Breaking news

We don't know who Dan is, but apparently he's alive and well and living on a desert island in the Water of Leith.

This photograph was sent to Spurtle at lunchtime, having been taken earlier in the day below Warriston Junction.

Higher on the bridge, in chalk, are the words 'Viva Dan', suggesting he may have had support from a Spanish admirer before launching himself into the void.

If any reader can tell us Dan's identity or suggest a reason for his lonely sojourn, we'd be interested to know.

If our memory of the film Titanic serves correctly, some people chose to play violins while the great liner slipped beneath the waves. The Emperor Nero, famously, preferred to rearrange deckchairs whilst the capital of the ancient world burned to the ground. But in the Athens of the North, facing budgetary meltdown, we do things differently: the City of Edinburgh Council fiddles with its fairy lights.

The latest edition of the Liberal-Democrats' 'election special' freesheet Edinburgh North & Leith News contains the following thought-provoking article which we quote in full:

Otterly Fantastic

A baby otter has been photographed living on the Water of Leith.

Otter boffins say that the sightings are a good indication that the river is healthier now than it was in the 1960s when otters disappeared from the Water of Leith because of pollution.

That's it. Yes, in its entirety. There is no more.

In a rather disarming preamble to this exhibition, Barbara Franc writes of her sculptures being linked together in what she hopes is 'a celebration of life and the very simple and slightly selfish pleasure of bringing a smile to people's faces'. For observers of her work there is certainly a childish sense of wonder and pleasure at these extraordinary creations.

In a recent post, we examined Scottish Labour's election flyer for the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency, and noted that of 19 recognisable faces in it, 12 were female and 5 Malcolm Chisholm's (Breaking news 13.4.11).

Where, we wondered, were all the other men?

Another day and another election flyer slides slantendicularly through the letterbox begging for attention. This morning's was from Malcolm Chisholm, Scottish Labour's candidate in the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency.

Nicely placed, subtly proportioned and provocatively surreal, this pig-masked figure on a pig is the latest street-artwork spotted by Spurtle in Broughton (see below for larger image).

It appears on Leith Street, just downhill from the paved embankment adjacent to John Lewis.

We think it's by the elusive REMOTE, but what it means and what inspired it remain an enjoyable mystery.

If the artist would like to acknowledge and explain the piece, we'll gladly make space available ...

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Union Gallery's latest exhibition – Diversity – will open later this week and run from 14 April to 2 May. It will exclusively feature  sculptures by Barbara Franc, several of whose beautifully crafted, wire-netting animals have astonished and entertained visitors to Broughton Street in the last year or so.

Starbucks plan to open a new outlet at 45 Leith Street. (The premises are just uphill of the footbridge, on the left hand side as you approach Calton Road.)

The proposal emerged as details went online yesterday of the chain's application to install new signage (Ref. 11/01008/ADV).

All good things come to an end, but at least Broughton-based Whisky Kiss have gone out on a high: bassist Iain McPhail brings down the curtain on a spectacular week in the Big Apple.

New York is the kind of place where sometimes you need a coffee, just to go for a coffee.