Taken about a half hour before sunrise, on the 2nd of December.

This photo is available on Redbubble: Morning at the top of Leith Walk .

This photo is available on Redbubble: Tiger on Leith Walk.

Eduardo Paolozzi was born in Leith in 1924, was interned in Saughton Prison for three months from June 1940 (his parents were Italian citizens), went to Edinburgh College of Art in 1943, and studied at the Slade School in London. He was awarded an honorary degree by Edinburgh University in February 2005, and died in April that year.

This foot is one third of The Manuscript of Monte Casino, placed on the wide pavement at the top of Leith Walk, outside St Mary’s Cathedral: it’s been there since about 1990. You can, if you’re that way inclined, use the blocks at the side of the foot to climb to the top, and then slide down all the way to the toes.

This photo is available on Redbubble: Bronze Foot.

Two boys who just bought shiny swords in Bits’n'Pieces, practice their swordplay at the foot of Leith Walk.

This photo is available on Redbubble: Two pages.

Redbubble is celebrating their 100,000th anniversary (100 000 pieces sold and shipped!) by offering all buyers free shipping for the next week… and all sellers twice the money they normally receive. The coupon code to receive the free shipping offer is 100000masterpieces – you just enter this during the checkout process to receive the free shipping offer. Click on this red button to go directly to my Redbubble profile – but the free shipping applies whoever you buy from, until one minute to midnight on Thursday 30th October.

If you’d like to choose your own customised calendar of photos from Looking at Edinburgh, check out It’s Edinburgh, but is it Art?

This photo is available on Redbubble: Leith Walk at sunset.

The clock above the old Job Centre at the corner of Duke Street and Leith Walk, reflected in a large puddle on Constitution Street.

This photo is available on Redbubble: The Clock in the Sky, and in a 2009 calendar: Strange Sky.

On Leith Walk:

On Castle Terrace:

These photos are available on Redbubble: Blue Boy and Mother and daughter.

…and waiting …and waiting …and waiting…

You know, really the worst thing about the chaos on the streets is that while Edinburgh Council claim “A high-quality, modern and efficient tram network is being created for Edinburgh and is scheduled to be running on the Capital’s streets by 2011″ – I haven’t met anyone who actually believes that. Edinburgh City Council (any political incarnation) has never been known for its efficiency in solving traffic problems (anyone else remember the reorganisation of Charlotte Square that placed two sets of traffic lights so that the 41 bus was pretty much guaranteed to take an hour from the Queensferry Street entrance to the George Street exit?) and all the 2011 date means is that we certainly won’t have even one tram line running until then.

There may be a Leith Champion to “encourage trade back to Leith, as well as ensuring the remaining tram work is completed as efficiently as possible” – but it’s kind of late in the day to think of that, isn’t it? Businesses are closing down already because no one can get to them, and to date it hasn’t even occurred to the council to offer to subsidise the banners some businesses have paid for to tell customers they’re still open.

For what it’s worth, I agree with this Edinburgher:

If you need further proof then your article “Champion to rescue Leith from tram chaos” demonstrates that the cost far outstrips the benefits. It states that Leith has been hit the hardest. Why? Because that is where all of the effort is currently.

Princes Street will suffer even more when it is subjected to closures later on this year. Will we be seeing a champion for Princes Street?

How much pain are the people of Edinburgh going to suffer from this project, how much is it costing in real terms?

This mirror was reflecting Leith Walk near where the temporary bus stop replacing the one on Gayfield Square is.

This photo is available on Redbubble: Sun Mirror.

This photo and framing business, L. Freedman, was established 1890, “in the reign of Queen Victoria” it says on the window, on Antigua Street: one of the streets that edges Leith Walk.

This photo is available on Redbubble: Mirror on Leith Walk.