World Earth Day

... and plenty of bare earth on display in East Princes Street Gardens; only the brightly floral island adrift on that sea of dirt hinting at this being any sort of garden.

That is because this part of the Gardens undergoes an annual transformation to provide the setting for Edinburgh's Christmas market. Now, with the arrival of spring, the flowers are re-planted and the grass re-seeded to re-instate the Gardens' summer garb. In a few weeks, they will be green again and, before too long, will once again be welcoming picnickers and foot-weary tourists.