The Scottish Storytelling Centre

A personal favourite. A retreat in the centre of Edinburgh. If you’re in a sudden down pour, having a ‘bathroom emergency’, need to regroup your herd (and your own sanity), or for no reason at all, the cafe in the Scottish Storytelling Centre is the place.

Enter through the ancient and rather dark John Knox House, the reception to the storytelling centre, go straight ahead and emerge in a light, airy, quite spectacular space. Let the kids escape into it, and they’ll find a wall of little doors revealing all kinds of treasures, a basket of dressups, and maybe even a story being told. Make yourself comfortable on the carved wooden chairs, feast your eyes on the array of home made cakes and try to decide which one to order with your beautifully prepared coffee. Enjoy the table service, which for a flustered parent, without any grown up help, is more a necessity than a luxury, and have a personal moment while the children explore. The food is fresh and home made.

So where do I find it?
Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1SR
UK

Facilties

High chairs, Baby change, big open indoor space to play.

For more information visit their website

Debenhams Cafe

On the top floor of the Debenhams Princess Street department store, this place is worth a visit, just for the view. On a snowy, rainy, windy day, enjoying a bowl of hot soup, with Edinburgh Castle filling the entire top floor window, there cannot be any forgetting where you are. It is a typical push your tray along, pick up your tab at the end type eatery, which can be a challenge with children and buggy’s in tow. However the staff are friendly and will help you to your table if needed. If the weather is really bad, It’s also  a great opportunity for a little shopping after lunch

Where do I go?
109 Princess Street, Edinburgh

Facilities
Bathrooms, Baby change. High chiars, Lift.

As it is a national department store the Debenhams website doesn’t have any specific info on this particular restaurant.

The Gyle Centre Food Hall

Not strictly speaking a cafe or restaurant, this place is still worth a mention. Tucked away at one end of the food hall is the ‘family area’. Don’t be put off by the connotation, as families can sit anywhere, however the beauty of this is the large, fairly well enclosed space. There is only one, relatively small exit into the main area, instead of 2 escalators, a stair case and a lift to avoid. There are fairy tale murals on the walls and right in the middle of the room are play tables surrounded with new friends to play with. You may find yourself (as we did) sitting, relaxing over a coffee and having a proper conversation.

Where is it?

Gyle Shopping Centre
Gyle Avenue, South Gyle, Edinburgh, EH12 9JY

Facilities

Toilets big enough for buggies, a dedicated changing room, high chairs

Sainsbury’s Cafe

This is my most regular ‘haunt’ as it is attached to my local supermarket.

A cafe attached to a supermarket…. really?

In Australia this brings up images of pre cut sandwhiches sitting in glass cabinets and chocolate mousse in plastic wine glasses with not so fresh cream on top.

Sainsbury’s cafes are nothing like this

Another ‘push your tray along’ type, this one does have a selection of sandwhiches/paninis (for toasting and serving with chips), as well as fresh baking, cool drinks, and great healthy lunch bags for the kids (fantastic when they need to eat immediately). Freshly brewed tea or coffee, and any hot meals are ordered at the end of the line…… The hot meals are large and excellent value for money. The only thing delivered to the table is the hot food, so with kids and buggies in tow, it can take 2 trips. We tend to go at the beginning, before the shopping as I find the resulting full tummies can reduce the amount of nagging…. a little. On the other hand if you save it for after, it can be a great bribe

How do I get there?

No related posts.

Addition is the narrative of a woman teetering on the edge of madness (of which kind I’ll not tell) and occasionally diving head first all the way in.

The ‘back story’ is gently revealed. The story behind her madness. The story that is her, teased from the pages as each chapter unfolds.

Her voice changes markedly……. through her ‘normal’ life….. to her sinking completely into the depths…… and her period of ‘recovery’….. yet it is always satyrical and humerous and completely self justified.

There is wisdom, pain, sex, swearing and completely unexpected tangents.

I laughed out loud

I almost cried

And I loved that it was set in Melbourne, my home town, spoken in my language. I felt I understood her…and felt her madness…. as only someone who has lived in Melbourne can truly understand her distaste for Melbourne weather….. it, in itself is enough to send anyone mad

You may also enjoy my review of Richard Brason’s Losing My Virginity.

No related posts.

This week I’ve been a little stuck.
The washing is behind
The dishes are done late
The kids are watching more TV
The floors need cleaning
The list goes on…..

All because of a book
Yes I’ve been reading in any ’spare’ minute I get.
And the Book?
Richard Branson’s first autobiography ‘Losing My Virginity’

It is honest and personal, engaging and inspiring, entertaining and informative and at times very surprising. There also some incredibly exciting ballooning moments as well.
I am impressed by the man.
He is courageous in business and in life.
He is creative and imaginative.
He has an amazing sense of fun and adventure (and a willingness to “try anything once”)
He thinks laterally,
He produces ways to solve peoples problems (I think this may be one ‘key’ to his success)
He is warm and kind
He looks after his people, who in return look after his business
And finally, his family comes first.

The book reads so easily, like a good novel, and is full of insights about making the most out of business and life.

I have been most impacted by how the book has made me think and feel about parenting.
Personally, I am have been highly influenced by my parents opinions (even silence can be opinionated!), and now wonder how my opinions could limit my sons?
Branson’s parents only gave him their opinion when he asked them!

I wonder where he’d be today had his parents ever doubted him?

As parents we all have ideas and hopes for our children, and we can also be their biggest critics. In an attempt to protect them and guide them to where we believe they should be going, we may also be limiting their potential….. Certainly food for thought.

I would definitely recommend this book whether you’re in business or not, (and whether you can remember the 60s or not!)

It has left me a little breathless

In the words of Branson himself…

“…to be successful you have to be out there, you have to hit the ground running, and if you have a good team around you and more than your fair share of luck you might make something happen. But you certainly can’t guarantee it just by following someone else’s formula.”

Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way

Related posts:

1. Book Review – ‘Addition’ by Toni Jordan