Early Spring in Edinburgh's Botanic Gardens

 This weekend Crafty Green Boyfriend and I had a lovely trip to Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens. 

Before we got to the Botanics, we walked through Inverleith Park where we said hello to this young black headed gull

You can tell it's a youngster because of the brown in its plumage. Also, though most of the adult black headed gulls have at least started to get their brown headed breeding plumage, this youngster still only has the small black patches on it's head.

Spring has already sprung in the Botanics, with daffodils in full bloom 

sometimes beautifully interspersed with crocuses

Some of the many species of rhododendrons in the gardens are already in bloom

 There is an excellent exhibition on in the Gateway Building at the Botanics. Forth Lines is a Forthline and Restoration Forth exhibition to 'remember, reconnect and restore the Firth of Forth'.

Over the past year, people who live and work along the Firth of Forth, whether based in Edinburgh, Fife or East Lothian have come together to create an illustrated story through 184 crafted squares of calico. Each square relates to one specific square kilometre of coastline. The range of artistic techniques is impressive, often using found and upcycled materials, and there are some very beautiful pieces in this exhibition. It's well worth a close look at each square. The exhibition runs until 24 April 2022 and is free.