christmas quacker

 

Arthur and the birds at Christmas. 25/12/20
When Mary suggested an xmas day run along Princes St to have a laugh at the horrors of commerce and tomfoolery that christmas inevitably engenders and that the mainstream bends over backwards to embrace, I felt slightly sorry. I would miss the usual Holyrood gallop past Americans (not this year) trying to Merry Christmas us, while visiting the highest point before returning to eat something seasonally appropriate. Somewhere along the way Mary changed her mind and we reverted to the traditional run. I do like a tradition! 😉

Mary Christmas

Bumped into Roly visiting his daughter 1 street away!

weather was swithering between good and grey

Normally Arthur Seat at Christmas is full of American and overseas accents but just about everyone was speaking English with more locals than usual. Normally no locals or next to none. The wind was whipping the covid bugs out and away and there was a fairly friendly atmosphere.

When taking photos of the Pentlands I noticed there were a number of crows all enjoying gliding and soaring on the updrafts coming up the front of Nether Hill and the Gutted Haddie. We went over for a closer look. They were quite flighty although when I remembered I had jammed the end of a loaf into my back pack pocket I lured them over for a closer photo. They were quite nervous to begin with but after 2 or 3 had collected a few bits, it was if a call went out and a decision made that I was fairly harmless and giving out treats. The first couple of birds collected the bread as if waiting for the first taster to drop dead after eating it. They kept it in little stashes, not eating it immediately but feeling it might come in handy later. (If crow number1 did not croak on swallowing.) After a bit they began to circle and soar nearer and all gathered around where I was. Mary had gone to hide from the wind over the other side of the hill as it was strong, cold and lacerating. I was still trying to hold the camera steady in the freezing breeze and get some photos. It ticked my box so completely and put such a spring in my step that the absence of the otter down below in Dunsapie didn't spoil the day one bit.

grim reaper in background?

So no otter (yet again!) But instead 2 very handsome mallards on Dunsapie. They began swimming over before I even got out the remains of the bread. The light was a bit dull but cast a uniform grey on the water and it made for not bad photos. Mr and Mrs Mallard helped greatly by swimming along slowly and sedately, winning the award for best behaved feathered friend at Christmas. The prize: too many photos right here. 

Mr Mallard got a new beak for Christmas - look how shiny it is!

Mrs Mallard got a new set of tail feathers;
they magically floated along not breaking the meniscus.

From there we ran home. Took the boundary perimeter at the Commie Pool and went past that old building that may have some flats inside. From the park it looks like a set for a Scoobie Doo mystery or a Stephen King novel. Further on we had a brief chat with a squirrel who was familiar with the idea of retrieving thrown bread but didn't have the eyesight to follow through and ran off before Mary got a decent photo. We went up to Regents Road and across Calton Hill, then home.

being chased by Metal Mickey again

I had been meaning to visit this mural (aptly) on Arthur St. Which is about 200 yards from my flat. It is a very accomplished piece of spray painting and instantly recognisable as Arthur Williams, a homeless guy and familiar face around Leith for nearly 30 years. He is now in his early 80s and living in a care home having survived sleeping rough for decades, no mean feat. It was painted recently by Shona Hardie and does an excellent job of capturing his likeness and character.

christmas cracker

24/12/20

With the weather looking promising Nick and I went for an xmas eve run round some of his local beauty spots. We set off from his place in Bonnyrigg. It is not an area I am that familiar with though recognised many places we passed; from the Lasswade 10 race and the annual Carnethy Eskapade. 

Carrington Church

view across the fields to the Pentlands

I hadn't realised just how close to the Pentlands we were. We kept getting views of  the hills just over the next field although the closest we got was about Roslin. The first few miles were on small roads. Very little traffic and the sun being out made this all very pleasant. There were lots of small birds, robins and the like, flitting around the roadside hedges but none were that keen on sitting still for a photo.

Redrum ears

We did the final section of the Lasswade 10. 

After Rosewell we headed West to Roslin Glen, which was the most dynamic section. Also the muddiest. Lots of thin dirt trails up and down through the trees. It started fine and dry but suddenly you would turn a corner and be confronted by a lake of mud and realise there was no alternative but to dance through the splosh.

first major mud lake you couldn't easily sidestep and shoes were filthied up

superb trails

more quagmire

There was a brilliant section of downhill on thin trails about here. Plenty of roots, muddy leaves and hidden holes to trip you up so you had to be careful. But it was also fast downhill. The photos were a bit disappointing as it was a wee bit dark and there was too much shoogle. Had we thought about it we should have done some staged photos of Nick running past while I stood still and took pics but there was no thinking being done. Huge grin factor as we bombed downhill twisting and turning and trying to stay upright. I didn't recognise much of this area, possibly because I have only done it coming in the other direction.

I did recognise these steps up, and then the next section on a fine ridge I only usually get to see during the Eskapade (which like everything else was cancelled this year.) Again it would have been better recorded by standing still and taking decent photos, but was more fun just to blast through.

Back before the steps, I seem to remember, on previous occasions, passing signs featuring kingfishers and otters, which always struck me as a triumph of optimism over truth. And yet in the passing 2 years we have had so many sightings of both these rarities on the waterways of Edinburgh that the signs have at last become factual. I wonder if they brought about the appearance of said animals due to enough people having faith in their reality? Although in that case where is the Loch Ness Monster? Maybe properly fictional beasts are harder to realise.

The last mile or so was an interesting route through Lasswade and back to Bonnyrigg. Couldn't compare to the excellent riverside trails but wasn't horrible either. I look forward to the doing this route again in the Spring or Summer. Nick has already earmarked the best butterfly bits. He knows how to get my attention!

13.95miles in 2hrs