Consternation

It's a lifeline, an artery, and they closed it. Only for a couple of days in the end, while Scottish Water laid bright blue water pipes, but there was consternation on the Water of Leith walkway last week. Those of us who use it to commute to work or for pleasure were bereft. Once the routes of suburban railways, the pedestrian and cycle paths run from the hills down through the city to the Port of Leith, and from the city centre out to the village of Cramond on the shores of the Firth of Forth.
How did we all manage for two days? The lycra-clad cyclists, the fast-walking, office-bound suits, the yummy mummies running with black labradors panting along behind on a lead, the mums pushing prams, the pensioners walking wee dogs, the groups of school children, the ladies cutting ivy for their flower arrangements, the allotment-bound green wellies, the walkers 'doing' the whole route from hills to sea, the mounted police exercising horses. We're back now, hopefully appreciating what we have.