Tenement Building Lists

Penned in as Edinburgh is by sea and rock a large part of the urban housing is made up of 'high density' tenement buildings. I use quotation marks because contemporary high density – especially in places like Tokyo and the once upon a time high density of when these were built is a vastly different thing- yes these are multi-story, multi-occupancy buildings- but it is actually a pretty nice place to live and you could probably house a Japanese business man in our box room and he would call it a palace.

I mention this for no particular reason other than to explain that when I use the term tenement building to explain where I find myself living these days I do not wish to conjure up images of slum dwellings/ high rise/ housing estate ect.

Edinburgh tenement buildings and parkland

It is a home day today. A rare day at home for me and a day for packing up to head home for my mother. It is a pottering day of packing, writing notes, returning from shops, opening packages, drinking cups of tea.

Our lunch outing today was with a woman my mother met when she came to their caravan park in Nowa Nowa – she came for a day or two and stayed for ten. The meeting gives a funny circularity to her last full day in Scotland.

We had breezy sunshine when we headed out but now we are home and the rain clouds have come in. The Pentlands appear and disappear in the cloud out the window as the rain falls. Sitting up on the third floor is nice and snug and the wet outside makes ideas of any last minute outings unpleasant. We will not get to the castle today, or up Arthur's Seat, or to the library, gallery or museum. That is just fine.

Sounds in the tenement:

Cars going by on the wet road

a violin

mobile phone beeps

pages turn and a pen scratches

mother packing

hammering across the road

light rain on the windows

crockery clunks

Silence in the tenement:

the plants grow

books gather dust

today the piano is silent

Tenement stairwell

Smells in the tenement:

my thriving mint plant- I am very proud of this weed like plant's big healthy leaves. My best effort so far at putting down literal roots here in Scotland.

spilt oil based house paint in the cupbourd making me a little high this morning.

more laundry drying.

the Spanish boy is cooking and as his pots bubble away and occasionally boiling over fill the house with tasty smells.

Today is the day to seperate out the essentials to be packed from the non essential:

rain bonnets – No

dried fruit – No

new shoes – Yes

books and books and books – Yes

Turkish teacups- Yes

Turkish teapot- Yes

Today is a day for sorting a months accumulated papers, photos, receipts, ticket stubs, postcards, clothes and books. It is for getting rid of the sand in pockets and saying goodbye. 

Rover and mum arting about in Glasgow