Water of Leith second encounter

You never know when the next clear day will come, so I decided to give the Water of Leith one more good look this morning, while I have the chance. I got up and munched porridge in front of a gas fire as I waited for the sun to rise; I'm on the western side of town, so I could only judge it was out by the colour of the sky - and the online sunset/sunrise chart. Maybe one day I could get up a bit earlier and climb the Royal Mile, and see the sunrise from the castle? That would be something.

Frost designs on the pavement.

Water of Leith walkway in Stockbridge.

For this morning I settled for the now familiar walk along the river. It was frosty and, in my red hoody and sneakers, I felt quite conspicuous in the suited-and-booted morning traffic. But along the river I did not stand out at all; I was quite inconspicuous actually, amongst the fluorescent jackets! There were a few people around, running, walking and biking. The first person I saw was a long-legged middle aged woman who passed me in the park gates, and cheerfully puffed 'Good morning!'. This wonderful cordiality took me completely by surprise; in fact, I was so unprepaired for anything more than a sour smile that by the time I mumbled an answer she was long gone, and I was responding to the fog of her breath. Her good manners turned out to be a rule rather than an exception; I'd say three out of four people would 'Hello' me on their way, and I got into at least two conversations - even got to throw a ball for a very handsome sheep dog! It was a very bad throw, but the elderly owner seemed pleased enough.

Dean bridge.

Morning traffic in Dean Village.

It turned out the problem I had with following the river yesterday was due to the fact that I was trying to follow the path on the wrong bank, where there is none. Now I've got it sorted, and I'm hoping to keep running up and down it throughout the spring.

Murrayfield stadium, the sunrise and a happy dog.