Bus travellers (like me) may have noticed the decreasing number of prepay bus ticket machines, previously to be found alongside some of the bus stops in Central Edinburgh. The Scotsman has furnished me with the answer. The 32 machines are being removed, and from what I can see, largely have already been removed, despite the chance to reduce the ticket price to £1.10 by prepaying. Only 250000 tickets were bought using the machines in the last year, a fall from the early uptake, meaning that only just over 21 tickets were bought each day from each machine. This is quite striking as 100 million journeys are made each year.
The thing which concerns me is that the ticket machines were put in in anticipation of the trams, and now they are saying that trams will be credit-card swipable only - no cash will be used on board the tram. I have no real objection to being no cash, but credit card? How, for example, will children board the trams? And how will one pay for multiple tickets?
A solution which will at least solve the first of these problems, is to switch to an Oyster system. This system, used in London for a good number of years, is a prepaid card, available at Paypoints and the old season ticket retailers. A £3 deposit secures you a card, and then money can be added to your card in as large or small increments as you desire. The reduction of the busfare is so substantial, that even a weekend visitor to London is better off purchasing one of these cards (the 2011 prices are £1.30 per journey on Oyster card, £2.20 without). The card is scanned whenever you access public transport and your balance is debited for the cost of the ticket, up to the cost of a daily pass, at which limit your balance is stable - so in Edinburgh terms, if you will take the bus but you're not sure whether you will need to take 2 or 3, you no longer have to decide immediately. The first two buses will cost the set amount of £1.20, the third bus will automatically cap your bus fare at the bus pass cost of £3.00. (This example is overly simple, as the Oyster card system in London allows a significant discount as we've seen, but the principle is the same.) Every Londoner I know has at least one of these cards, and some have a second - sometimes because they misplaced the first one - which can be used for visitors.
The benefits of this system are manifold, and I will enumerate hereafter.
1. No more hunting around for the correct change before you can get on a bus (or breaking a £10 note to pay for the bus in the early morning as I often do when coming back to the burgh on a coach), leading to...
2. More use of public transport. I'm confident that I would use the bus much more often if I had a prepaid card with a discount on a single fare. It makes the decision to use the bus much easier if you've already paid for it. Especially considering that if I don't have the change, and must needs walk to a cash machine and then to a shop in order to get change, I might well decide to walk the whole way. See this article in the Times for a discussion of why walking is not the greenest option.
3. Quicker bus journeys. The time to swipe and beep is considerably less than the time to find, and sort your change.
4. Increased revenue for the bus company. Not only do you get to sit on my cash in advance, but also you get to keep the surplus not used by tourists when they leave. In London, the savings are so extreme that I make sure I have an Oyster card each time I visit, and about 50% of the time I have lost the card by the time I return. Transport for London must be 'up' about £30 or £40 pounds on my Oyster cards by this point *and* I've still saved money. As I've also noted, I would be very likely to increase my bus usage due to having prepaid, so yet more income would be coming the way of Lothian Buses.
5. The system can easily be updated to include the trams, if and when they finally arrive, so I'll be able to access the trams without using a credit card to do so, and so will my hypothetical children.
6. The existing swipe machines could almost certainly be modified to accept the new cards.
7. If the powers that be were indeed interested in cash free transport, prepaid balance cards are a good way of reinforcing this. London buses are now cash free - you either have an Oyster card or you pay at the bus stop before boarding. Even with such a high number of tourists, there is rarely any hold up explaining this on London buses, and the whole system works much better as a result.
Come on Edinburgh, how about it?
Monday, 14 March 2011
Thursday, 10 March 2011
The simplest way to make pancakes...
This Tuesday was Pancake Day. Held to use up all the delicious treats in the larder before the onset of Lent, pancakes have been eaten in England for at least 600 years, and are common all over the world, but the tradition of eating them on Shrove Tuesday seems to be a British/colonial thing. I find the recipes for pancakes really difficult to deal with - they're such a simple and tasty treat, so I've decided to share my grandmother's recipe and serving suggestions today. Once, as a child, I missed pancake day having been invited to a friend's house. Thinking that it would be just like my Nana's pancake day, but at someone else's house, I accepted, only to have to force down Findus Crispy Pancakes and suffer a little inside. With this recipe, you can avoid this fate.
This recipe does not use measurements. I'm not a chemist, but I'm fairly sure that the amounts needed are based on the capabilities of each ingredient to absorb and react with the others, so I base it simply on how it feels. If you don't add more flour than your eggs can hold, I can't see why this recipe wouldn't work for you.
You'll need
3 eggs
Plain flour
About a pint of milk
vegetable/Sunflower oil
Dried raisins
Sugar
Lemon juice
plus
A mixing bowl
A jug or a ladel
A frying pan
A whisk
A spatchelor/fish slice/egg turner
1. Break the eggs into the bowl.
2. Whisking all the time, add about 2 heaped desert spoons of flour per egg. The mixture should be quite thick, but not completely immovable.
3. Still whisking, slowly add just under a pint of milk, until the mixture seems almost as thin as milk. (If in doubt, leave it on the thicker side, as you can adjust this later.)
4. Preheat your pan and oil. Add more oil than you need, then drain off any excess so the pan has a very thin coating of oil all over. My sister says that the pan should be smoking before you add the first batter, I think that's a little extreme, but it certainly needs to be quite hot. I heat it on the the 5th of the 6 heat settings on my electric hob.
5. Using a ladel, or pouring from a measuring jug, add just enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan. The batter should flow quite easily, so if it's too thick, add some more milk to the mixture. I use about 3/4 of a full ladel for each pancake in a 12 inch pan.
6. When the pancake starts lifting off at the edges, check under the pancake and see how it's doing - the pancake should be golden brown, with darker brown mottling. This should take a couple of minutes. When it's cooked on one side, turn it over. You can toss it, or turn it with a fish-slice like I do. Again, check and see how the pancake is doing after a few minutes. Because it won't have a flat surface on the cooking side once you've turned it, the mottling will be darker in places and less consistently golden brown.
7. Put the cooked pancake on a plate, and sprinkle sugar and raisins all over it, squirt with lemon juice and roll up from one edge.
8. Repeat as necessary. This recipe makes about 12 pancakes. You will need to add (and drain) more oil for every couple of pancakes.
A couple of notes: My grandmother used white sugar, but I use demerara. They are both equally nice. And obviously, you can add whatever toppings/fillings you like - I use raisins and sugar because that's what my Nana used to serve, what you choose is up to you.
The only downside to cooking pancakes is that they require constant cooking, and they are best eaten fresh, so make sure that anyone else that you're cooking for will come in and get their pancakes when they're ready. The chef, unfortunately, eats in the kitchen.
This recipe does not use measurements. I'm not a chemist, but I'm fairly sure that the amounts needed are based on the capabilities of each ingredient to absorb and react with the others, so I base it simply on how it feels. If you don't add more flour than your eggs can hold, I can't see why this recipe wouldn't work for you.
You'll need
3 eggs
Plain flour
About a pint of milk
vegetable/Sunflower oil
Dried raisins
Sugar
Lemon juice
plus
A mixing bowl
A jug or a ladel
A frying pan
A whisk
A spatchelor/fish slice/egg turner
1. Break the eggs into the bowl.
2. Whisking all the time, add about 2 heaped desert spoons of flour per egg. The mixture should be quite thick, but not completely immovable.
3. Still whisking, slowly add just under a pint of milk, until the mixture seems almost as thin as milk. (If in doubt, leave it on the thicker side, as you can adjust this later.)
4. Preheat your pan and oil. Add more oil than you need, then drain off any excess so the pan has a very thin coating of oil all over. My sister says that the pan should be smoking before you add the first batter, I think that's a little extreme, but it certainly needs to be quite hot. I heat it on the the 5th of the 6 heat settings on my electric hob.
5. Using a ladel, or pouring from a measuring jug, add just enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan. The batter should flow quite easily, so if it's too thick, add some more milk to the mixture. I use about 3/4 of a full ladel for each pancake in a 12 inch pan.
6. When the pancake starts lifting off at the edges, check under the pancake and see how it's doing - the pancake should be golden brown, with darker brown mottling. This should take a couple of minutes. When it's cooked on one side, turn it over. You can toss it, or turn it with a fish-slice like I do. Again, check and see how the pancake is doing after a few minutes. Because it won't have a flat surface on the cooking side once you've turned it, the mottling will be darker in places and less consistently golden brown.
7. Put the cooked pancake on a plate, and sprinkle sugar and raisins all over it, squirt with lemon juice and roll up from one edge.
8. Repeat as necessary. This recipe makes about 12 pancakes. You will need to add (and drain) more oil for every couple of pancakes.
A couple of notes: My grandmother used white sugar, but I use demerara. They are both equally nice. And obviously, you can add whatever toppings/fillings you like - I use raisins and sugar because that's what my Nana used to serve, what you choose is up to you.
The only downside to cooking pancakes is that they require constant cooking, and they are best eaten fresh, so make sure that anyone else that you're cooking for will come in and get their pancakes when they're ready. The chef, unfortunately, eats in the kitchen.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Three exhibitions, four books, and a pancake
Yesterday wasn't the nicest day for a walk: an Edinburgh special, grey and windy with a spatter of rain. But I ventured out anyway, to see a few things I've been meaning to go to for a while.
First up, the Into the Deep exhibition in St Andrew Square. This free exhibition of 60 huge photographs is part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Doubtless, with the benefit of sunlight, the images would have been much more impressive, but they were still commanding and beautiful even under the heavy cloud cover. I have to say, I preferred the exhibition last year, the photographs were more striking, but the show is still worth seeing. My particular favourites were 'Leafy Seadragon' and 'Denise's Pygmy Seahorses', both by Alex Mustard.
Then onto the main event, the National Gallery Complex on the Mound. I don't visit the gallery as often as I should, and every time I go in, I wonder why I don't go there more. It has a peaceful atmosphere which is hard to find in a busy city like Edinburgh, especially for a confirmed Leither like myself. The most modern painting I saw, 'Three Oncologists' by Ken Currie, is a striking study of three professors at the Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee. The characters are looking over their shoulders towards the artist, and have a ghostly feel, with a blurred style helping to create an otherworldly atmosphere. I was also struck by Rubens's Feast of Herod, Schalcken's Boy Blowing on a Charcoal, Velazquez's An Old Woman Cooking Eggs, and Meenix's Landscape with Huntsmen and Dead Game (Allegory of the Sense of Smell. I also had the chance to visit The Young Vermeer, a small exhibition of three early painting by Vermeer, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who has a few moments in the centre of town. I had never really 'got' Vermeer before, but The Procuress really blew me away, the use and depth of colour has to be seen to be believed, and it has an almost magickal feeling of presence.
The real reason for my visit, however, was the exhibition 'French Drawings from Poussin to Seurat', upstairs in the Gallery. The nature of illustration means that the three rooms devoted to the exhibition have an understated feel, a pleasant relief after the pomp and circumstance of the oils downstairs. The drawing does show the breadth of the artform, from the almost abstract Jean-Baptiste Pillement's 'Chinoisserie Design with Two Figures on a See-Saw' to landscapes and portraits. I tend to prefer images of ordinary people and ordinary life. I liked A Tavern Brawl by Pierre Alexandre Wille, for its ballsy depiction of alcohol inspired macho, the calm of Camille Corot's A Woman Writing and the mystery of Antoine Berger's The Conjurer. But the stand out for me was a drawing by Ernest Hebert 'Study for the woman of Cervaria'. A coloured study, the woman has a reality and sensuality that I did not really see in the rather stagnant drawings, she came alive with a sense of her place and time. All in all, the exhibition was a great chance to see works by lesser known French artists of the period.
Perhaps the best part of the exhibition was to wander out through a small gallery of impressionists, where I wondered a while at the genius of Van Gogh, and lingered in front of Claude Monet's Shipping by Moonlight, a dark intervention into the pastels and colours in the room. Then out, with just enough time to pick up a Sir John Lavery postcard for my good friend and ordained minister, the Rev. Erik Arneson of Portland, Oregon.
Waterstones, despite strong sales (they are almost the only bookshop in town) have recently closed their shop at the east end of Princes Street, and the last time I ventured to this great thoroughfare, the wind and rain were so intense that I turned around and went home, rather than battle up the road to the remaining Princes Street store. Today, however, I was determined to make it, and soon found myself at their shop at 128 Princes Street. Here I purchased an unabashedly masculine collection of books, The Innocents Abroad, and A Tramp Abroad, both by the eminent Mark Twain (who once visited Edinburgh and became friendly with Dr John Brown of Rutland Street), Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T E Lawrence, and as a bit of light reading, Pyrates by George Macdonald Fraser.
Yesterday was pancake day, and traditionally my family eat our pancakes with raisins, which we were sadly lacking. So the journey home took me into Scotmid (of which I am a member), to obtain my requisites. The local Scotmid to my home became a TESCO last year, meaning that both my closest supermarkets are TESCO, and I no longer visit the Scotmid as much as I'd like. I'd urge everyone to become a member of Scotmid, for a one pound investment in a share, you'll receive a £10 voucher to spend, and a sense of well being and community engagement, priceless.
The walk according to The Google Map Pedometer was 4.68 miles. Nice.
First up, the Into the Deep exhibition in St Andrew Square. This free exhibition of 60 huge photographs is part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Doubtless, with the benefit of sunlight, the images would have been much more impressive, but they were still commanding and beautiful even under the heavy cloud cover. I have to say, I preferred the exhibition last year, the photographs were more striking, but the show is still worth seeing. My particular favourites were 'Leafy Seadragon' and 'Denise's Pygmy Seahorses', both by Alex Mustard.
Then onto the main event, the National Gallery Complex on the Mound. I don't visit the gallery as often as I should, and every time I go in, I wonder why I don't go there more. It has a peaceful atmosphere which is hard to find in a busy city like Edinburgh, especially for a confirmed Leither like myself. The most modern painting I saw, 'Three Oncologists' by Ken Currie, is a striking study of three professors at the Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee. The characters are looking over their shoulders towards the artist, and have a ghostly feel, with a blurred style helping to create an otherworldly atmosphere. I was also struck by Rubens's Feast of Herod, Schalcken's Boy Blowing on a Charcoal, Velazquez's An Old Woman Cooking Eggs, and Meenix's Landscape with Huntsmen and Dead Game (Allegory of the Sense of Smell. I also had the chance to visit The Young Vermeer, a small exhibition of three early painting by Vermeer, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who has a few moments in the centre of town. I had never really 'got' Vermeer before, but The Procuress really blew me away, the use and depth of colour has to be seen to be believed, and it has an almost magickal feeling of presence.
The real reason for my visit, however, was the exhibition 'French Drawings from Poussin to Seurat', upstairs in the Gallery. The nature of illustration means that the three rooms devoted to the exhibition have an understated feel, a pleasant relief after the pomp and circumstance of the oils downstairs. The drawing does show the breadth of the artform, from the almost abstract Jean-Baptiste Pillement's 'Chinoisserie Design with Two Figures on a See-Saw' to landscapes and portraits. I tend to prefer images of ordinary people and ordinary life. I liked A Tavern Brawl by Pierre Alexandre Wille, for its ballsy depiction of alcohol inspired macho, the calm of Camille Corot's A Woman Writing and the mystery of Antoine Berger's The Conjurer. But the stand out for me was a drawing by Ernest Hebert 'Study for the woman of Cervaria'. A coloured study, the woman has a reality and sensuality that I did not really see in the rather stagnant drawings, she came alive with a sense of her place and time. All in all, the exhibition was a great chance to see works by lesser known French artists of the period.
Perhaps the best part of the exhibition was to wander out through a small gallery of impressionists, where I wondered a while at the genius of Van Gogh, and lingered in front of Claude Monet's Shipping by Moonlight, a dark intervention into the pastels and colours in the room. Then out, with just enough time to pick up a Sir John Lavery postcard for my good friend and ordained minister, the Rev. Erik Arneson of Portland, Oregon.
Waterstones, despite strong sales (they are almost the only bookshop in town) have recently closed their shop at the east end of Princes Street, and the last time I ventured to this great thoroughfare, the wind and rain were so intense that I turned around and went home, rather than battle up the road to the remaining Princes Street store. Today, however, I was determined to make it, and soon found myself at their shop at 128 Princes Street. Here I purchased an unabashedly masculine collection of books, The Innocents Abroad, and A Tramp Abroad, both by the eminent Mark Twain (who once visited Edinburgh and became friendly with Dr John Brown of Rutland Street), Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T E Lawrence, and as a bit of light reading, Pyrates by George Macdonald Fraser.
Yesterday was pancake day, and traditionally my family eat our pancakes with raisins, which we were sadly lacking. So the journey home took me into Scotmid (of which I am a member), to obtain my requisites. The local Scotmid to my home became a TESCO last year, meaning that both my closest supermarkets are TESCO, and I no longer visit the Scotmid as much as I'd like. I'd urge everyone to become a member of Scotmid, for a one pound investment in a share, you'll receive a £10 voucher to spend, and a sense of well being and community engagement, priceless.
The walk according to The Google Map Pedometer was 4.68 miles. Nice.
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Stockbridge in the Sun
I had a lovely walk yesterday up to Napiers Herbalists. Napiers, for those not in the know, is one of the gems of Edinburgh; a small and well packed shop full of herbal delights. There you can find all sorts of organic and herbal products, from shampoo to scented candles to vitamin supplements. Much of it is their own brand, and although it is not cheap, the products are very good quality, and it is the only place in town that you can find certain things. I actually went to buy peppermint essence, but in fact ended up buying organic aluminium free roll on deodorant, and fluoride free toothpaste as well.
Popped in at Leith Pipe Shop on my way home, where business is booming. A lot of their business comes from internet and telephone orders, unsurprisingly, as they are one of the few specialist tobacconists in Scotland. And on to the charity shop in Newkirkgate, where you can almost always find a selection of properly good books for the bargain price of 75p. I managed to replace my (lost) copy of V by Thomas Pynchon, so will be settling down for a good read with a muffit of tea soon.
The whole walk was just over 4 miles, which is right on track for my spring plan to shift my biscuit belly.
Popped in at Leith Pipe Shop on my way home, where business is booming. A lot of their business comes from internet and telephone orders, unsurprisingly, as they are one of the few specialist tobacconists in Scotland. And on to the charity shop in Newkirkgate, where you can almost always find a selection of properly good books for the bargain price of 75p. I managed to replace my (lost) copy of V by Thomas Pynchon, so will be settling down for a good read with a muffit of tea soon.
The whole walk was just over 4 miles, which is right on track for my spring plan to shift my biscuit belly.
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside
They say (and I believe them) that you are never more than 45 miles from the sea in Scotland. Leith is one of Scotland's most important ports, although most of the water you can access is actually the mouth of the Water of Leith.
I went for s short stroll along the Shore yesterday, and I took some photographs to prove it. I love living in Leith and being so close to the Shore: the Flemish style architecture with the gable fronted houses reminds me of my childhood in Europe.
The renovation of Lamb's House is coming along well. I wish it was being turned into a Leith Museum rather than flats, but it is nice to see the old building getting a new lease of life as it was getting very run down before. Legend has it that Mary Queen of Scots stayed here.
Back onto the Shore, the King's Wark pub is in a 15th century building that was formerly a royal residence.
The Cruz Bar, a ship converted to a nightclub and bar, adds to the nautical atmosphere of the Shore.
Timber Bush was formerly known as Timber Bourse, a bourse being a market. This entrance by George Brown and Sons Engineers is one of several entrances to confuse the unwary.
At the far end of the Shore, past Fisher's restaurant, there is a beautiful stone memorial. I don't know what it's for (answers on a postcard please) - I suspect it is just a general memorial to Leith's days of seafaring greatness.
The entrance to Tower Place is marked with a bust of Governor John Hunter, from Leith, who became Governor of New South Wales. He also created an illustrated notebook detailing the flora and fauna of New South Wales.
At the far end of the Shore, the last footcrossing is the iron bridge, currently closed because of the trams. If they make it so that only trams can go across the bridge, I will be very unhappy.
I know you're not really supposed to take photographs against the sun, but there was something about this view of the northern side of the Shore that thrilled me.
Following the path around, I found myself (oh how unexpectedly) at Victoria Quay, where the RMJM designed Scottish Government building can be found. I actually really dislike this building, I think it is extremely bombastic.
Back past the lovely Roseleaf, and back over the Sandport Bridge. Looking at the Water of Leith towards Coburg Street, it's hard to see why Leith isn't more visited by tourists and loved by its residents. Maybe we should rename it Little Amsterdam.
I went for s short stroll along the Shore yesterday, and I took some photographs to prove it. I love living in Leith and being so close to the Shore: the Flemish style architecture with the gable fronted houses reminds me of my childhood in Europe.
The renovation of Lamb's House is coming along well. I wish it was being turned into a Leith Museum rather than flats, but it is nice to see the old building getting a new lease of life as it was getting very run down before. Legend has it that Mary Queen of Scots stayed here.
Back onto the Shore, the King's Wark pub is in a 15th century building that was formerly a royal residence.
The Cruz Bar, a ship converted to a nightclub and bar, adds to the nautical atmosphere of the Shore.
Timber Bush was formerly known as Timber Bourse, a bourse being a market. This entrance by George Brown and Sons Engineers is one of several entrances to confuse the unwary.
At the far end of the Shore, past Fisher's restaurant, there is a beautiful stone memorial. I don't know what it's for (answers on a postcard please) - I suspect it is just a general memorial to Leith's days of seafaring greatness.
The entrance to Tower Place is marked with a bust of Governor John Hunter, from Leith, who became Governor of New South Wales. He also created an illustrated notebook detailing the flora and fauna of New South Wales.
At the far end of the Shore, the last footcrossing is the iron bridge, currently closed because of the trams. If they make it so that only trams can go across the bridge, I will be very unhappy.
I know you're not really supposed to take photographs against the sun, but there was something about this view of the northern side of the Shore that thrilled me.
Following the path around, I found myself (oh how unexpectedly) at Victoria Quay, where the RMJM designed Scottish Government building can be found. I actually really dislike this building, I think it is extremely bombastic.
Back past the lovely Roseleaf, and back over the Sandport Bridge. Looking at the Water of Leith towards Coburg Street, it's hard to see why Leith isn't more visited by tourists and loved by its residents. Maybe we should rename it Little Amsterdam.
Monday, 28 February 2011
Spring is in the Air
What better time to start a new blog than springtime? The birds are singing, the snowdrops are in bloom, and the Edinburgh winter is definitely on the retreat.
Yesterday I took a stroll along to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to see the exhibitions in the John Hope Gateway, and to enjoy the spring flowers.
Normally, I would take the Water of Leith Walkway as far as Canonmills, but the sun was shining, and the walkway was still in shadow, so I walked via Pitt Street and joined the Water of Leith Path at Newhaven Bridge. The sunlight threw crisp shadows of the ivy onto the stone embankment.
At Steadfastgate, I stopped to have a look at the Sinclair Fountain.
Unfortunately, the fountain is never in the best of upkeep - once again there was a defacing splash of paint on it, and there is nothing nearby to explain its illustrious history at the foot of Lothian Road. Still, I suppose if there was a plaque there, it would just be another thing to graffiti.
Continuing down the path, with the birds merrily chirping, the smell of the spring bonfires rose from the allotments. There are allotments on both sides of the Warriston Path here, and I don't know their individual site names. Still, they present a beautiful impression of industry, and you can feel the hard work which goes into their upkeep. If you're interested in keeping an allotment in Edinburgh, FEDAGA are the people to contact, they are the association for allotment holders. Unfortunately, the waiting time for allotments is quite long, due to their popularity. It does strike me as an oversight on behalf of our lords and masters that a council service with an up to 9 year waiting list is not better funded to try and provide this for more people, especially with the nunber of tenement householders there are in the City, but ho-hum!
I love the walk along the Warriston Path, it is calm and at times quite surreal. The bridge above one of the paths of Warriston Cemetery took me by surprise the first time I saw it, a moment of Victorian elegance quite at odds with the rambleshack nature of the rest of the path. It looks more like something from Return to Oz than a bridge carrying a simple path way across a marshy ditch.
Taking the path down to Warriston Crescent, I made my way along to the East Gate of the Botanics, but it was closed, despite being 10am (their stated opening time), so I strolled along to the West Gate, through which I hadn't yet been. The John Hope Gateway is a new(ish) addition to the Gardens, and I have to say a welcome one. It houses several exhibition spaces, the Real Science education centre, and a cafe and shop. The shop sells a variety of plant and nature related goodies, including Scotia Seeds, wildflower seeds and meadow mixes of Scottish flowers, and the plant sales section has specially selected plants for growth in Northern Europe. I, however, opted to buy a box of 100 million year old fossilised sharks teeth, for the bargain price of £2.50 for my tooth obsessed partner. This is now probably the oldest thing in my home :)
The two exhibitions I saw were the Venerable Trees exhibition, a selection of etchings by Ian Westacott, and Conserving Ecologies: Craft and Biodiversity. Upstairs in the John Hope Gateway, the etchings of ancient trees were stunning, as shown by the illustrated programme having sold out. The black and white images reminded me of the work of Edward Gorey, and the gnarly trees looked to my fantasy ridden mind like sleeping Ents. Downstairs, the Conserving Ecologies exhibition felt much more as though it were trying to teach me something, which is not a bad thing (I learned, for example, that Scotland has more than 1700 craft practitioners). My favourite piece was Ben Too, by Georgia Crook, consisting of willow and birch baskets, stuck horizontally onto a board, creating an abstract image of textured circles, and I also enjoyed the ceramics of Fiona Byrne-Sutton which are created using soil and clay from Glasgow and Clackmannanshire.
Outside, I walked past (or through) the elegant terraced cafe.
The John Hope Gateway is an excellent way to enter the Gardens, it has a very peaceful atmosphere which sets the mood nicely for a walk around the Gardens. The snowdrops were out in force on the slope in front of Inverleith House.
And the rhododendrons added more welcome colour to the fresh morning.
The star of the day was, however, the Outside In display of Alpine plants, kept safe from the wet winter inside a small glasshouse. Unfortunately, the mesh in front of the plants precluded me from taking a picture, but I would urge anyone to go down and have a look. The miniature flowers burst with colour and give the impression of tiny floral worlds.
Back past the famous Glasshouses and my first visit to the Garden this year came to a close.
Exiting via the East Gate, I took the road across Canonmills bridge and up towards Broughton. Canonmills Baprist Church, once the school of Robert Louis Stevenson, is on the left.
Turning left onto Broughton Road, I passed the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Club, before rejoining the Warriston Path behind TESCO to walk back to Leith.
You can see a map of the route I walked below.
View Walk 27 Feb 2011 in a larger map
Yesterday I took a stroll along to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to see the exhibitions in the John Hope Gateway, and to enjoy the spring flowers.
Normally, I would take the Water of Leith Walkway as far as Canonmills, but the sun was shining, and the walkway was still in shadow, so I walked via Pitt Street and joined the Water of Leith Path at Newhaven Bridge. The sunlight threw crisp shadows of the ivy onto the stone embankment.
At Steadfastgate, I stopped to have a look at the Sinclair Fountain.
Unfortunately, the fountain is never in the best of upkeep - once again there was a defacing splash of paint on it, and there is nothing nearby to explain its illustrious history at the foot of Lothian Road. Still, I suppose if there was a plaque there, it would just be another thing to graffiti.
Continuing down the path, with the birds merrily chirping, the smell of the spring bonfires rose from the allotments. There are allotments on both sides of the Warriston Path here, and I don't know their individual site names. Still, they present a beautiful impression of industry, and you can feel the hard work which goes into their upkeep. If you're interested in keeping an allotment in Edinburgh, FEDAGA are the people to contact, they are the association for allotment holders. Unfortunately, the waiting time for allotments is quite long, due to their popularity. It does strike me as an oversight on behalf of our lords and masters that a council service with an up to 9 year waiting list is not better funded to try and provide this for more people, especially with the nunber of tenement householders there are in the City, but ho-hum!
I love the walk along the Warriston Path, it is calm and at times quite surreal. The bridge above one of the paths of Warriston Cemetery took me by surprise the first time I saw it, a moment of Victorian elegance quite at odds with the rambleshack nature of the rest of the path. It looks more like something from Return to Oz than a bridge carrying a simple path way across a marshy ditch.
Taking the path down to Warriston Crescent, I made my way along to the East Gate of the Botanics, but it was closed, despite being 10am (their stated opening time), so I strolled along to the West Gate, through which I hadn't yet been. The John Hope Gateway is a new(ish) addition to the Gardens, and I have to say a welcome one. It houses several exhibition spaces, the Real Science education centre, and a cafe and shop. The shop sells a variety of plant and nature related goodies, including Scotia Seeds, wildflower seeds and meadow mixes of Scottish flowers, and the plant sales section has specially selected plants for growth in Northern Europe. I, however, opted to buy a box of 100 million year old fossilised sharks teeth, for the bargain price of £2.50 for my tooth obsessed partner. This is now probably the oldest thing in my home :)
The two exhibitions I saw were the Venerable Trees exhibition, a selection of etchings by Ian Westacott, and Conserving Ecologies: Craft and Biodiversity. Upstairs in the John Hope Gateway, the etchings of ancient trees were stunning, as shown by the illustrated programme having sold out. The black and white images reminded me of the work of Edward Gorey, and the gnarly trees looked to my fantasy ridden mind like sleeping Ents. Downstairs, the Conserving Ecologies exhibition felt much more as though it were trying to teach me something, which is not a bad thing (I learned, for example, that Scotland has more than 1700 craft practitioners). My favourite piece was Ben Too, by Georgia Crook, consisting of willow and birch baskets, stuck horizontally onto a board, creating an abstract image of textured circles, and I also enjoyed the ceramics of Fiona Byrne-Sutton which are created using soil and clay from Glasgow and Clackmannanshire.
Outside, I walked past (or through) the elegant terraced cafe.
The John Hope Gateway is an excellent way to enter the Gardens, it has a very peaceful atmosphere which sets the mood nicely for a walk around the Gardens. The snowdrops were out in force on the slope in front of Inverleith House.
And the rhododendrons added more welcome colour to the fresh morning.
The star of the day was, however, the Outside In display of Alpine plants, kept safe from the wet winter inside a small glasshouse. Unfortunately, the mesh in front of the plants precluded me from taking a picture, but I would urge anyone to go down and have a look. The miniature flowers burst with colour and give the impression of tiny floral worlds.
Back past the famous Glasshouses and my first visit to the Garden this year came to a close.
Exiting via the East Gate, I took the road across Canonmills bridge and up towards Broughton. Canonmills Baprist Church, once the school of Robert Louis Stevenson, is on the left.
Turning left onto Broughton Road, I passed the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Club, before rejoining the Warriston Path behind TESCO to walk back to Leith.
You can see a map of the route I walked below.
View Walk 27 Feb 2011 in a larger map
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