If you're the kind of person who likes making lists (I am) and you've ever been on the lookout for a new home, the chances are that you've sat down and drawn up a list of criteria to try and narrow down the choices. Must haves, nice to haves, maybe even a few things to be avoided, will be fed into the equation along with price and location.
When we were engaged on that search three years ago, one of the nice to haves, but an important one, was an interesting view, ideally with some trees and a bit of green. Given that one of our other lines on the list specified being fairly near to the city centre, the options were greatly reduced.
So I still can't believe our luck in ending up with a place that's less than a half hour walk from Princes Street, and looks out, from every window, on to trees and grass and the odd bit of wildlife (I counted 15 magpies sitting in the nearest tree the other day) - even if that comes in the form of one of the cities larger cemeteries. The place I documented in my "A Year in the Life.... of Death" photoblog.
But there's a lot more green space nearby. The nearest bus route runs along the northern side of the graveyard, and on the other side of that is Pilrig Park, home to a large children's play area, space for a football pitch, myriad dog walkers, and the 17th century Pilrig House. And a pleasant route to take down to Leith, which is what I did a couple of days ago. The trees might be bare, but the bright sunlight, blue sky and stark shadows gave the place a bit of visual drama, and I felt compelled to stop and take a few photos along the way.
That clear sky and strong low sun stretched out the objects, and people, in the park.
With unexpected bonus of a shining river of....
mud.
From our balcony the park is only this far away - you can see the path from the above photos running up from the centre of the image.
I am a city person. The idea of living in 'the country' no longer has the slightest superficial appeal to me, and the very thought runs waves of boredom through my brain. But there remains something, perhaps even some primeval urge, to be said for having a tenuous link back to nature, and the green spaces in our cities are important in providing the sense of peace and connection that provides an antidote to all that urban busyness. Edinburgh is well enough provided with tree lined places to walk, and even it's own pseudo wilderness right in the centre, with an extinct volcano to climb. We were lucky to find ourselves so close to one part of that network, and the reminder it provides of just how essential they are to civilised living.
