Dr Neil's Garden

June 2025 - Dr Neil's Garden, Duddingston 

Weather - Very hot; we were glad to be out in the morning before the intensity of the early-afternoon sun 

Optional theme - Leaves and grass

Coffee - Café at Dr Neil's Garden - The pot of tea for one was massive! 

Pheasants are regular visitors to the garden. This photo by Colin won him Photo of the Week. 

Eileen used ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) to capture this abstract image of a Hosta. 

Another image of a Hosta. Kate waited until the gardener sprayed this plant to capture the water drops on the leaves, 

Sandra captured some beautiful green leaves.

Alex captured this scene of grasses providing a vertical point of interest in the garden. 

Further afield 

Ada visited Eilean Donan on a typically dreich Scottish day. 

Alison photographed this image of a pole-climbing competition at the Royal Highland Show. 

Port of Leith Distillery

June 2025 - Port of  Leith Distillery 

Weather - Beautiful summer day 

Optional theme - Squares 

Coffee - Costa, Ocean Terminal 

Mandy found a positive affirmation inside a square, in the main entrance to the Port of Leith Distillery 

 

Sandra's lens picked out a detail from the harbour - a old brick building surrounded by an expanse of bare concrete 

Ada captured a view of Britannia, framed by a square-ish detail in the foreground

Alex captured a view of Edinburgh old and new - the tram going past Chancelot Mills

Arthur photographed the memorial to Thomas Peck Hunter, VC

Beryl captured the view towards Western harbour from the shop on the sixth floor of the distillery 

Is it just me, or does Colin's photo have a feel of "accidental Wes Anderson" about it? 

Ian found an abstract composition in a simple view of a stud in the road 

Kate was drawn to the big square window on the side of the distillery 

Maggie created this abstract from the industrial details of Chancelot Mills 

The Grassmarket

May 2025 - The Grassmarket

Weather - Bright sunshine, great shadows 

Optional theme: Street

Coffee - Coffee Saints - very welcoming, with great breakfasts and sweet treats 

A passenger on a tour bus looking very thoughtful. Photo by Maggie. 

Another of Maggie's photos, showing a traffic warden at work. 

Ada captured this photo of three men hard at work, ignored by all the tourists. 

Ada also captured this serene still life. Its a pity our theme wasn't Yellow. This would have been the clear winner! 

Alex captured a diptych. The first panel is titled Into the Dark ...

... and the second is titled Into the Light. 

Arthur managed to find beauty in the mundanities of the street. His first photo finds classical elegance in the eyesore which is Castle Terrace Car Park ...

... while his second photo transforms four street bins into a colourful still life. 

Beryl captured a serene image of this backpacker taking a time out. 

Further afield 

Alison didn't have to go far across the border to capture this very English looking scene. She was in Berwick Upon Tweed. 

Ian shared this photo of Cultybraggan Camp in Perthshire. 


 

Corstorphine Hill Walled Garden

May 2025 - Corstorphine Hill Walled Garden 

Weather - bright sunshine

Optional theme - bugs (most of us struggled with this) 

Coffee - Leonardo Hotel, Murrayfield. Despite the name, not particularly close to Murrayfield. No bacon rolls. 

Colin was the only one of us to have any success capturing photos of bugs and creepy-crawlies. 

Eileen captured this image of an emerging fern. 

Ian photographed a general view of the garden, showing the layout of the paths. 

Kate found this mysterious dried seed head. 

Ada photographed this beautiful thrush. 

Alex looked to the sky to capture this pine tree. 

Starbank and Newhaven

Starbank Park and Newhaven Harbour 

Weather - another lovely spring day 

Optional theme - warm colours 

Coffee - Pier House, Newhaven Harbour. The bacon rolls were expensive but excellent. I went back a couple of days later for the full Scottish breakfast (£10) which was excellent value. 

Eileen's ICM (intentional camera movement) won Photo of the Week. 

Sandra's photo of Starbank Park divides the scene into horizontal bands of different colours and textures. 

Ada captured the view from Starbank Park looking over the Firth of Forth. 

Alex looked skyward to capture this image of the spring blossom. 

Colin's photo from Newhaven Harbour captures a very surprised-looking gull being startled by an eider duck emerging from its dive. 

Ian shared some photos from a recent holiday in Shropshire. We were all captivated by this still life of a fairy grotto.