Hedgerows and Chimneypots

Now that may seem an odd title. My first impression as we flew over the country was hedgerows. We don't tend to have hedgerows in North America, perhaps because of the size of our farms. But you can clearly see them from the air, dividing the fields in an amazing patchwork. Did the crazy quilters of the Victorian age realize that they were reproducing the shapes of the farmland?

And I was asked when I mentioned the chimneypots if we don't have chimneys--but of course, some of us do, and many don't have fireplaces so they don't. But we don't have the rows of chimneys on a building, nor the chimneypots which, I am sure, serve a practical purpose as well as being rather decorative. (to my eye, anyway.)

Edinburgh is an old city. How old depends on which part you are looking at. Parts of the castle date from the 11th century, and the "Old Town" built up around that (more later.) But even as you go further out from that city core, the "New Town" came into being two or three hundred years ago and many streets retain that flavor--at least on the outside. Interiors are very up-to-date. Garden spaces are very compact. Just as any other city, as you reach the outskirts there is more space.

But take a look at this bus negotiating the streets in the "Royal Mile"--the very center of historic Edinburgh. Yikes!