This parking business is really getting up my nose. Yesterday I brought my car in because I slept late and walked the dog late and generally did everything late, including leaving for work. No change for a parking meter, no time to get change for a parking meter, so I parked where I've parked unmolested before: on the verge (paved, not blocking the footpath) outside the work garage. I could/should have gone back and shifted it into the garage at 6pm but I was busy so I didn't.

At about 10.30 I was in the canteen when a woman I swear I've never seen before said to me: "Is that your car that was out by the garage door?" Was? "It's just that the security guard came in earlier and asked whose car it was, he said the police were going to lift it." Aieeeee! "I thought it was yours, so when I saw you there I thought I'd mention it..."

I sprinted out on to the balcony and phew, the car was still there. So I asked the security guard about it and he said yes, the police have been coming down hard on cars illegally parked outside buildings like ours, in the interests of security. Fair enough. I raced upstairs, grabbed my keys, raced back down, moved the car and breathed a sigh of relief.

Then this morning on my doormat I found a little yellow calling card from the police. I didn't notice it last night, not sure when they left it. Apparently my car was found abandoned last night! And they'd like me to contact them urgently about it! As if.

So today my car has been abandoned in South Queensferry and I'm getting a taxi home. It's so, so, so annoying!

In other news, I got Pinky's birthday present in the mail this morning -- Thunderpants! And a bottle of sparkly lilac nail varnish called Angelic. Perfect.

This morning the weather was ... weatherful. I don't know what the word is for this; say if it's fine and sunny all day, or rains steadily or whatever, that's not weatherful. This morning it was sunny, but there were big purple-bellied clouds hanging ominously in the west and north. Their tops were gleaming white castles, towers of foam. After 20 minutes or so a few spots of rain fell and bingo, a brilliant rainbow formed over the river, a double rainbow in fact, vivid against the darkening cloud. We turned tail and headed for home. Sure enough, in minutes heavy rain was pelting down. Later in the afternoon we ventured back out and had a wonderful walk in bright sunshine. The clouds were still threatening and it was bitterly cold, but it's great weather if you're wrapped up warm.