The bonnie land of Scot

On the 3rd I attended the opening of the Trees for Life exhibition to raise money to save the Scottish Caledonian forest. I submitted a piece of work to the exhibition some months ago and when the date was confirmed it seemed like a great opportunity to visit Edinburgh.

The exhibition was completely successful as several pieces already had the tell tale red dots of a sale and many more acquired them throughout the evening. The proceeds are going straight to Trees for Life and will be used to plant new trees and provide a lush wild land for future generations. My submission is still available for purchase.

 The rest of the weekend was spent taking in the weird and wonderful city-scape. Edinburgh is not terribly large and therefore easily explored by foot. From Edinburgh Castle in the Old Town to the fabulous Georgian Dome in the New Town, the entire city is full of an indescribable character. The stones are stained with soot, as though a permanent shadow is cast across the corners of the buildings. Everything is subtly larger than London - the ceilings higher, the roads wider, the windows taller. The grey colouring does not make the city feel dull. Instead it intensifies everything in an incredibly magical and captivating way.

 Around the streets of the Old Town there are a multitude of closes, winding narrow staircases and dark doorways through to residential spots or hidden churches. The number of churches seems astounding given the rather small size of the city. Many do not perform their original function, having been turned into art galleries, theatre spaces and in one case an ironically named night club - 'Sin'.

 Just like London though, Edinburgh is full of art. Around corners, at the ends of bridges, in busy squares - there are sculpted wonders, incredible monuments and some things that can't be described and have not even been labelled.

Three days was not long enough to see all I wanted and yet I felt I'd seen more than I had expected as the weekend drew to a close and I was once more on a plane to London. Fortunately it's a short flight away, only an hour or so, and I know I will go back for it's the sort of city one is drawn to out of curiosity and a sense of wonder.