Art and fish in the snow

Christmas market
Originally uploaded by goforchris.

We chose the first really wintry weather to make a trip east, where the snow was, by the time I took this pic, falling in large blobs. We were visiting the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh to see the Joan Eardley exhibition, and it was from the garden room below the galleries that I caught this view.

I loved especially the paintings of the Glasgow urchins - the main attraction, as far as I was concerned - but found myself unsettled by the perspective in some of the landscape or - particularly - cityscape paintings. I need an artist to explain to me why someone who has the skills would deliberately skew the perspective on, say, an Italian facade so that it looks like a child's attempt at realism. I know that I could see the point of the increasing abstraction of the paintings of children, so it's probably ignorance on my part. Comments welcome.

Apart from this, we were drowned in slush-puddle by a speeding White Van Man (bastard), enjoyed more Catriona-visiting, and had a great lunch in the newish Loch Fyne Restaurant in New Haven, along the front from Leith. Mr B and I had the set lunch menu (£11) - we chose a pickled herring salad starter and pan-fried dorade on mash with pesto and a side order of veg. Ewan and Morgane had mussels, fish pie and amazing puddings, which they pronounced excellent. The fish was great - I've been missing fish over the Christmas season - and the veg inspired me to try this way with savoy cabbage. I like to feel when I eat out that either this is something I'd be proud to have made myself or that I would never in a month of Sundays create anything as wonderful. Yesterday's meal came into the former category, and I was well content. The service was slowish - it was quite busy, even at 1.30pm - but the surroundings relaxing and cheerful, with just the right level of background noise/music to ensure that we could talk comfortably but not worry if Catriona got fed up. In the event, she was angelic, and much admired (of course).

Now we're back in the grey, wet west and Mr B is cooking tonight. I'm already looking forward to my next trip ...