Halloween Costume

Oh wait, he always looks like that.

The Cube

"So, we're developing a new office block. It will be big and square. What shall we call it? Anyone? Hey, how about... The Cube!"
Creativity must have been at an all time low at that meeting. Maybe it was inspired by the monstrosity that is the St James Centre which is directly across the road. Alien Wally is taking what could be his last chance to get a picture of the monuments on Calton Hill from this position. No doubt one day he'll end up working in a cubicle inside The Cube for his sins.

Broughton St Mary's

Just down the road from work, Alien Wally stopped to take this picture while on an emergency run to Tesco for more coffee.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

Self Portrait

Objects In The Rear View Mirror

Autumn Garden

Possibly the last day of Autumn depending on how one measures these things. The clocks in the UK revert back to GMT from tomorrow, certainly an indication that Winter is bearing down on the MacNoodle household.

4 Seasons

Sun, wind, rain, it was all happening today. Shortly after taking this picture of the sun catching the trees along Queen Street, Alien Wally was doused in damp when the dark clouds caught up with him.

Wallyford Station, 07:06

When Alien Wally gets it together enough to be on the platform in time for the early train, the East Coast Express blasts through on its way to London at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Two minutes later, Alien Wally's train rolls sedately into the station offering a far less exhilirating trip in to the city centre.

More Bridges, More Trains

Some might say Alien Wally has an unhealthy obsession with trains and bridges. They might be right. Here we have Warriston Viaduct, made slightly more interesting by the stonework under the arches being cut to cater for the angle that the river makes with the bridge. Trains emerging from the Scotland Street Tunnel would cross this bridge heading for Granton Harbour, however nowadays only pedestrians and bicycles have access to it.

Gold In Them Hills

Looking back as Alien Wally got off the train and crossed the line this evening.

Arthur's View

A couple of weeks back, Mags and Alien Wally tried to find their sea view. Unfortunately, even from the upstairs window, the Forth could not be seen. They therefore walked north to find Arthur's View, a break in the woods that provides a view from Arthur's seat round to North Berwick Law.

Ruralness

Some ruralness from Alien Wally's ride yesterday.

Pencaitland Railway

In times gone by, there were many coal mines dotting the East Lothian landscape. The Pencaitland Railway served these mines, linking villages such as Pencaitland and Ormiston. The line was closed in 1965, and has now been developed as a walk and cycle way. Alien Wally took his trusty bike out along the route, taking this picture of the bridge just outside Ormiston, a bridge that Maw & Paw Wally would definitely have driven over on their last visit.

Tyne River Walk

Mags and Alien Wally would dearly love to be able to claim this as their driveway, but for now they'll have to settle for at least being able to walk down to this gate from their house. Winton House lurks behind the trees, with the River Tyne flowing just out of shot to the left.

Seagull!

On his head, if you look closely enough - just to provide evidence to back up claims made here. Autumn is spreading its way through the trees lining Princes Street, soon the statues should have an unrestricted view of the mass of shoppers jostling for Christmas bargains. Alien Wally hopes that his statue will one day be positioned in front of an evergreen tree to save him from that fate.

Winton House

Another picture from Alien Wally's daily commute. This is the entrance to Winton House, just outside the village. Autumn set in on the gate fairly early on in the season, but this is the first time Alien Wally drove past as the sun was highlighting the leaves.

Morning Commute

Alien Wally's daily commute includes this view as he heads out of Tranent. His destination is just on the other side of Arthur's Seat - the long extinct volcano at the heart of Edinburgh.

Whiteadder River

Another picture from the weekend, just outside of the thriving metropolis of Abbey Saint Bathans. The Whiteadder River flows through the Lammermuir Hills, keeping the Whiteadder Reservoir supplied, which in turn supplies most of the East Lothians, MacNoodle's home included. Fortunately for all concerned, the fun section of the river is downstream from the reservoir, safely out of reach of Alien Wally's ambitions of finding a whitewater kayak.

Weekend Bliss

In order to keep a modicum of decorum, Alien Wally and Mags chose not to sprawl out on the pavement this weekend, tempted as they were. Clearly MacNoodle did not get this memo.

Edin's Hall Broch

Alien Wally and Mags really need to spend more time exploring their new surroundings. With this in mind, they headed down to the Lammermuir Hills, about 20 minutes drive South from their house. They are a very unassuming presence when viewed from a distance, however once reached, they offer a surprising view back over the whole of the East Lothians. Alien Wally was too busy negotiating the narrow and winding road to take pictures, so you will have to take his word for this.

After inching their way along a single track road deeper into the hills, they happened on the small village of Abbey St Bathans, so small it doesn't actually have an Abbey. From here, a short walk along muddy paths leads to Edin's Hall Broch, the remains of an Iron Age fort.

Alien Wally accepts that the cairn pictured above probably hasn't been that way since the Iron Age, however the structure in the background has, which is all rather impressive.

Old Seven Legs

Not that Mags stopped to count his legs when she spotted him. She was shuddering for the rest of the evening at the realisation that while she was drawing the curtains earlier, old seven legs was probably hanging around above her head. With only seven legs keeping him up there instead of the usual eight.

Shameless Flag Waving

Alien Wally spent a significant part of yesterday's lunchtime stroll aiming his camera at this scene waiting for both flags to fly fully unfurled in the same direction, but decided to cut short a wait that history indicates might be fairly lengthy.

The Other End

Following on from yesterday's discovery, Alien Wally felt compelled to find the other end of the Scotland Street Tunnel. Hiding in clear sight, across from platform 19 at Waverley Station, the entrance is now mostly closed over. Alien Wally managed to stop himself from charging headlong at it in the hopes it would give him access to platform 19½ in Harry Potter fashion.

The Underground

On his lunch time walk today, Alien Wally discovered this tantalizing opening into darkness.

Back at his desk, he found this is actually the entrance to an old train tunnel running up to Waverley Station, almost a kilometre in length. Sadly not used by trains anymore, the tunnel has been used for mushroom growing, storing cars, and as an air raid shelter. Alien Wally wishes he had the key for the gate - it may not be a very effective shortcut, but it would make for a far more interesting walk to work from the station every morning.

Mehehehe

Given that Alien Wally spent today wrapped up against the cold and rain, he has decided to show an idyllic scene from yesterday's walk up the road. At this time of year, clear days like this are expensive, the terms for repayment include having to frantically scrape ice off the car the following morning as one scrambles to make the train on time.

Size Does Matter

So says Mags. Granted, someone's getting a raw deal here, but Alien Wally doesn't see the problem.

Saturday Night Fun

What better way to spend a Saturday night than peeling paper off the ceiling?

Autumn Sprinkle

The tree outside the MacNoodle's residence is doing its best to resist the change, but a small faction of leaves have turned traitor.

Mooo

Mags and Alien Wally had the great idea of heading out for a pint at their local this evening. The sun was out, the wind had died down, and the bulls were frolicking in the fields.

However, just after taking this picture, the dark clouds that had been adding contrast to the horizon suddenly arrived and dumped their contents on the hapless couple who had chosen to leave their rain gear at home. It was a rather miserable pair that finally made it home, having ascertained that their local does not accept plastic in any form. Roll on Friday!

Royal Societies

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, with a statue of King George in the foreground commemorating his visit to Edinburgh in 1822. Alien Wally would love to lay claim to being a "Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh", but he would be competing with the likes of James Watt and Walter Scott.