Breaking news

Easter may still be two weeks away, but guerilla gardener and installation artist Christina ‘Granny’ Thompson has never been one to let calendrical niceties get between her and a good time. 

The floral treasure trove she tends at the sunniest end of Bellevue Place is full of colour again this spring.

To the delight of children and puzzlement of passing teenagers, it's also filled with a sozzled-looking Humpty Dumpty …

… UNTIL NOW 

Cabinet papers newly released under the 30-year rule cast a surprising light on Edinburgh’s seascape. 

Inchmickery stands roughly two miles off the coast in the Firth of Forth. 

Members of the public may not land on this RSPB bird reserve, where ‘small but important populations of tern and breeding eider’ enjoy legal protection. Few pause to question the validity of that prohibition.

Get out your brolly! It’s about to start raining Spurtles.

April's issue will begin to precipitate on the streets tomorrow, bringing a topical downplump of Planning, election and hustings news, a non-sighting of the talented George Osborne MP, and a plethora of bins and fag butts nobody likes but nobody thinks they’re responsible for.

We have slim pickings on particular pavements, a hole, and a youth hostel driving hospitality to new extremes.

Jodie Hannan, Headteacher of Drummond Community High School, writes:

BBC News interviewed S5 pupils Mohsin Syed, Katherine Dempsie, Maria Correia, Peter Wright and Laiqha Mohammad (from left to right below) on Thursday 30 March about their thoughts on the triggering of Article 50, Brexit and the second Scottish independence referendum.

The deadline for nomination of candidates in the forthcoming Council elections (4 May) passed yesterday. 

Candidates in the three wards that intersect Spurtleshire are as follows. 

Ward 5 - Inverleith - Four candidates will be elected

BAGSHAW, Nigel (Scottish Green Party)

BARRIE, Gavin (Scottish National Party (SNP))

DALGLEISH, James (Scottish Labour Party)

LAIRD, Tom (Scottish Libertarian Party)

MITCHELL, Max (Scottish Conservative and Unionist)

OSLER, Hal (Scottish Liberal Democrats)

It’s that time of year when reminders of motherhood seem to be on every corner. 

And Broughton Street’s A-board artists are being as inventive as ever in their efforts to cajole, amuse or guilt-trip us into parting with money before Sunday.

At the top of the hill, the Basement Bar have departed from their usual line in morbid Latin American skeletons in favour of etymology. 

BANDSTAND PLANS STILL LEAVE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS 

Partially eclipsed by high-profile hoo-has over the old Royal High School, the Ross Development Trust (RDT) last week presented outline proposals for West Princes Street Gardens at a public meeting on 13 March organised by the Cockburn Association. 

MORE FUN AND GAMES AT CITY CHOKE-SPOT 

Phased utility works lasting 16 weeks began this morning, and will affect traffic on Leith Street. 

These are in addition to the works reported here on 28 February which are expected to last up to 44 weeks from September 2017. 

OLD ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL FUTURE DIVIDES OPINION 

As the 24 March deadline approaches for comments on latest plans for the old Royal High School, both sides are redoubling their efforts to persuade.

Representatives from Urbanist Hotels, Hoskins Architects and Duddingston House Properties summarised their proposal for a luxury hotel to the New Town & Broughton Community Council on 13 March.

As Spurtle prepared to attend and report on this evening's meeting at Central Hall, we unexpectedly received the following statement by Robert A.M. Stern. 

Stern is an author and internationally recognised practising architect. He was Dean (1998–2016) and J.M. Hoppin Professor at Yale School of Architecture. 

We reproduce his contribution to the debate unedited and in full.