Twenty Six

Twenty Six was bought and built for the Arbuthnott Family and they moved in in 1974 or so. Father Gordon worked at Edinburgh university and was to be seen cycling off to Dalmeny Station to catch a train into the city of a morning, and was usually doing the same ready for the 6pm dinner slot. Mother Joan worked variously for the local community and church but mostly attempted to keep sons David (Buff) and Peter (Wee Pete) fed and watered.

The key feature of the house was the garage, and the pool table therein.Countless evenings were spent listening to either Dire Straits or Meat Loaf and knocking the balls back and forth.

The gap through the trees at the bottom of the back garden led out across a tree over the burn and into the woods. The path in the woods led first to the tree house, then out to what became the football field, but was initially the edge of the captains house. Turning right would take you round the back of the houses all the way down to the conker road. Continuing through the woods and you could wander up to the badgers set or deep and out the far side to the big fields.

The Arbuthnott family moved away in 1994, renting the house out for a time before selling it on to ...