After yesterday's endless rain I was very glad to see today dawn bright and sunny! Not only did I walk along the Water of Leith (very high water! Two female goosanders!) but I then went over to the Artlink Orchard in the grounds of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. I had heard of this project through Abundance Edinburgh and had casually said how it would be nice to have a poetry element to the orchard. So as a result I was invited to visit the Orchard. It's a lovely area, with approximately 70 trees of five or six varieties of cooking apples and lots of nettles which are harvested for soups. I wandered round the orchard with a member of Artlink staff and we picked apples and discussed how to incorporate poetry into Artlink's work at the hospital. Next to the orchard they have set up a new growing area which from next year will allow staff and patients to grow vegetables and fruit. The orchard had been pretty much abandoned for several years before Artlink starting working on it but there are exciting plans for the future, including community gardens, oh and poetry too of course....
This looks like a nice place to visit and spend an afternoon walking around.
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to hear there will be a garden there next year. What a wonderful idea.
What a beautiful bird!
ReplyDeleteYou are so fortunate to have all these opportunities to incorporate poetry into everyday experience and translate that for the public.
I envy you on a number of counts: the accessibility of poetry in Scotland, and living in Scotland itself. I was last there in '92 and nearly left Canada to return permanently, but it didn't work out. I have no regrets about how my life has turned out personally, but I often think about what might have been.
Best of luck with the Artlink Orchard project.
This sounds like a great place and project. Nettle soup! I would love to try this.
ReplyDeleteThey do say you shouldn't make nettle soup after June... Nettle bubble-and-squeak is really good too.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really interesting place.
I love the way that poetry is being linked more and more to the environment. At Kirby Stephen in Cumbria there is a poetry walk, where poems related to aspects of the walk are carved in stone by the side of the path - lovely idea. Hope you idea for poetry in the environment takes off and is successful Juliet.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! I love the colors of the goosander. I also love the idea of incorporating poetry and the outdoors. It makes perfect sense. I've seen some awesome poems hung as ornaments in trees (poe-trees...ha ha). It was lovely, though. I look forward to hearing more about your project.
ReplyDeleteNow that sounds like a great project. Good for you Juliet, for helping to get it going. And, it does look like a good place to walk and see birds.
ReplyDeleteWow, it looks so spacious! Not what I'd expect in Edinburgh.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the project.
Sounds great. Community gardens are so fab & poetry too, very awesome!
ReplyDeleteSounds like Artlink are doing some good work. I much prefer art projects that work with nature and the community rather than just being tourist draws.
ReplyDeleteEdinurgh always was good for creative things. Does the Stand still do free Charity gigs each month? it used to be that you would tell them your charity then they would find willing comedians and advertise the night for you...
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of that bird so I went to the link. It sort of looks like our mallard duck, but isn't really like it at all. What a beautiful place to visit. Of course your whole country is full of beautiful places from what I remember... Michelle
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful project! Sounds like a wonderful day too.
ReplyDeleteThat is nice..walking in the orchard, apples never grow here..so I'd like to go there too one day.
ReplyDeletePOetikat - didn't relaise you'd once though of moving over here...
ReplyDeleteLucy - yes you need young leaves for nettle soup or I think for any cooking projects with nettles....
Weaver - yes I've heard of that poetry walk
Julie - I've seen poetry ornaments too, they can be very pretty...
Titus- I was astonished by the size of the orchard...
Jasmine - yes the Stand still does charity comedy nights...
Michelle - yes the male goosanders have teh same green heads as mallards but otherwise they're very different birds.
I love the regeneration coming to the area. We have a few old and neglected orchards around my locality which could do with something similar. The idea of poetry being incorporated is wonderful. I hope that works out. Nettle soup..hmm.. not too sure about that though.
ReplyDeleteOh yes! After spending a period in the Fall of '92, hiking the hills above Loch Lomond, swimming in a laup and dallying with a local, I was all set to up sticks and even do another degree! Somehow, normality at home overwhelmed my intentions and I settled back into my own world. I often wonder what it would have been like had I made the move.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous picture! The orchard sounds like a delightful place, and I like the sound of community gardens, too. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great project! It sounds like a magical place.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous picture, idea, occurrence. Hope to read the fruit of it one day soon!
ReplyDeletesounds like a nice day. you've accomplished a great deal here. glad you were able incorporate poetry somewhere it could benefit. hope all is well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a grand day out. I have been following the Abundance Edinburgh blog and thing it's a great idea. I hope it catches on all over.
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