5 September 2026
The harbour was sparkling this morning under cloudless skies -
- despite a gale whipping in from the Firth of Forth.
These fishermen's cottages have endured all kinds of harsh weather from the North Sea. Fishermen first settled here in the early 1500s when a new royal dockyard was created for ship building - the Novus Portus de Leith, New Haven.
These row houses in New Lane, the street where the boy is growing up, were built in the 1820s, later reconstructed in identical style with the external staircases in the 1960s.
Sitting between us on the sofa he happily demonstrated his rolling technique. Like sitting independently, it's a fairly new skill. But rather than attempt to crawl now, he is far more interested in skipping that stage and progressing directly to standing and walking.
While enthusiastically jumping in standing, he got an important lesson from his mother in not grabbing the cat's tail. While the cat, good-naturedly, just moved herself slightly out of harm's way.
We took the tram into the city, passing the port of Leith and the giant yellow cranes (for offshore wind turbines) - they've been a feature for a while now but are about to be moved into the sea -
His pram parked on the tram, the boy spent the journey characteristically for him - observing wide-eyed and alert every detail of his surroundings. He does not miss a trick, I've noticed.
