Colourful Autumn Crafts: join Jaimie MacDonald to create paper pumpkins, twiggy spider webs and paper leaves. For children aged 5+ and younger ones with adult help. First ten children to arrive will get a free hazelnut squirrel! 2-4pm, Leith Library, 28 Ferry Road. Free.
Doing Business with Russia: David Cant, MD Albion Overseas Ltd, Yuri Botiuk, Partner, Litigation and International Arbitration Team, Pinsent Masons, and Anya Greaves, Food and Drink Team, Scottish Development International, discuss the issues currently affecting Scottish-Russian business relations and whether there are still ways of making them work. Each will give a brief presentation followed by a Q & A session. 6.30 (registration and coffee from 6)-8pm, Conference Room, University of Edinburgh Business School, 29 Buccleuch Place. Booking essential: click here. For more information contact Shona Black on 0131 651 5981. Held in partnership with The Scotland-Russia Forum.
Bunkered Terrain – Scottish Golf Landscapes: Commission for the Art of Golf. Dr Patricia MacDonald talks about the commission from the National Galleries of Scotland to make this six-part work, which consists of aerial imagery of an ecological spectrum of Scottish golf courses, and considers briefly some future options. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
Autumn Bird House: use found natural objects from the Lauriston grounds to make a home for your feathered friends, then apply paints and varnish to transform it into something unique for them to snooze in over the winter. Suitable for all aged 7+. 10.30am-12.30pm, Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road. £5 per person: bookings must be made via the Usher Hall box office, in person, by phone or online.
Lunchtime Concert: The Edinburgh Quartet. Tristan Gurney (violin), Gordon Bragg (violin), Jessica Beeston (viola) and Mark Bailey (cello) will perform Schumann String Quartet in A Major Op 41 No 3 and JS Bach, excerpts from The Art of Fugue. 1.10pm, Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square. Free and unticketed.
Bookbug: rhyme sessions for 0-4 year olds and their carers. 10.30-11.15am today and every Tuesday, Wester Hailes Library, 1 Westside Plaza. Free.
Waverley is ‘Waverley or ‘Tis Sixty Years Since’ ‘ – ‘The unexpected newness of the thing…struck us with an electric shock of delight.’ So Henry Cockburn recalled the impression created by the anonymous ‘Waverley‘ on its first appearance in Edinburgh in July 1814. Peter Garside considers the somewhat uneven genesis of Scott’s first novel, the significance of its opening ‘English’ chapters and the sudden turn provided by the eponymous hero’s move to Scotland. Also under consideration will be the novel’s treatment of Jacobitism and its possible relevance to today’s issues. 6pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking required: click here or call 0131 623 3734.
Dancing with Data: the fourth lecture in the Our Changing World series. Professor Chris Speed speculates on a future time in which objects will interact with us in different ways. Internet of Things refers to the technical and cultural shift that is anticipated as society moves towards a ubiquitous form of computing in which every device is on, and every object is connected in some way to the internet. 6.30-8pm (doors open 6.15pm), Appleton Tower (Lecture Theatre 4), University of Edinburgh, 11 Crichton Street. Free tickets should be booked via eventbrite, which also has more information about this lecture.
Circle Scotland Choir: a new Sing in the City choir just for kinship carers. If you are one of Edinburgh’s kinship carers – grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings, friends – who care for children in your family, come along and try this new group. No auditions, no previous singing experience needed! 10am-12 noon today and every Tuesday, The Sanctuary, St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, George Street. For more information email kinchoir@outlook.com or call Maggie on 0131 557 1116.
We Need To Talk About Nukes: is it possible to create a world free from nuclear weapons? What role can Scotland play in making it happen? BASIC (the British American Security Information Council), WMD Awareness and the Edinburgh University People and Planet Society present an evening of discovery and dialogue, with a keynote speech from Bill Kidd MSP. Have your say on this international issue: this event is part of #TalkingTrident, a national conversation ahead of the 2016 decision on Trident renewal. 7-9pm, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace. Free but places should be booked via eventbrite. Part of Edinburgh World Justice Festival.
The Sonics: LGBT Basketball Group. A friendly and informal group for beginners and regular players alike. 7-8pm, Leith Community Education Centre, 12a New Kirkgate (Sports Hall) For more information contact jules@lgbthealth.org.uk or thesonics@hotmail.co.uk
Edible Gardening Seasonal Advice: drop in to find out how to grow your own food, and take a look around the productive garden with the Edible Gardening Project Team. 1-3pm, Demonstration Garden, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Free.
Cafe Ceilidh: a friendly session concentrating on Scottish traditional or more modern songs and tunes, but also appreciative of other music and poetry. Hosted by members of Linten Adie. Singers and musicians from the Scots Music Group, and non-members who would like to perform or just enjoy listening are all welcome. A confidence builder for those who are new to performing and fun for the more experienced. 1.30-3.30pm, St Brides Community Centre, Orwell Terrace. Free. Contact Mary on 01573 223515 or at mary.m.watt@gmail.com for more information.
Edinburgh Fortean Society – Interesting Times: the Top Five Modern Day Curses. James Kerr will talk about icemen, jewellery, phone numbers, films and this talk. 7.30pm, Attic Room, The Counting House, 36 West Nicolson Street. A meeting of the Edinburgh Fortean Society, which investigates and explores the strange, the inexplicable and the macabre ‘a look at the weirder side of life.’ £1 per person. Event page here.
