Our lazy Edinburgh days — when we’re mentally miles away from work — always start with coffee.

A stroll through the far corners of the New Town, where Georgian facades back onto bleak modern buildings, and finally onto Broughton Street and our favourite Soderberg haunt. Creamy latte, cinnamon bun, and then we’re back out into the winter wind.

I can’t deny that an inner hope for the afternoon was to spot the first signs of winter’s end. Before we left the flat, I’d tapped Scotland’s Snowdrop Festival into the search bar and discovered it officially started on 27 January.

We may, in fact, be in luck, I thought to myself. To the Botanics we headed, down through Canonmills and in through the shining floral East Gate.

Wandering the paths we saw nothing save the deep olive of evergreen trees and the grey of dying leaves. But — as we rounded towards the small hall used for summer weddings — the faint flourish of white lined the empty flowerbeds.

Here were clumps of specialist Galanthus (the scientific name for snowdrops), each ivory clump boasting different bulb shapes. Some were long, others curved and flounced, with petalled layers like a petticoat.

Right now is just the start of snowdrop season in Edinburgh so if you’d like to see more of these delicate flowers — which, to me, herald the imminence of spring… get excited! — then swing by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which isn’t far from the city centre at all.

There’ll be guided walks on Fridays through Sundays from 16 February to 11 March, and tickets are £6 each.

Where’s your favourite spot to see snowdrops?