Saturday in Edinburgh – What’s On Today

Dugs in Pubs: join the regular furries for a socialiser and meet other dogs and their owners from the local area. 12 noon, Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson Street.

The Velvet Easel Gallery: The Colour of Life. A new mixed exhibition, including work by Colin Dunbar, Morag Muir, Borders artist Alan Richmond and Velvet Easel owner Rosalind Walker. 10am-5pm Thursday to Saturday, 12 noon-5pm Sundays, The Velvet Easel Gallery, 298 Portobello High Street.

Decorate a Daffodil Pot with Lindt: create some magic for your Mum this Mothers’ Day with a charming gift. Decorate a pot of daffodils – each pot comes with a gold bunny gift tag and a chocolate treat for you and your Mum. 1-4pm, Real Life Science Studio, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. No booking required.

Rotary Club of Leith: Music for the Philippines. A charity concert in support of a new elite emergency rescue group for the Philippines and the Al Shurooq School for Blind Children in Bethlehem. Featuring Broxburn and Livingstone Brass Ensemble, The Lothians B-US Male Voice Choir, Richard Michael BEM (Professor of Jazz Piano), Hilary Michael & Joanna Duncan, and Don Uttley on bagpipes. 7.30pm, Inverleith St Serf’s Church, 280 Ferry Road. Suggested donation on the door £10.

Canongate Kirk Coffee Morning in aid of the Friends of Canongate Kirkyard. 10am-12 noon, Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate. Admission £2.

Amy Shelton: Bee Works: Florilegium. An exhibition of recent work exploring the current threats to the honeybee. Beautiful light box sculptures document the fleeting rhapsody of the major floral sources of nectar and pollen-rich plants that sustain honeybee colonies from early spring to late autumn. Hand-made books, the result of Shelton’s long collaboration with award-winning author John Burnside, are also on display, combining poems, intricate embossed maps and miniature pressings. 10am-5.45pm, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Free. Ends 5th July 2015.

Zoo Arts Extra: Beach Day. Bring your family and friends for an afternoon of fun, fire, sea, sand and art. Teas, coffees, snacks, picnic blankets and spare waterproofs will be available, plus marshmallows for toasting and lots of creative ideas! A pleasant short walk from NEA to the Shore Road beach. Dress warmly! All children aged under 9 years must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Meet at 12 noon for a 12.30pm departure, North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court. For more information see the event’s Facebook page or call in to NEA beforehand. Zoo Arts is a series of visual art sessions for young people aged 9-14 years, taking place at North Edinburgh Arts 4-5.30pm on Wednesday afternoons in term time. Zoo Arts Extra is a project based in Muirhouse to bring together people of all ages to enjoy, explore and produce visual art locally and across the city.

Eric Ritchie: Walking a Line – the re-establishment of an artist maverick. A rich and diverse body of work, ranging from surrealist abstraction through sweeping land and seascapes, still life and book illustration, Eric Ritchie’s art embraces Paul Klee’s maxim about taking a line for a walk. A witty, inquisitive and adventurous 80-year old, Eric is preparing to step back into the limelight of an art world with which he has had a lifelong love affair, sometimes turbulent but always passionate. 10am-5pm Monday to Friday, 12 noon-5pm Saturdays, Doubtfire Gallery, 3 South East Circus Place.

Future Proofing Our Community Workshop – Tranisition Edinburgh Pentlands Project. A workshop focusing on how to cope with current environmental risks, and what we can do to make our communities a better place for future generations. This is a pilot session and participants’ ideas will help to make future sessions even more fun and informative! 10.30am-12.30pm, Wester Hailes Library, 1 Westside Plaza. Free but booking is essential: contact Anne or Christine on 0131 458 5959.

Scottish Church Music up to the Reformation: Dr Jamie Reid-Baxter is an acknowledged expert on Scottish cultural history, a poet, performer and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow. In this lecture and performance, Dr Reid-Baxter will give a fascinating survey of Scottish church music up to the Reformation, ranging over such topics as Columban and Kentigem chant, the hymns of St Magnus, St Andrew’s Music Book and the music of Carver and Peebles. A cappella vocal group Sang Scule, who specialise in singing early Scottish music, will sing several complete pieces to illustrate the story. 7-8.30pm, Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, 18 West Mayfield. Free tickets may be obtained via eventbrite here.

International Garden Photographer of the Year: an outdoor photography exhibition featuring gardens, plants and landscapes that reveal the diversity and beauty of our green planet. A selection of the world’s winning entries from the world’s leading garden photography competitions, by both amateur and professional photographers. 10am-5.45pm, Outdoor Decking, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Ends 31st May 2015.

Magic Carpet Weekenders: take a trip on the NMS’s Magic Carpet for stories, songs and activities inspired by the fascinating collections. Magic Carpet sessions are for individual families and their children under 5 years, with a minimum ratio of 1 adult per 2 children. 11-11.25am, meet at the Lighthouse Lens, Grand Gallery, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free but please sign up on the day. (These sessions are in addition to the regular ones held on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and will run on Saturdays and Sundays throughout March 2015). Also at same time on Sunday 8th March.

Amnesty International Ceilidh: 7.30pm, St Columba’s Hall, Upper Gray Street. Tickets £6/£4 on the door.

The Big LGBT Music Jam: a creative and supportive space for making music. Play, sing your own song, or just be an appreciative listener, all music tastes welcome. No need to book, just turn up. Bring your own instruments, some percussion supplied. 1-4pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information contact biglgbtmusicjamedinburgh@gmail.com.

St Bride’s Family Cinema: see your favourite films for free! Adventure, excitement, fun and laughs – they’re all here. Choc ices and juice available during the interval for 50p each. This week: Yogi Bear (U), next week: The Iron Giant (U). All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. 10.30am-12.30pm (including interval), St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry.

Blackwell’s Celebrates World Book Day in the Children’s Department: dress up as your favourite book character (a prize for the best costume), have your face painted by Mrs Fantoosh, take part in a book hunt, and take a tour behind the scenes of Edinburgh’s oldest bookshop. You can also meet award-winning author Lari Don, who will be running two sessions, one for younger and one for older children. For ages 4-7,  Lari will read from her magical picture books, help you imagine your own magic, and tell one of her favourite traditional tales: 10.30 -11.30am –  booking should be made via eventbrite here, and for ages 8-12 Lari will read from her adventure book Fabled Beast Chronicles and tell one of the legends that inspire her fiction: 12 noon-1pm – booking should be made via eventbrite here. (Alternatively, call 0131 622 8218 to book for either session). All other World Book Day events will take place between 10am and 4pm at Blackwell’s, South Bridge. All events are free.

South West Neighbourhood Swap Shop: clothes and PC repair, plus furniture upcycling. Bring books, small household objects and clothes to donate or swap (no broken items, mattresses or electrical items please), try the laptop repair and sewing machine workshops (delivered by Remade in Scotland experts), or watch an upcycling demonstration from Upcycled World. 12.30-4.30pm (upcycling demonstration 1.30-3.30pm), Gorgie Dalry Church, 190-192 Dalry Road. This event is part of Pass It On Week 2015, which runs from 7th to 15th March.

Shelter Scotland Shops Donation Drive: as part of Pass It On Week, Edinburgh Shelter shops are holding a donation drive and asking you to pass on any unwanted good quality clothes, toys, books, CDs, DVDs and small household items to help them continue their work to combat homelessness and bad housing. To find your nearest Shelter shop, click here.

LGBT: Edinburgh Trans Women. Support group aimed at transsexual women at any stage of transition, including those questioning their gender identity. Please email the group in advance at info@edinburghtranswomen.org.uk  if this is your first visit. 7.30-9.30pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street.

WE + Estaitis + KRK: live music. WE are four bodies barely obscured by identical black boxes ‘a broken man machine of shrill synth grooves, bizarre guitar melodies, cartoon drumrolls and sax for special occasions’. 7-10pm Rhubaba Gallery and Studios, 25 Arthur Street. Free entry. More details here.

Bookbug: for children aged 0-4 and their parents or carers. 11.30am today and every Saturday, Portobello Library, 14 Rosefield Avenue. These sessions are very popular, please arrive early. There are also sessions at 10.15am and 11.15am every Wednesday.

Gorgie City Farm Seed Swap: Gorgie City Farm, 51 Gorgie Road. Please contact the Farm for times.

Secret Histories: Screening Irish History. The final screening in a season exploring the dark and troubling aspects of Irish life,  A Terrible Beauty (12A) is a ‘meticulously researched docudrama combining archive footage and dramatic re-enactments, based on first-hand accounts, to vividly recreate the ferocious battles of Dublin’s Mount Street and North King Street in the 1916 Easter Rising, as seen from the perspective of the Irish Volunteers, British soldiers and innocent civilians’. The screening will be followed by a Q & A session with the filmmakers. 3.20pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets can be booked online via the website or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688. Screened in association with the University of Edinburgh School of History, Classics and Archaeology.

Clarsach Music at the Library: listen to members of the Edinburgh branch of the Clarsach Society perform a programme of solos, songs, duets and ensembles. 2-2.20pm and 2.35-2.55pm, Foyer, Central Library, George IV Bridge.

Family Fun Day: The Chinese Year of the Goat. Chinese drumming, dancing and a workshop: learn how to play a drum, spin a handkerchief or make a dragon, and try some Chinese skipping. 2-3pm, Granton Library, Wardieburn Terrace.

Italian Film Festival: curated by Allan Hunter and Richard Mowe, the 22nd Festival continues today. ‘An exciting and diverse line-up of contemporary and classic Italian cinema, including hilarious comedies, insightful dramas, seat-edge thrillers and classics from award-winning directors’. All films are subtitled in English, Today: The Dinner (15),’a chilling view of modern morality’. 8.45pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets can be booked online via the website or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom International Women’s Day Singathon: 100 songs on the themes of women, international solidarity, peace and freedom, led by Penny Stone. All welcome – women, children and men – come along for all or just some of the singing, bring an instrument if you like. There will be tea and cake – please bring extra cake and nibbles. If you plan to stay long bring warm clothes and a cushion! 3pm-12 midnight, St John’s Church Hall, Princes Street. For more information contact Penny Stone on singlouderthanguns@gmail.com. Donations will be collected to help women from poorer countries to attend the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom centenary conference in The Hague and to support Penny’s ongoing activism fund.