south to south west facing and therefore enjoyed the sun from lunch time until early evening.


The curtains would hardly contain the light and I would lie in bed on the top bunk watching the shadows of the numbers 4, 16 or 27 Edinburgh Corporation buses move and circulate around three of the four walls of our bedroom.



Occasionally there would be the sound of footsteps going past of an adult returning home from work to Oxgangs Street or going out for an evening outing.

Worst of all were the sounds of other children laughing and shouting, still out enjoying themselves playing.

I suppose it must have been the same for the Hoggs, the Blades and the Hanlon and Duffy children too.

It may have been a small comfort if we'd realised we weren't alone - a century before Robert Louis Stevenson clearly experienced the same thing too.

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