Since it's heading for Autumn now (although I'm still holding out hope for an indian summer), I thought I'd post some pictures from what little summer we had.
Back in August, P and I went for a little meander along The Shore in Leith.
Click on any of these to see them full size.
Shortly after we arrived, we spotted some tell-tale masts. Cue my declaring that "We must see it!", followed by a mad dash across a road, cloaks[0] streaming behind us. When we got nearer, P noted that it was the Jean de la Lune, as featured in Nick Thorpe's
Adrift in Caledonia.
Even more coincidentally, the previous evening we had been randomly looking at a Yacht-Sale website, whereupon I came across the Jean de la Lune, which was for sale. At the time, I didn't notice that it was moored in Leith.
Now, we just need five hundred thousand pounds, and we can have a tall ship of our own. (I need a Sugar Daddy, dammit.)
At the end of one of the docks, the old Victorian building has been converted into offices for the Harbour Master's department. You can see some of the old paraphernalia in the foreground; this particular dock was possibly able to be closed off, and turned into a dry-dock. That was maybe part of the machinery for pumping the water out, or letting it back in.
Some parts of the dock (see above) have been renovated, painted, and are in a nice state of repair. This is a little farther up the same basin, and is a good example of Leith nowadays. Some bits are polished and shiny, while other bits are decaying and falling to bits. Usually these conflicting states are found next to each other.
This basin isn't used very much any more, but it gives you an idea of the size of Leith Docks: This is
huge. That teeny dark line far away on the horizon is the far end of the basin. Various docks and quays go off on either side of this basin. Can you imagine what it would have been like when the whole place was full of ships? (Not too different to what it was like when we had the Tall Ships Race here in the 1990s, actually.)
We headed back towards The Shore. This is the far end of the Water of Leith, which is now mostly blocked off from the sea and the docks, so it's very still. You can see some of the original harbour buildings and the lighthouse tower next to this new block of flats.
More pretty reflections, this time of the trees on the opposite bank. I wasn't standing on the water to take this, the previous shot, and the following shots; we were on an old swing bridge.
Looking back up the Water of Leith, along The Shore. All those barges there are now moored permanently, and have been turned into either offices, or restaurants. The big wooden thing nearest us is the offices of a nifty PR company. Peering through the windows showed you very modern desks with enormous Apple monitors and nifty little Macs everywhere. Just like in a modern office, except, it was on a barge with a
sun terrace. Nice if you can get it.
Reflections! I loved what the clouds in the sky were doing here, it looked like they're trying to escape the photo.
The old grey steamer in the background has been in Leith for years. It was derelict for a long time when I was little, then it was turned into a restaurant. A friend worked as cook there for a while, until the restaurant closed. Apparently it closed because the hull of the ship had rusted through and the whole thing was sitting on the bottom of the river. The lower decks and engine compartments were completely flooded. Since then, apparently she's been patched up (though she's still sitting on the river bed) and is now quite a swanky eatery/bar type establishment.
I think this area is very pretty, it could be a nice place to live. Very green and open and watery, bits of it. There was a lovely reflection here, except that a slight breeze conspired with some ducks to ripple the water. I like the gradation of blue in the sky, from left to right.
Picture-postcard perfect.
Water of Leith, docks, and a guest appearance by some ducks, seagulls, and a swallow. This is taken from the round amphitheatre shape into which the swing bridge used to swing.
That's it, for now, until I get the next batch edited. Hope you like them.
[0] Yes, it was hot and sunny. But a cloak can be worn over a vest top or t-shirt, and there's no other item of clothing that lets you get a nice cold breeze down your back, if you're wearing a skimpy top.
