30th January

Today's picture is of the pressure cooker which is currently de-pressurising on the hob. And what's inside? Azerbaijan lamb stew for tomorrow night's tea.

29th January

A fancy wall on the edge of the Heriot Watt University campus, just off the A71. The sort of wall that is unlikely to be specced in any modern boundary fencing requirements!

28th January

Mini-M and Mr E both engrossed with the robot story cards.

27th January

I have seasonally confused rhubarb! I hope it survives the rest of winter since it's still only January...

26th January

Mini-M helping with some baking after my cold finally started to clear a little bit and I started to feel a bit more enthusiasm for doing things!

25th January

Happy Burns Night! I hope you had haggis for your tea - we did - yum! Today's picture isn't of haggis. It's of some rather obstructive parking encountered on the way to work. I think this car started off 'parked' in it's driveway without the handbrake on and it then rolled slowly across the road until the roadworks stopped it! U turns were required all round - although thankfully I wasn't driving otherwise we'dprobably still be stuck there...

24th January

Mini-M and Mr E proudly displaying the Selkirk Bannock they baked this afternoon. Nothing beats walking into the house after work being greeted with the smell of baking Bannock!

23rd January

Now I'm the poorly one! I sniffed and sneezed my way through work today and am hoping I can do the same tomorrow! Right now I can't help thinking I should be asleep... Hoping I nod off soon but  for the meantime I'm listening to soporific things on my old school iPod!

22nd January

Rubbish photo day today - picture taken from the bus on the way home. Burton's biscuit factory in Sighthill - the source of the amazing sweet biscuity smell when I came out of work today.

21st January

The selection of books chosen for me by Mr E and Mini-M when they went on a poorly peoples' trip to the library earlier today. They both have a vicious snotty variety of lurgy - I am steering as clear as I can and dosing myself up on Berocca!

20th January

Mini-M's been poorly today. It's been a day of slumping on the sofa with Jemima Puddleduck for cuddles, watching CBeebies repeats on iPlayer. Thankfully by tea time she was starting to perk up.

19th January

"When I'm a little bit bigger Mummy I coming back and choosing this one" Really.....?

18th January

Snow!!!! In Leith!!!

17th January

This sums up my evening - not eating burgers but doing puzzles, watching tv, web browsing and eating toast. Brain dead tonight after an unpleasantly epic drive home from work... Off to bed now zzzzzzzzz!

16th January

Red sky in the morning (and -6C on the car thermometer) shepherds' warning. This is the sunrise from my work car park.

15th January

1st day at new job today - then epic toddler tantrums when I got home. It's been a recurring theme recently (the tantrums, not starting new jobs every day!), so 15 mins with a Sharpie and some brown wrapping paper and we now have 'Martha's Big Behaviour Chart' on the wall. The idea is that if there's good or bad behaviour, then that earns a tally mark on the chart, and the aim is to have more good than bad at the end of the week...

14th January

Today was a 1-day lull between jobs and I spent it catching up on odd jobs with a little bit of guiltily doing nothing too! Here's a view of Leith docks from the top of Ocean Terminal.

13th January

Reading the ikea instructions during construction of the new bed.

12th January

A very lovely and indulgent lunch at Prestonfield House - complete with pheasants strutting around outside! Thankyou wonderful babysitters for making it possible!

11th January

Playing in the park in questionably suitable weather - but that's what wellies and puddle suits are for, right?

10th January

My leaving cake at work. Going to miss everyone but new challenges ahead at SEPA

9th January

St Andrew's square at twilight.

8th January

Tree silhouettes on a lunchtime wander

7th January

Because nothing says 7th January like Christmas pudding!

6th January

Bedtime story - "Katie Morag And The Big Boy Cousins"

5th January

This morning I cleared my desk! 5.5yrs of accumulated junk and now I need to find space at home for all my old uni textbooks - i foresee some shelf rearranging! New job starts imminently though... Big changes to start 2013.

4th January

I'm bad at To-Do lists. Mr E is a To-Do list king. In 2013 I'm trying to do better! So I've made a list of 20 housework-y tasks to complete by the end of January, with the aim of doing one per day (in no particular order!), which allows me a little room for slacking...

3rd January

Bed shopping in IKEA - Mini-M trying her soon-to-be big girl bed for size. She's not quite got the whole pillow thing sorted yet...

2nd January

Mini-M sneaking a sprinkle after decorating some Mr Tumble inspired cupcakes.

1st January

Trying out the new elbow and knee pads on the birthday bike which, 6 months later finally fits! Good job we were on the sand as the helmet is going to offer limited protection attached to the rucksack... Sunshine but so cold! Happy New Year!