Wednesday 28 December 2011

Today along Water of Leith

The weather was wet and very windy today, but that didn't stop us from walking along the Water of Leith as I do every week and Crafty Green Boyfriend joins me when he can. There were lots of fungi on display today, this one being the most beautiful, thanks CGB for the photo!




Part of my task as a volunteer with the Water of Leith Conservation Trust is to collect litter. I regularly collect two carrier bags full on my trip round Colinton and Craiglockart Dells. I think there is less general litter than there used to be when I started doing this a couple of years ago, though there are possibly more large collections of litter, eg from barbeques (which I report rather than try to collect myself, in the same way as I don't run up or down the steepest banks by myself to collect litter, river patrollers are advised on health and safety considerations after all!).


At this time of year, with the undergrowth dying back, litter appears that has been hidden for the past six months, in amongst the branbles etc. Today, I found just about the most disgusting thing ever (and believe me, given the number of plastic bags full of dog poo that stupid people hang in the trees, this has to be pretty disgusting). I picked up a discarded beer can with my litter picker and turned it upside down to get rid of any rainwater that had gathered in it and out fell the partially decomposed remains of a drowned mouse. Yuck!


What an awful way for a mouse to end its life and a buzzard or fox was deprived of a snack too. Really, it isn't that difficult to carry litter to the nearest bin or to take it home.


If you want to be distracted from the image of the decomposed mouse, I posted some moody photos of the wonderful architecture on Edinburgh's Calton Hill on my Over Forty Shades blog here.

6 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Except for the mouse, it sounds like you had a nice walk. The fungi is pretty and has beautiful lighting. Hubby and I often carry bags on our walks so we can pick up the litter. Happy New year>

Carol Steel said...

Good for you in carrying out this sometimes disgusting litter collection task. Poor mouse! Why are most humans such lazy creatures?

RG said...

Come on - what a way to go!!! (Sorry.)

Boy our roadsides are giving up some real awful junk too, now that the tall grasses are gone!

Cuby said...

Isn't it disappointing that people are discarding rubbish in beautiful places. As I walked along a local lane recently I spied cans, sweet wrappers, plastic bottles okay not too many but despoiling just the same. I too pick up litter but not every time I go there.Well done you.

Wild_Bill said...

It appears that people litter every where and not just here in the States. This lack of respect is very sad.

But it is great that you pick up the trash. We cruise our road frequently and over a year the amount of trash we collect is unbelievable.

A lovely post, but a grim reminder of those who care little.

It's amazing you still have fungi, we are two months past that season.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Wild_Bill - I tried to comment on your blog just now and it wouldn't let me. I enjoyed your latest two posts though...