One of Edinburgh’s most distinctive features is its Victorian swimming pools. Originally places for people to wash (not for nothing were they called ‘baths’), many of them still survive today in the era of internal plumbing.

One such institution is the Glenogle Baths. A massive £5.3m renovation is due to complete this summer, when the pool will re-open  to the public.

Unexpected setting

“The Glenogle” (as it is known) is an example of Edinburgh philanthropy, aimed at people too poor to afford running water. But the founders did not skimp on building costs. The pool is an example of fabulous 19th century architecture, all the more impressive for its unexpected setting, at the end of a quiet residential street.

Like so many good things in this city, it’s built into the side of a hill.

Much as I love “The Glenogle”, no-one could argue renovation was long overdue. The changing arrangements left much to be desired. There were no lockers, you just had to trust to people's honesty. None of my things ever went missing, but there was always a smidgeon of worry at the back of my mind as I ploughed up and down the slow lane.

Gothic building

The changing cubicles were ranged alongside the pool. Only a curtain separated you from public view. Privacy wasn’t a big priority for the City fathers. But the building, with its Gothic turrets, arrow holes (no archery lessons on offer, sadly) and cornicing was phenomenal.

Getting a shower could be tricky. I misunderstood the Edinburgh baths etiquette (someone could write a book on that subject, in fact, knowing Edinburgh, someone probably has) and stripped off for my shower. Let's just say I won't make that mistake again.

Threat of closure

At one point, the pool was under threat of closure. Rumours swirled that Edinburgh council would sell the building to a developer who would turn it into flats. A campaign to save the pool prevailed. And in October 2008, the pool close its doors as a £5.3m restoration programme started.

Commonwealth Games 2014 in Edinburgh

If all goes according to plan, the pool will play a role in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.

It’s a privilege to have a swimming pool so full of character and history in a local area. It will be even more of a privilege when we have lockers to stow our things and privacy for changing.

Glenogle Baths, Saxe-Coburg Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Pool revamp to turn Glenogle into bathing beauty – Edinburgh Evening News
Glenogle Baths – campaign

Are you a lover of the bacon sarnie? Then you must head to Moo Cafeteria. Their version of this classic (just £1.75) is the best I've eaten in many years. For a start, the bacon tasted like it had been cooked from scratch, not just microwaved. A novel sensation in this day and age. A freshness about roll and bacon was almost equally unusual.

A trip to Moo is also a chance to enjoy viewing the Moo micro farm. It’s like a child’s farm, complete with plastic animals, fences and farmers. It ranges over several shelves of a display cabinet. The owners are justifiably proud of what they have created - with both cafe and farm.

Moo decor is quirky (mismatched chairs, black and white stripes on the walls) and staff are friendly. One of them watched over my 19 month old daughter while I took her elder sister to the loo.

The ethos is hearty home-cooked food that isn’t too pretentious. You can even find much-loved Scottish meat pies. These are the kind yearned for by many home-sick Scots (including me) when abroad.

The cuisine is an endearing mixture of trendy gastro fare (such as the pork and chorizo cassoulet, boeuf bourguignon and thai green curry). Alongside that are Scottish staples, such as the aforementioned bacon sarnie and pies.

Eldest daughter was taken by the tubes of Lovehearts sweets arranged in a basket near floor level. Fans of traditional Scottish confectionary will be pleased to know there are Tunnocks wafers on sale too.

Moo is a little bit different to your typical Edinburgh cafe. It’s got a stylish eccentricity. It’s a bit fun, a bit different. It’s like a cross between your favourite greasy spoon, a Scottish fish and chip shop and an upmarket French restaurant.

It also offers good value. You can have a slap-up roast dinner complete with trimmings for less than a tenner. The coffee (Italian) is fabulous, though I might be biased. I was in particular need of a caffeine jag the day I visited after pushing my children around the nearby Botanics for hours.

Moo only opened late last year and is already building a strong local fan base. I struggled to remember what was on the site before, though I must have walked past it often enough. Eventually I remembered it was previously home to a steak house. I never once went inside. I've already become a regular at Moo.

It’s hard to imagine two restaurants that could be more different to each other. Moo is all bright colours and trendy modernism, in a way the steak house, well, you know, wasn’t.

You can find Moo in the city’s Canonmills area, close to the Water of Leith Walkway and Royal Botanic Gardens.

If you had the money, would you spend it on a £23,000 bottle of whisky? Maybe you wouldn't (and neither would I). But some daring soul has done just that. Last November, the Edinburgh branch of auctioneers Bonhams sold a 1858 bottle of Dalmore Oculus for £23,000, according to local paper, the Edinburgh Evening News.

The Sheep Heid in Edinburgh is Scotland's oldest surviving pub. When you consider how many people rave about the place, it's not surprising it has notched up more than 600 years in business.

If you like cheese, you must visit Edinburgh. The city's IJ Mellis is one of the best cheesemonger in world. The business has three stores dotted around Edinburgh. In each of them you will find a selection of the best hand-made cheeses from Scotland and abroad.

Tired by the hustle and bustle of daily life? Worn down by winter? You could escape with a trip to the Edinburgh Floatarium in Stockbridge.

It is turning out a good year for the 'great chieftain o' the pudding race'. Edinburgh haggis maker Macsween reports haggis sales up a quarter to last week's Burns' Night.

The cost of the building remains more controversial than any legislation passed within its walls. But, despite its set-backs, the Scottish Parliament has changed our sense of what it means to be Scottish. Even if that change if based more on the idea of parliament than its actual legislative powers.