Views from Craiglockart Hill

 We had a lovely weekend walk round Easter Craiglockhart Hill, Craiglockhart Pond and then (after a nice lunch) along the canal and home again. 

Easter Craiglockhart Hill is in full bloom at the moment, 

 

with knapweed being particularly noticeable 

which was attracting a good number of bumblebees and hoverflies including this Epistrophe grossulariae hoverfly 

 There were quite a lot of mallards and mute swans on the pond, but all of them are at the back of the pond on this photo! 

The boggy area next to the pond is looking very green at the moment

though it's sad to see one of the ash trees here, like so many in Edinburgh, is badly affected with ash dieback disease. This tree will no doubt need to be removed soon, as trees with die back rot away inside and become dangerous.

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I'm delighted that  the Ekphrastic Review has included my poem Poetry at the Chess Cafe in its selection of writing in response to Lily Prigioniero's painting The Poet. You can see the painting and all the written responses here.