Hospital Grounds and Blackford Pond

This afternoon Crafty Green Boyfriend and I visited someone in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. The grounds of the hospital are very green and lusk at the moment, they've got wildflowers everywhere and seem to be well aware of the links between access to green spaces and good physical and mental health.

 Although it is sad that the old orchard is now about half the size it used to be as part of it was built on, but the remaining trees are still beautiful

There are lots of insects around including this comma butterfly

and this hoverfly, which I'll probably never now identify due to the wind blowing the grass.....

It's good to know too that the hospital encourages patients to get involved in volunteering projects including making bird boxes and offers activities including nature walks and craft sessions using natural materials. 

After we had walked through the hospital grounds, we walked over to Blackford Pond to see the mute swan family and their eight cygnets

then walked alongside Midmar Paddock

this lovely field is still threatened with the possibility of being built on, which would be a real shame as it has always felt like an integral part of the local Hermitage of Braid Nature Reserve. (You can find out more about the campaign to save Midmar Paddock by liking their Facebook Page or following them on Twitter).

We then continued into the Hermitage of Braid itself which is also lovely, but inexplicably I didn't take any photos, possibly because it was so muddy we were concentrating hard on not slipping and falling into the mud!