Musselburgh and District Angling Association has a new committee which has been together since December last year.

Secretary Stevie Devine tells me that it is eight-strong with four office bearers.

Chairman is Chris Halliday, Jamie McDonald is president, Grant Dickson is the treasurer and Stevie said: “We want to make fishing on our river accessible for everyone.

“A disabled platform is something we are looking at in the coming months.

“We believe that we are the youngest committee in the district and we want to achieve a few different things.

“These include more people to fish the water and for them to practice catch release as we already do.”

Stevie added: “The commitment and passion that every member has shown is second to none.

“We had a good head of volunteers at our river clean up last month even with the challenging conditions and we’re always walking up and down the river and will happily stop and help any angler that comes to fish.

“I’ve mentioned on the Facebook page that if anyone is unsure of the river then to give me a shout as I’m on the river nearly every day. There are some fantastic runs and pools.”

If you are interested then permits are £20 and they are available from Ace Bike Co at 101 North High Street, Musselburgh EH21 6JE (just behind The Brunton Hall, t: 0131 665 4468) and the shop is open from 9am to 6pm Monday through Saturday (closed Sunday).

Permits are also available at the Edinburgh Angling Centre at Granton Retail Park, 65 West Harbour Road, Edinburgh EH5 1PW (t: 0131 202 6351)

One of the reasons Papilio opened in bustling Bruntsfield more than 20 years ago because it is has a village in a city feel.

It has a wonderful mix of students, professionals and permanent residents and we’ve enjoyed this atmospheric Italian restaurant several times in recent years. We have always felt at home.

The owners believe there are two essential ingredients in running a successful restaurant business, food, prepared with care, and personal service. The slick service and friendly atmosphere – nothing appears too much trouble – means diners return again and again.

Papilio, by the way, is an ancient word from Latin, meaning butterfly, and the menu seeks to provide an eclectic mix to suit all tastes. It certainly did for our group. Starters were interesting, and the veal and potato was tempting but the waiter eloquently described their home-made meatballs in tomato sauce with garlic bread I was sold.

Others tucked into melanzane alla parmigiana (aubergines baked with cheese and tomato). This vegetarian dish was packed with flavour.

Our mains included scaloppina funghi e crema (veal cooked in wine with mushrooms and crème), scaloppina alle romana (veal with sage, white wine and parma ham) and bistecca pizziola (a juicy sirloin with a wonderful white wine, herb, garlic and a tomato sauce) and pollo papilio (breast of chicken stuffed with spinach and cheese in breadcrums with garlic lemon and white wine sauce).

It makes me hungry writing this and, if this was not enough, some could not resist the home-made tiramisu. It was described as an Italian pick me-up and how right the waiter was. It was sensational and a talking point going home in the car.

We’ve recommended this fine establishment to several people. None, even picky eaters, have been disappointed. Oh, children are welcome and gluten free pasta is also available.

Papilio, 158 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh EH10 4ER (t: 0131 229 3325) www.papiliorestaurant.com

Elite League: Edinburgh Capitals 2, Cardiff Devils 3 (after overtime), Fife Flyers 6, Sheffield Steelers 3

Joey Haddad netted three minutes into overtime as Cardiff Devils, the long-time Elite League pace-setters, came from behind to dump bottom club Edinburgh Capitals at Murrayfield.

The Welshmen were 2-1 behind but Patrick Bordeleau scored less than four minutes from the end of regular time to send the game into an extra session.

Earlier, Chris Jones fired Cardiff ahead after three minutes but goals from Ian Schultz ten minutes later and Pavel Vorobyev unassisted in the 18^th minute put the home side ahead.

Capitals now have 32 points from 44 games and are four points behind fellow-strugglers Dundee Stars who have played the same number of fixtures.

Coventry Blaze edged Manchester Storm 3-2 after a nail-biting shootout to move onto 39 points from 47 fixtures and Manchester also have 39 points but from 44 games.

Elsewhere, mid-table Fife Flyers claimed a 6-3 victory over high-flying Sheffield Steelers at Kirkcaldy and pocketed the points despite Zack Fitzgerald opening the scoring for the visitors after four minutes.

Elite League: Manchester Storm 2, Edinburgh Capitals 5; Braehead Clan 4, Dundee Stars 1; Belfast Giants 7, Fife Flyers 2; Cardiff Devils 8, Coventry Blaze 0.

Edinburgh Capitals snapped a two-game losing streak to keep their play-off hopes alive, writes Nigel Duncan.

They beat Manchester Storm 5-2 in the North-West after claiming four unanswered goals between the 19^th and 58^th minutes.

Karel Hromas, Ian Schultz, Michael O’Orazio, Jacob Johnston and Pavel Vorobyev netted while Jack Prince claimed a double for Storm.

Bottom club Capitals now have 31 points from 43 games and are five points adrift of second-bottom Dundee Stars who have played a game more.

Stars play-off hopes were dealt a blow with a 4-1 defeat at Scottish rivals Braehead Clan.

The victory secured the Gardiner Conference title involving the Elite League’s north-based clubs for the Glasgow outfit.

Cody Carlson, Matt Becca and Mike Hammond netted inside 12 minutes to give the home side a 3-0 lead.

Cale Tanaka pulled one back for Stars after 24 minutes but Alex Leavitt secured the win with a fourth four minutes later.

Stars are a point behind Coventry Blaze who lost 8-0 at league leaders Cardiff Devils and remain on 37 points from 46 games.

Sixth-placed Fife Flyers form slump continued when Steve Saviano claimed four goals as Belfast Giants whipped the Kirkcaldy club 7-2 in Northern Ireland.

The home side outshot the Scots 55-18 overall and Giants made sure of the points with four unanswered, third-period goals. Seb Thinel and Carlo Finucci netted for Fife who have lost their last four games.

Southern Tenant Folk Union will be appearing at the Soundhouse @ Traverse Theatre on Monday 27th March as part of a UK album tour.

September 2016 saw the release of the seventh Southern Tenant Folk Union album Join Forces. It was written following the May 2015 general election result, and then recorded in June and July last  year amidst a quickly changing political landscape, something that has made the suite of songs seem timelier still.

Musically the album harks back to the more roots and bluegrass sounding earlier albums and is divided into two main strands. Firstly there are some tracks which have a much poppier and melodic approach than in the past. Songs such as the dynamic opener To The War, the frantic Arthur Lee & Love influenced The Media Attack, Rory Butler’s Carefully Does It and the title track Join Forces. Then, secondly, several songs deliberately take in more old-time bluegrass chord sequences and sounds. Tracks like Ash, a metaphor for political progress meeting the sci-fi eco movie Silent Running, and the uptempo bluegrass lament that is Our Revolution It Will One Day Come which concerns the slow nature of change. Plain Stanley Brothers style A cappella harmony vocals start off My Grandfather’s Father before mixing in folk fiddle & percussion breakdowns and then there’s the anthemic What Would You Give For A Leader With Soul?, which was  released as a single on Sept 2^nd 2016.

Their previous album, the acclaimed and politically themed The Chuck Norris Project, was a diverse mix of classical, soundtrack, folk and jazz influences so it feels natural for a more straightforward album to follow it. The songs themselves mostly came together in the days immediately following the conservative party’s general election victory and were initially rough sketches of protest and pain at the thought of the five years ahead. And while written in the wake of that election result and the accompanying Labour party leadership election it now comes as an interesting coincidence that in 2016 as the new tracks were being recorded and worked on in June & July there was again turmoil in politics with the vote to leave the EU bringing us a new Prime Minister and yet another Labour leadership contest.

Whilst it does look back to an earlier Americana and old-time sound the whole thing is still subtly different to anything the band has recorded before. Containing three ‘question songs’ in the Pete Seeger/Phil Ochs style, the first of these is the single What Would You Give For A Leader With Soul? about the hope of better leadership, that growing pent up desire for higher standards in politics and political leaders, the same desire that has seen the grass roots popularity of Jeremy Corbyn here in the UK and Bernie Sanders in the USA. Secondly comes the professional politician on the campaign trail and their sincerity with Were You Faking When You Kissed Her? The third ‘question’ track is the country rock era Byrds-flavoured What Kind Of Worker Do You Want To Be? and looks to mix the politics of unionising and solidarity with campfire song folk.

Returning to the album title, it was the vote to leave the EU that eventually decided what it should be. And Join Forces itself is a big pop bluegrass groover featuring call and response backing vocals and lyrically is about the idea of people from the same country, town or street on opposite sides of a futile military conflict. The title’s double meaning itself being an invitation to create a more hopeful future.

Lead singer and guitarist Rory Butler pens two tracks for the record, firstly the opening cut To The War reflecting on the frustration of us all being complicit in war abroad and in despair at the ‘war’ on those least fortunate in our society. The second track, Carefully Does It, brings a 70’s pop almost Jimmy Webb styled sensibility to the album powerfully utilising the big band acoustic sound of Southern Tenant Folk Union.

A strong flavour of Scottish folk also runs across the whole record with the exciting and daring fiddle playing of Katherine Stewart intertwined throughout. Plus Katherine and percussionist Steve Fivey specially wrote the Islay Crossing Set which features three original tunes – of sometimes fiendish complexity, dynamic rhythmic impact and stark beauty – that demonstrate the link between folk and bluegrass and their relation and common currency over time.

Once again recording and mixing, on his fifth consecutive album with the band, is Tim Matthew. Even though he now lives in Shetland he was miraculously free for four days between two stints of Lau touring (he is their long time live sound engineer). His relaxed manner, skill at getting good performances and his expertise in microphones, recording and all the technical aspects made the album another successful and enjoyable experience. Stylised album artwork with a striking black and red colour theme comes from double bass player Craig Macfadyen and also for the first time there’s a live in the studio video, Rory’s song To The War filmed and edited by Sandy Butler.

Finally, the nature of the political protest music that inspired these songs stretches back, long before Woody Guthrie, back before Alan Lomax finally captured the ancient lyrics of hope and despair in a recorded form. It is the history of the struggle for rights and the battles whether they were won or lost. And that story still continues with this album, amongst the many other folk albums of conscience being released, and Southern Tenant Folk Union doing the little they can, contributing in some small way to the debate about progress.

Southern Tenant Folk Union are: Rory Butler – Acoustic Guitar/Lead Vocals     Steve Fivey – Cajon Drum/Percussion/Vocals     Craig Macfadyen – Double Bass/Vocals

Pat McGarvey – 5 String Banjo/Vocals    Katherine Stewart – Fiddle/Vocals

2017 Album Tour Dates

Fri 27^th Jan – Byre Theatre, St Andrews www.byretheatre.com T. 01334 475000

Wed 8^th Feb – Trades Club, Hebden Bridge www.thetradesclub.com T. 01422 845265

Thu 9^th Feb – Place Theatre, Bedford www.theplacebedford.org.uk

Fri 10^th Feb – Lowdham Village Hall www.warthogpromotions.com T. 0115 966 3596

Sat 11^th Feb – Bridport Arts Centre www.bridport-arts.com T. 01308 424204

Fri 24^th Feb – Pontardawe Arts Centre, Wales www.nptheatres.co.uk/pontardawe T. 01792 863722

Sat 25^th Feb –South Street Arts Centre, Reading www.readingarts.com/south-street T. 0118 960 6060

Thu 23^rd March – Eden Court Theatre, Inverness www.eden-court.co.uk T. 01463 234234

Fri 24^th March – An Lanntair, Stornoway, Isle Of Lewis www.lanntair.com T. 01851 708480

Mon 27^th March – Soundhouse @ Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh www.traverse.co.uk T. 0131 228 1404

Photo credit Sandy Butler

Scottish Cup, semi-final: Edinburgh University 2, Bromac Kelburne 3 (after running penalties); Grange 8, Grove Menzieshill 1

CALLUM Milne netted three penalty corner goals as Edinburgh side Grange stormed into the Scottish Cup Final.

They were 4-0 ahead at half-time against Dundee-based Grove Menzieshill in their semi-final and fired another four goals in the second session to run out 8-1 winners at wind-lashed Peffermill.

Andrew Brogdon, one of Grange’s coaching team, said: “I’m not into history but this must be up there as one of the biggest cup wins in our history.

“It was a strong team performance and we played well.”

Earlier, Dan Coultas failed to convert a running penalty leaving Bromac Kelburne on course for a league and cup double.

The Scottish international defender had been the hero minutes earlier by converting a penalty corner after the end of regular time to take the tense tussle into the extra session at Peffermill.

Ian Moodie fired the students ahead in the first-half and Josh Cairns netted a penalty flick early in the second-half to level.

German-born Jonas Nommensen netted with 2min 50sec left of normal time, latching onto a loose ball at the far post and prodding it home.

And Coultas sent his penalty corner now into the net to level.

Then it was down to the nerve-wracking running penalties and the Yorkshire-born defender’s miss sparked scenes of joy for Kelburne who currently lead the Division One title race by five points.

Cairns said: “They sat in and made it difficult but we found a way to come through.”

(Library Image – Grange v Edinburgh University – J.L. Preece)

Division One (men): Bromac Kelburne 3, Grange 0; Grove Menzieshill 3, Edinburgh University 2; Watsonians 3, AAM Gordonians 3; Western Wildcats 4, Hillhead 3; Uddingston Deans Eng 1, PSL Team Sport Clydesdale 2.

Bromac Kelburne, the defending champions, moved five points clear of the chasing pack thanks to a victory over their closest rivals Grange in Glasgow, writes Nigel Duncan.

The West of Scotland side ended Grange’s eight-game unbeaten run with a comfortable 3-0 victory and moved onto 27 points from ten fixtures.

Grange have 22 points from nine starts and third-placed Grove Menzieshill closed to within three points after their 3-2 victory over Edinburgh University on Tayside.

The home side scored with their first two attacks but only led 2-1 at the break, Scottish international defender Dan Coultas halving the deficit with a penalty corner strike.

A mistake in Edinburgh’s rearguard allowed Grove to net No 3 but Coultas scored from open play in the last move of the game to narrow the gap.

Elsewhere, former league leaders Watsonians were held 3-3 by previously pointless AAM Gordonians at Peffermill.

The Edinburgh side have now failed to win any of their last seven games and the point will give the Aberdeen side heart after losing their first nine games.

Struggling Western Wildcats edged mid-table Hillhead 4-3 at Auchenhowie to record only their third win in ten league games.

The result means Edinburgh University remain in fourth position with Hillhead fifth and Watsonians slip to eighth place.

Second-bottom PSL Team Sport Clydesdale edged sixth-placed Uddingston Deans Eng 2-1 in Lanarkshire to collect their second win of the league season.

In the Scottish Cup, Bromac Kelburne aim to keep their double hopes intact when they square-up to Edinburgh University at Peffermill  on Sunday (2pm).

The West of Scotland side are the long-time leaders of men’s Division One and are the current cup holders while Edinburgh are fourth in the league table.

Kelburne won the league clash 5-1 but their coach Gordon Shepherd said: “Edinburgh will give us a competitive semi-final.”

The other semi-final sees Edinburgh side Grange, who are second in the ten-strong league table, face Dundee combine Grove Menzieshill, who are third, also at Peffermill.

The sides drew 3-3 on Tayside earlier this season after Grove led 3-0 with only ten minutes remaining.

The three bridges crossing the River Forth at Queensferry were beginning to emerge from the mist. It was a stunning day with a cloudless, blue sky. There was, however, a chill in the air – it was mid-February – and after a walk on the beach and around the quaint harbour a warming cuppa was called for.

I’ve been at functions in The Orocco Pier before but never dropped into the restaurant/café. It is stylish, has morning papers and a live TV news feed, comfortable seats and a sensational view. We were fortunate enough to select a window table and you can see the view from our table in the picture.

Service was slick and my grand-daughter plumped for a bacon roll. They listened to her diet concerns and delivered. Our tea was piping hot and serviced in a china pot.

We enjoyed the experience and will be tempted back to savour some of the food which was being served. The fish looked particularly good.

Orocco Pier, 17 High Street, South Queensferry EH30 9PP (t: 0870 118 1664) www.oroccopier.co.uk

Scotland score first win over Wales in 10 years.

It has indeed been 10 years since Scotland last beat Wales in the RBS Six Nations, so, yes, it was a long wait, but Saturday’s match proved it was a wait worth enduring, as Scotland saw off the visiting side to BT Murrayfield for the second time this season.

Although down at half time, Scotland rallied in the second half to add two tries to the post-finding boot of Finn Russell to take their comprehensive victory.

It looked good at the start as a couple of penalties early on first, gave Scotland territorial advantage and second, gave Russell an easy three-pointer in front of the posts for the lead after six minutes of play.

The opposition fans didn’t have the lead for too long, however, as Wales roared back into the game, stand-off, Dan Biggar, finding touch inside the home 22 from a penalty, before foul play handed the visitors another penalty, which, full back, Lee Halfpenny sent over for the equaliser. So 12 minutes in it was 3-3 with both sides still finding their feet and sussing out the opposition.

And it was Wales who seemed to get their ‘sussing’ completed first.

A couple of penalties either way gave neither side much of an advantage – the visitors probably had the territorial superiority, to be fair – but as the clock passed the first quarter, Wales won a scrum on Scotland’s 22.

A free kick from the scrum was taken quickly by scrum-half, Rhys Webb, who quickly shipped the ball on to Biggar. The Welsh 10 scooted across the defence and, seeing that there was space on the outside, fired the ball on to wing, Liam Williams. Williams then stepped outside the flailing Stuart Hogg and sprinted the five, ever so short, metres in to dive over in the corner, leaving Hogg to tackle the flag! Halfpenny then added the extras to give Wales a 10-3 lead with 25 minutes of the match played.

The home side were almost another five points behind a couple of minutes later when Williams ‘scored’ from a much longer run in.

The move had started with a kick over the top from Russell which Scotland’s 14, Tommy Seymour just failed to gather. From the resultant line-out, the visitors broke clear and ‘made progress. The ‘non-try’ was not scored by Williams following a gallop up the line, from which, he proceeded to turn Hogg inside out before crossing the line for the touch down. However, the referee, John Lacey’s, attention had been brought to an off-the-ball incident involving Webb. The replay then showed Webb pulling back one defender, before obstructing another, thereby giving his winger every chance to make ground. The ref’s finger was wagged, penalty to Scotland and, a few minutes later, a second for a – very – high tackle on Scotland’s Ali Price, gave Russell the opportunity to close the gap to 10-6 just before the half hour.

Just after the half hour, another successful penalty kick from Halfpenny opened the gap back up to seven points for 13-6 to the away side.

Wales came back from the restart, but as the match approached half time, the home side started to push forward, putting pressure on the away defence and winning a penalty in the 42^nd minute which Russell saw over for 13-9 at half time.

It was a ‘different Scotland side who took to the field for the second half and they immediately pressed home what advantage they had gained from the penalty and, with less than four minutes of the half played, they scored their first try of the match.

The pack battered their way up the centre of the pitch, ending up with lock, Richie Gray, pulling in, at least, three defenders. This gave the Scots’ backs a bit of room down the right and some slick passing – the final ball coming from a Tim Visser off-load – saw Seymour over the line in the corner for the try. Russell then continued his successful kicking spree with the touch-line conversion to put the home side into a 16-13 lead.

Scotland now had their tails up and began to dominate proceedings inside the Welsh half, forcing the visitors into kicking clear.

The next score came just after the 50 minute mark from, yet, another Russell penalty which opened the gap to 19-13 in favour of the Scots.

Wales then had another brief moment of hope snatched away as an excellent win against the head from a scrum, saw Webb grab the ball and catapult himself down the blindside and over in the corner. Fortunately – if you’re a Scottish supporter – he was just tackled before the line and the TMO result was ‘a foot in touch’. You could feel the air pressure inside the stadium increase as the many thousands of home supporters released their collective breath at the same time following that crucial decision.

Then it was back to the day-job for Scotland as they returned the match the opposition half where many thought it belonged in the first place.

However, Scotland were not for losing this one and, managing to avoid a couple of potential banana skin errors, the next score was a Tim Visser try.

With just over 15 minutes to go, Scotland were, once again, encamped deep in the Welsh 22. Pressure was beginning to build on the defenders through a series of rucks before Captain, John Barclay had a dart at the line. He was pulled up short, but space had been created and, a long pass out to Hogg was then popped out to Visser, giving the winger a short, tackle-bursting run in for the try. Russell’s impeccable boot then rounded off the score with another conversion to take the score out to 26-13 with just over 10 minutes left on the clock.

The final score came by way of a penalty created by Liam Williams running the ball into his own player and giving Russell another kick at goal, which the stand-off belted over for a final tally of 29 points to 13 in favour of Scotland and that elusive, 10 years in the making, win.

And, just to round up the weekend’s Internationals, Scotland’s U20 went down 65-34 at Broadwood in trying conditions. The young Scots side were never really at the races as the 27-0 lead just before half time told. Two quick tries before the break meant it was 27-12 at half time, but the second half was put to bed as Wales went on to rack up their total of 65, Scotland, to their credit, not surrendering and adding 22 points of their own before the end.

Images from the main match will appear here over the next few days.

Despite dropping two points against Dunfermline Athletic yesterday, Hibs’ Head Coach Neil Lennon insisted that he was pleased with his players and singled out keeper Ofir Marciano for a special mention.

Hibs looked to be cruising to victory after taking a two goal lead however an injury to Liam Fontaine changed the complexion of the game, allowing the ‘Pars’ back into it.

Injuries to Paul Hanlon and Jordon Forster meant that Lennon had to move Marvin Bartley into the centre of the defence and then debutant Callum Crane.

Lennon also highlighted that his players finished the game ‘dead on their feet’ following Wednesday’s fantastic performance against Hearts in the William Hill Scottish Cup replay.

Results elsewhere ensured that Hibs remain seven points clear at the top of the Championship with a vastly superior goal difference to the chasing pack.

Speaking immediately after the final whistle to BBC Scotland, Lennon said:  “I’m very pleased. You can see we’re dead on our feet, and that’s our third centre-half out injured as well. The goals were avoidable, but we started brilliantly.

“The momentum changes when you lose Liam and give a goal away, then my goalkeeper made some world-class saves.

“We’ve been superb defensively all season but we were poor today, and that’s tiredness more than anything else.

“But all-in-all, we’re seven points clear, off the back of a mentally and physically draining night on Wednesday, they’ve given me everything.”

Ofir ‘Rocky’ Marciano was the Hibs’ hero yesterday with three world class saves that earned his side a share of the points against Dunfermline at Easter Road yesterday.

Hibs cruised into a two goal lead thanks to goals from Martin Boyle and Jason Cummings but an injury to centre half Liam Fontaine meant that Neil Lennon had to shuffle his pack at the back which allowed Dunfermline back into the game.

The ‘Pars’ levelled the game seconds after the break and but for the heroics of Marciano would have taken all three points back to Fife.

An incredible double save from Moffat and Clark was followed by a point blank save from a header moments later.

Hibs ended the game stronger and but for some bizarre refereeing decisions from John Beaton could have recorded an undeserved victory.

How Kallum Higginbotham remained on the pitch after his reckless challenge of Andrew Shinnie was a mystery for everyone in the stadium and Neil Lennon was spoken to for his protests.

Elsewhere Dundee United, Morton and Falkirk all dropped pints which leaves Hibs with a seven point lead at the top of the table.

Speaking after the game to Hibernian TV, a modest ‘rocky’ said: ” I just did my job. Most of the games I don’t have much to do but this game I had and I did the best that I could for the team.

“Sometimes we have games like that and we have to know how to deal with it.

“Sometimes you don’t have time to think about things but you work on these things all week in training and you try to practice that and keep yourself as sharp as you can. I am happy I was able to show that in the game.

“It’s not easy when players are not used to playing with each other but we had to manage. We missed a couple of key players and you can see the difference but the players who were left in the defence have to lift their game.

“Hopefully the players will come back and do a good job.”

 Fiery Scots seal important victory at Broadwood Stadium

On a cold February night, the Scots beat a tough Welsh side and secured their first victory since 2010 at Broadwood Stadium. The hard work and efforts of coach Shade Munro and the team led to a well-deserved victory after a remarkable come-back. Despite conceding 14 points in the opening quarter of the first half the signs were there that an elusive victory was within the teams grasp after a ferocious response by the Dark Blues.  Although the Six Nation’s opener ended narrowly in defeat against a historically strong Irish team, another strong performance against a confident Welsh team merited an elusive victory to kick start their Six Nations campaign.

A strong showing from the player of the match – Chloe Rollie who made vital yards in key moments of the game and Edinburgh University playmaker Sarah Law who was instrumental in their victory at Broadwood stadium.

After going two tries down in the opening quarter they regrouped and centre Lisa Thomson pulled a try back just before the interval. In the second half winger Rhona Lloyd  scored a well worked try and on the 77^th minute Law kicked Scotland into the lead for the first time in the game to clinch it 15-14 for the Scots.

Phillips scored Wales opener after being camped in the Scottish 22 for some time and Wales continued to show dominance in possession as they followed this up with a penalty try on the 34^th minute for a collapsing scrum. Scotland hit back just before the break as Lisa Thompson pierced through the Welsh defensive line and scored a well worked try ending the first half on a high.

With a renewed sense of pride after scoring at the very end of the first half Scotland stormed into the second half with a dominant performance that kept Wales on the back foot for long periods of the game.

Scotland’s second try came on the 61^st minute after a sustained period of possession, a superb hand off by the Scottish number 8 Jade Konkel on her opposite number Sioned Harries opened up the Welsh defence and a well-timed offload to Sarah Law was followed by a quick pass to winger Rhona Lloyd who dived over in the corner for a sumptuous and well worked try.

The game was poised for an exciting finale and a late penalty gave Scotland a chance to take the lead on the 77^th minute, Sarah Law delivered with aplomb and sent the crowd into ecstatic applause.

Reflecting on the game in her post match interview Law said: “We played ourselves into that position, we played with intent and that was the chat at half time. We kept our composure in the second half, the intent and the aggression, we knew we could, we would get those kind of opportunities, it was just about taking those opportunities as they were presented.”

Law added: “Going into half time that’s what we needed, to put them under pressure going into the half, to get that just before half time was a real boost, a reward for all our hard work in the first half. We knew if we could play like that – if we came out and played like that straight away then we would come away with the win”

Coach Shane Munro was visibly delighted and commended the team for an excellent performance. He said: “In the past, against Ireland, we’ve actually learned from that as well, it was great when you see it, even after the first couple of scores in the first half, we were 14-7 down, but the determination at half time and the chat from all the players, coaches, was pretty single minded in their determination to win this game. And we managed to do that which is great.”

The Scotland’s Women’s coach added: “Hard work, belief in what we’re doing, a good game plan, a good bunch of players, good team spirit, if you’ve got all those things –you are going to go places. I’m really pleased for them, I’m really proud of them, they performed extremely well and they deserve it.”

Just to emphasise the importance of Scotland’s win on Friday night to the team, their most recent win in the Women’s Six Nations was against France in 2010. A 10-8 victory in equally trying, but drier – it was difficult to see across the width of the pitch due to fog – conditions at Lasswade Rugby Club.

Images from the match will appear here over the next few days

Partick Thistle 2 Heart of Midlothian 0

Ladbrokes Premiership, Saturday 25^th February 2017 – Firhill

That was the week that was. A miserable eight days for everyone associated with Heart of Midlothian ended in all-too familiar fashion in Glasgow on Saturday when the Jambos followed up their pitiful showings against Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Hibernian with another abject display as Partick Thistle eased to a 2-0 win in the Ladbrokes Premiership at Firhill.

Hearts Head Coach Ian Cathro said in the aftermath of the bitter Scottish Cup elimination at the hands of city rivals Hibernian that the players had a lot of making up to do to the fans. He made three changes from that team – captain Perry Kitchen and Malaury Martin stepped aside for Krystian Nowak and youngster Rory Currie while Aaron Hughes was originally listed to play but got injured during the warm-up. Faycal Rherras replaced him with Lennard Sowah moving to the centre of the defence – a switch which the Ghanaian-German found uncomfortable to adjust to.

Despite the huge let-down of Wednesday evening in Leith, there was still a sizeable contingent of Hearts fans at Firhill. However, they were holding their collective heads in their hands after just five minutes when Thistle took the lead. A free-kick into the Hearts penalty box was treated nonchalantly by the visiting defence and Doolan blasted the ball past Hearts keeper Jack Hamilton to put the home side a goal ahead.

The feeling among the disgruntled Maroon Army was ‘here we go again’.

Hearts struggled to make any impact on the game. Only Jamie Walker seemed interested in having a crack at goal but his long-range efforts never threatened to bring an equaliser.

Tziolis then tried an effort after being set up by Goncalves but, like Walker’s attempts, Thistle weren’t troubled.

In fact, the home side almost doubled their lead when Doolan forced a brilliant save from Jack Hamilton.

As if Hearts didn’t have enough problems they were given another one when Jamie Walker had to be replaced by Sam Nicholson just before half-time as he was having problems with his vision. The Hearts support were probably wishing they couldn’t see properly either…

Half-time Partick Thistle 1 Hearts 0

The second half continued in much the same fashion as the first. Cathro decided a further change was required after 58 minutes as he introduced Dylan Bikey who replaced Rory Currie.

If the Maroon Army were hoping the former Stirling Albion striker might make an immediate impact they were to be disappointed as Hearts were reduced to ten men just two minutes later. Isma Goncalves, having already been booked, received a second yellow card following a late challenge meaning the former St Mirren striker left the field for an early bath.

In an afternoon of long-range efforts, Faycal Rherras was the latest Hearts player to try his luck after collecting a free-kick from Arnaud Djoum but, like so many of the others, his shot on goal sailed over the bar.

Thistle clinched a deserved victory with 18 minutes left. Osman crossed for Lindsay to fire home and it was 2-0 to the home side.

Game over. And, thankfully, week over.

Ian Cathro delivered some familiar words after the game. He told the official Hearts website:

“We face up to the situation we’re in. We understand it, we’re aware of it and we have to deal with it.

“We can get out of the difficult moment by winning the game on Wednesday night. And winning the game after that.

“Ultimately no, we didn’t get the response that we were looking for. We wanted to win the game, we wanted to perform in a more dominant way, so no.

“What this situation is, is it’s a difficult moment. We said on Wednesday night that that was a game of such magnitude that we didn’t do enough to give everybody what they needed to see from the team they love.

“Today, we’ve not done it either. So everything that was said on Wednesday, it’s the same situation. And we have to progress. It’s the same situation.

“This is what happens in these difficult situations. A variety of people will have them one, two, three times a season. It could happen and does happen and it goes round and round.

“What’s important is that everyone is together, is clear in their minds of what their responsibilities are, and right now everybody’s responsibility is to find more, to be clear and honest with themselves as to what they’re giving, what everybody’s giving each other and that is what through time earns back the trust of the fans.”

“I want the fans to come and expect us to be perfect from the start of the game. I want them to be what they are. I want them to be how they feel.

“That’s what makes playing for this club a little bit more difficult than playing for other clubs. It matters so much and they’re powerful. I want them to feel how they feel and be how they are.”

The Hearts Head Coach said much the same thing after the defeat at Easter Road on Wednesday. Sometimes, words are simply not enough.

Partick Thistle: Cerny, Dumbuya (Elliott, 51′), Booth, Lindsay, Osman, Doolan (Azeez, 82′), Erskine (Lawless, 75′), Barton, Devine, Keown, Edwards.

Hearts: Hamilton, Struna, Avlonitis, Rherras (Choulay, 80′), Sowah, Tziolis, Nowak, Djoum, Walker (Nicholson, 42′), Currie (Bikey, 58′), Isma.

Att: 4,143

Referee: Nick Walsh

Top Man: Nope, sorry, can’t think of anyone in a Hearts shirt.

Hibs remain seven points clear at the top of the Championship tonight but they have goalkeeper Ofir Marciano to thank for producing two sensational saves which secured what could be a valuable point against Dunfermline.

Neil Lennon made two changes to the starting XI that knocked Hearts out of the Scottish cup on Wednesday with Fraser Fyvie replacing Marvin Bartley and and Andrew Shinnie taking over from the injured Chris Humphrey.

Hibs started brightly and David Gray set up Grant Holt but the striker was flagged offside then Jason Cummings had a chance but was crowded out by the Dunfermline defenders.

The hosts opened the scoring in the 5th minute when John McGinn won possession in midfield before slipping the ball to Shinnie who found Cummings on the right wing. The youngster sent an inch perfect cross to the back post and Martin Boyle was on hand to hammer the ball into the net from close range.

Holt then flicked the ball into the path of Cummings but his shot was well saved by Stewart Murdoch then Shinnie showed some nice skill on the left wing before cutting along the bye-line but his shot went well over the bar.

Hibs added a second in the 23rd minute after Boyle was brought down inside the area by Jason Talbot and Cummings sent the resultant penalty kick past Murdoch into the right hand corner of the net.

Two minutes later Paul McMullen pulled one back after a mistake by Gray and moments later Liam Fontaine was forced to leave the field with an ankle injury.

Bartley replaced him in the heart of the defence then before the break McGinn and Fyvie were both booked for reckless challenges and Kallum Higginbotham was wrongly shown a yellow card after a stramash in the middle of the field.

The Pars equalised within seconds of the restart when Higginbotham was left with too much room in the box and he fired a powerful drive low into the corner of the net from an acute angle.

Dunfermline then almost took the lead when Moffat’s strike rebounded off the bar into the path of Nicky Clark but Marciano produced a fantastic save with his feet to keep the scores level.

Higginbotham should then have been sent off for a reckless challenge on Shinnie but incredibly referee John Beaton did not even speak to him.

McMullan produced a fine piece of skill inside the area before firing the ball across the face of the goal but it hit Clark and went over the bar.

Lennon replaced Fyvie with debutant Callum Crane and moved Bartley back to midfield before Marciano produced yet another great save from a Clark header as the Pars looked to grab a winner.

It was Hibs who finished the stronger however and Murdoch did well to save a long range effort from McGinn.

Andy Geggan was booked for a reckless challenge on Lewis Stevenson who was also shown a yellow card for his reaction.

Beaton spoke to Lennon on the touchline abut his protests then in the final minute James Keatings sent a low cross into the six yard box which just eluded Holt and Murdoch was able to gather.

Hibs face St Mirren on Wednesday with at the moment only one fit central defender.

Hibs: Marciano, Gray, Stevenson, McGregor, Fontaine, Fyvie, McGinn, Shinnie, Boyle, Holt, Cummings.  Subs: Laidlaw, Keatings, Bartley, Graham, Crane, Martin, Donaldson

Dunfermline: Murdoch, Geggan Morris, Ashcroft, Talbot, McMullan, Herron, Wedderburn, Higginbotham, Moffat, Clark. Subs: Fordyce, Paton, Hopkirk, Cardie, McCabe, Reilly, Hutton.

Referee John Beaton

Attendance 14,437

From 23 to 25 March 2017 the stage at the Festival Theatre will be taken over by Northern Ballet who are presenting their World Premiere Tour of Casanova.

This production will transport audiences to 18^th century Venice, telling the story of the infamous Italian adventurer in a seductive masquerade of passion and politics.

In Northern Ballet’s Casanova the fiercely intellectual Giacomo Casanova leads a controversial life consumed by his desires. He dabbles in careers as a scam artist, violinist, alchemist and church cleric but with a penchant for gambling and women, his exploits lead him into a whirlwind of scandal and excess resulting in imprisonment and exile. A true story so sensational you won’t believe it’s real.

Casanova will be choreographed by Dundee-born Kenneth Tindall who was most recently nominated for Best Classical Choreography and the Emerging Artist Award at the 2015 National Dance Awards. In addition to creations for Northern Ballet and other international organisations including John Neumeier’s Bundesjugendballett and English National Ballet’s Emerging Artist Competition, he recently collaborated with celebrated artist Linder Sterling and the British Art Show on Children of the Mantic Stain.

With a stellar creative team, Kenneth Tindall will co-create the scenario with actor, dramatist and historical biographer Ian Kelly, author of the 2008 Sunday Times Biography of the Year Casanova. The production will be set to an original score by modern classical, film and television composer Kerry Muzzey, played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia.

Sets and costumes will be designed by Tony and Olivier award winning Christopher Oram, whose recent credits include Hughie for the Booth Theatre, New York and The Winter’s Tale for the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company at the Garrick Theatre. Lighting will be designed by Alastair West whose Northern Ballet credits include Giselle, I Got Rhythm, Jane Eyre and Kenneth Tindall’s Luminous Juncžture and The Architect.

Casanova is the first of an unprecedented three full-length World Premières to be held by Northern Ballet in 2017. It will be followed by the upcoming World Premières of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in May 2017 and The Little Mermaid in September 2017.

Edinburgh, Festival Theatre

23 – 25 March 2017

Box Office 0131 529 6000

edtheatres.com

Photo Guy Barrow

Three heroic and devoted Scottish dogs are to be honored by leading vet charity PDSA at a special ceremony in Edinburgh on 24 February 2017.

PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin said, “Between them, these three wonderful dogs have demonstrated extraordinary dedication, courage and character.”They have excelled in different ways but each story demonstrates the huge contribution that animals make to our lives. I feel incredibly proud to award Ozzy, Sweep and Sabby, three truly amazing dogs, with their PDSA medals.

“Each of their stories is unique and special, but they have all made a profoundly positive impact on the lives of people in Scotland.”

Police Dog Ozzy

Police Dog Ozzy will be awarded the PDSA Gold Medal – animal equivalent of the George Cross – for his bravery and life-saving actions disarming an armed assailant threatening to blow up a block of flats.

Nine-year-old PD Ozzy and his handler, PC Brian Tennant, were called to an incident at a flat in Falkirk, where a man had assaulted two people at knifepoint. On arrival the duo discovered the man had also severed a gas pipe and was threatening to blow up the building.

The occupants of the flats were evacuated, leaving PC Tennant and PD Ozzy able to enter the building. The armed assailant charged at them, shouting threats, while attempting to ignite the gas with a lighter.

After warning the assailant, PC Tennant released Ozzy who tackled the man to the ground, allowing him to be disarmed and arrested.

Undoubtedly, PD Ozzy’s intervention prevented the man harming himself, potentially others and causing extensive damage to the building.

Police Dog Sweep

Police Dog Sweep, a Field Working Spaniel, will receive the PDSA Order of Merit for outstanding devotion to duty while working as Detection Dog for Lothian and Borders Police.

During a career spanning 2007 to 2015, the 11-year-old dog was trained to detect drugs, firearms, cash and poison. In 2012 he became the UK’s only Poison Detection dog, trained to find Carbofuran, a deadly banned poison, used to target birds of prey. He remained in this exclusive role until his retirement in 2015.

PD Sweep completed around 100 successful searches during his career, locating £512,000 of street drugs, £250,000 of cash and weaponry including shotguns, rifles and ammunition.

Sabby

Thirteen-year-old black Labrador Sabby (Sabakka) has been awarded the PDSA Order of Merit in recognition of her role supporting people with learning difficulties.

Sabby retired in 2016 after a distinguished 10-year career working with the NHS Lanarkshire Learning Disability Occupational Therapy Service team. During that time Sabby’s warm and gentle nature has helped people with learning disabilities both in the community and within the inpatient facility.  She has also taken an active role in programmes to help patients with extreme dog phobias overcome their fears.

Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgine said, “Police dogs play an essential role in supporting our officers in Keeping People Safe, as these awards demonstrate. Our dogs and their handlers perform many roles, whether it be searching for missing persons, searching out illegal drugs , money, poison or explosives. It is clear that they are brave and fearless teams and the awards to Ozzy amply demonstrate that.”

Hibs’ Head Coach Neil says that the players are going into today’s game against Dunfermline with confidence after Wednesday night’s sensational victory over Hearts but he stresses that it will be a difficult game.

Lennon has experience of playing important midweek games then returning to the bread and better fixtures and he is determined that his players will be ready for the fixture which  kicks off at 5.15 for television purposes.

He also provided an update of the club’s mounting injury list.

Speaking to Hibernian TV, Lennon said: “It’s gone now. It was a great night and we’ve had a good couple of days, but the important thing now is to get back to winning ways in the league.

“The players showed what they are capable of, I’m not expecting them to reach those heights as it’s a different game as the atmosphere and intensity will be different, but they are going into the game with a lot of confidence on the back of that great win.

“It’s natural, subconsciously that they will drop their levels as mentally and physically that game will have taken a lot out of them.

“We haven’t been able to train since then. We only had 12 out there today (Friday) There are a few bumps and bruises and we have lost Chris (Humphrey) as well but it’s just a question of keeping things ticking over.

“Rest and recovery and getting yourself mentally right again are important. I know that from playing big games and managing in Europe that there is a natural high and then a come down for a couple of days and it’s difficult to get back to that intensity but we can’t get caught cold either.

“Dunfermline will come and play really committedly and want to beat us and they will be really up for it and we have to match that.

“I was disappointed with the way we played last Saturday but I don’t think that will happen against Dunfermline.

“Dundee United play Morton so something is going to happen and points are going to be dropped for one team or bth and it’s important that we take advantage of that.

“It’s important to extend the gap at the top if you can. We are in two competitions and have a great chance of winning both and that’s a brilliant place to be at this stage of the season.

“We are a little bit thin squad wise at the minute with a few injuries but we are hoping that the players coming in, like Shinnie did, will make a big impression on the team.

“Hopefully Jordon Forster will train next week. Paul (Hanlon) had the surgery which went OK. We were hoping that he would be training but he has had a setback which is causing him discomfort so he is getting treatment for that but hopefully he will be out on the grass next week running.

“I don’t think he is a million miles away but it’s been a setback for him. It’s a totally separate issue from the surgery.

“Dylan (McGeouch) is almost there although he felt his groin in training. Danny Handling is back training but he needs some games as he has not played for a while.

“With Chris (Humphrey) it’s not a major tear and hopefully it’s only going to be a couple of weeks.

“We have four or five important players out so we are dipping into the development team now, who are doing great by the way.”

“

Edinburgh typesetting company Hewer Text has recently set up a self-publishing service for independent authors. The company has been in existence since 1980, but says that it now it offers a more bespoke service for those who want to make their works look as good as they possibly can.

There are various elements to the publishing process which Hewer Text can help with and authors can pick the parts that are most relevant to them, enabling them to keep costs within their own budget.

As well as books published in print they can also help with E-books, converting a typeset manuscript into EPUB and MOBI (kindle), so they can be accessed on all online platforms and devices.

Mathias Lord who joined the company in November last year has been charged with setting up the Indie Publishing section of the business which you can find here.  He explained: “When you are formatting text there are a lot of choices that have to be made, such as the resolution that has to be used.

“There is also the question of whether you might want to emulate some other successful author in the same genre as you.  But sometimes people only want certain services.

“A lot of people who are good writers don’t have the design skills and that is where we can help.

“Through our website or social media we will talk to the client and find out what they need. For some the publishing process is an unknown.

“In a self publishing project the author keeps control over the process. The designer will be in direct contact with the author and do whatever is needed to make the author happy with the outcome.

“People judge a book by its cover but there is more to it than that, like paper and typeface.”

Just about to move to new office premises at Edinburgh Park, a lot of the people who work for Hewer don’t ever come to the office as much of the work is done at a distance.

Lord continued: “We have tried to work with Scottish freelancers as much as possible especially in the pre-print phase. That is an interesting part of self-publishing, which for some reason has not taken off just as well here in Scotland.

“This is a smaller industry here. There are very good traditional publishing houses in Scotland who are incredibly invaluable to the Scottish literary scene.”

Explaining his own role in the business he said: “I was brought in to develop the self-publishing part of the business, setting up a newly designed website.

“My own background is that I studied English Literature at University of Edinburgh and then interned with a couple of traditional publishing houses here in Edinburgh.

“Our company has many big names as clients, who we do typesetting for, but there has been a shift to self-publishing and this is my emphasis.

“It has been very gratifying to see the website and have all the infrastructure in place to allow people to self-publish.

“And as for the future? Well it is important to me that people get to know about our business.

“I think we would like to be able to grow the book side of our business. We now have a platform which offers more than before, and the way forward will be to populate our blog with more advice and information on how self-publishing works.”

Mathias is half British and half Norwegian who came over from Oslo to study at university in Edinburgh. He concluded: “One of the things that is so refreshing is that there is so much writing here in Edinburgh. Oslo is a little more limited in that way, and Edinburgh has much more to offer!”

https://www.ht-publishing.com 

Martin Boyle insists that gaining promotion is the cub’s main priority even though a memorable victory over Hearts on Wednesday ensured a Scottish cup quarter final place.

With 12 games remaining Hibs hold a seven point lead but Boyle knows from last season that a poor run of form could hamper the club’s hopes.

He also hopes to retain his place in the starting line up for today’s game against Dunfermline at Easter Road and for the remainder of the season.

Speaking to Hibernian TV, Boyle  said: “It’s very important to follow up Wednesday’s win positively. The league’s our main priority at the moment. We need to get this big club back to where it belongs. Winning the Scottish Cup was a bonus.

“It will be hard to top that on Wednesday, but we’re going into the game high on confidence and hopefully we can take Wednesday’s performance into tomorrow’s game.

“Dunfermline have been on a good run. We have watched a DVD of them and know their strengths and weaknesses.

They will want to come to Easter Road in front of a big crowd taking on the league leaders. They will be up for it but it’s up to us to take the three points.

“We still have to play a lot of hard games and there could be a lot of twists and turns yet.

“I come into training every day and work as hard as I can trying to plant a seed in the manager’s head but it’s a strong squad that we have and everyone is wanting to be in the starting eleven and you have to take that place when it comes.

“The manager plays different formations so you can be in and out of the team. We have a lot games coming up but hopefully I can keep the shirt and kick on.”

”

This year Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is on 28 February 2017. The date changes each year as it is the day before Ash Wednesday which this year falls on 1 March 2017.

So get ready with some pancake recipes courtesy of Primula Cheese who shared them with us!

They told us : “Quick and easy, these quirky recipes are perfect for a tasty, filling breakfast before work or a much needed treat after a long day.

“These scrumptious pancakes from Primula Cheese are a delicious alternative to the classic sweet pancake and are so tasty you’ll be snacking on them long after Pancake Day.”

Cheese and Sweetcorn Savory Pancakes 

Primula cheese pancakes with sweetcorn and spring onion.

Makes 10 thick pancakes about the diameter of a coffee mug.

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 200ml milk
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small tin of sweetcorn, drained well
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• ½ tube of your favourite Primula Cheese, cold
• A handful of chopped parsley to garnish

To Garnish

• Chopped parsley
• 25g Primula Cheese

What to do: 

Ø  Whisk together oil, milk and egg.

Ø  Add the dry ingredients, whisking until blended.

Ø  Stir the sweetcorn and spring onions into the pancake batter. Add in Primula Cheese in pea-sized lumps and stir carefully to avoid blending the cheese into the batter.

Ø  Dollop 2 tablespoons per pancake into a frying pan over a medium heat with a little butter or vegetable oil.

Ø  Cook until well-browned on one side. When the top starts to bubble, flip the pancake and leave until cooked through.

Ø  Dress with a spoonful of Primula Cheese and a sprinkling of chopped parsley

Ø  Serve hot.

Primula Pancakes 

Our American friends ‘lent’ us this recipe from across the pond and we think y’all are gonna love it.

Makes 12

What you’ll need: 

• Primula Original
• Streaky Bacon
• Maple Syrup
• Pancakes:
• 250ml milk
• 125g plain flour
• 1 medium egg
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

What to do:

Ø  Grill the bacon, until crisp and golden. Remove from the grill, cover with foil to keep warm and stand to one side.

Ø  Combine all pancake ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pre-heat a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat. Using a ladle, spoon out a portion of the batter into the pan to the desired size and thickness, and cook until golden brown, flipping each minute.

Ø  Top the pancake with the crispy bacon, a generous squeeze of Primula and lashings of maple syrup.

To make stacks as pictured, make smaller slightly thicker pancakes and keep warm, before assembling in layers of pancake, Primula, bacon and maple syrup – go as high as you dare!

Orocco Pier, 17 High Street, South Queensferry EH30 9PP

The three bridges crossing the River Forth at Queensferry were beginning to emerge from the mist. It was a stunning day with a cloudless, blue sky.

There was, however, a chill in the air – it was mid-February – and after a walk on the beach and around the quaint harbour a warming cuppa was called for.

I’ve been at functions in The Orocco Pier before but never dropped into the restaurant/café.

It is stylish, has morning papers and a live TV news feed, comfortable seats and a sensational view. We were fortunate enough to select a window table and you can see the view from our table in the picture.

Service was slick and my grand-daughter plumped for a bacon roll. They listened to her diet concerns and delivered. Our tea was piping hot and serviced in a china pot.

We enjoyed the experience and will be tempted back to savour some of the food which was being served. The fish looked particularly good.

The National Trust for Scotland’s Georgian House will thrown open its doors to visitors this week.

On 28 February, special twilight tours celebrating Georgian life take place in the townhouse as projections play on its windows.

Costumed volunteers will give a glimpse of life in the Georgian period for wealthy families, and for those below stairs. The special tours run from 5.30 – 8pm and tickets cost £12 including refreshments – kids go free. More tours take place on 10 and 23 March.

The event comes on the eve of the Georgian House opening for the 2017 visitor season on 1 March:

Property Manager Sheonagh Martin said: “It is wonderful to have the spotlight on the Georgian House as our new season gets underway. We are looking forward to celebrating the story of the New Town, during this, its 250^th anniversary year. Our special twilight tours will give visitors the chance to glimpse behind the blinds of this beautiful part of the city.”

The light displays are part of Edinburgh’s Georgian Shadows, one of the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology’s signature events, supported by The City of Edinburgh Council, EventScotland as part of the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology celebrations, Edinburgh Tourism Action Group and Essential Edinburgh.

The Georgian House at 7 Charlotte Square has been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, the charity that celebrates and protects Scotland’s heritage, for more than 60 years. Once the home of the Lamont family, it is the perfect place to experience the grandeur and graft of Georgian living.

We went to visit St Mary’s RC Primary School this week to find out what they were doing with Google Expeditions.

Thanks to the new app teachers in Scotland will be able to take students on immersive, virtual reality field trips, based on the UK curriculum. With Google Cardboard (a virtual reality viewer) students can explore everywhere from Mars and the Great Barrier Reef to the inside of Buckingham Palace or Edinburgh Castle, right from the classroom.

The St Mary’s pupils were certainly having a lot of fun!

Just had a lovely visit with St Mary's RC Primary pupils learning with #GoogleExpeditions @Edinburgh_CC pic.twitter.com/NulmxkxbYl

— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) February 22, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

While nothing replaces going on a school trip, teachers can use this technology to bring students on virtual trips to places they could never otherwise get to. Expeditions provides a unique opportunity for supplemental learning by giving students new ways of exploring the concepts and places they are studying – from museums and natural wonders, to underwater and outer space, to exploring inside the human body or experiencing careers at Aston Martin or in the operating theatre.

An Expeditions coordinator and a box arrives with everything schools need to travel: a tablet for the teacher, and Cardboard viewers and phones for every student. Next, the teacher selects a destination, and the entire classroom jumps there automatically.  In order for teachers to seamlessly include these Expeditions in their lessons, Google partnered withTwig and TES to tailor this content to the UK curriculum with easy-to-use lesson plans

Google Expeditions asks for teachers in both primary and secondary schools in Scotland to sign-up for this free programme which will aim to transport over 200,000 students to places they would never otherwise be able to go through virtual reality school trips.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE, Space and Accessibility Scientist, said: “To try to inspire the next generation of space scientists and STEM practitioners I like to take kids on “Tours of the Universe”. With this technology it really feels one step closer to actually being out there. With the range of Expeditions available I think that kids will not just be inspired to consider a vast range of careers but will also be able to reach for the stars themselves. I wish this was around when I was young.”

Expeditions in Scotland  is part of a broader commitment announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, to reach one million students in the UK through the programme while also supporting teachers by providing training in how best to make the most of technology in the classroom.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, said: “Virtual reality can spark students’ imagination and help them learn about topics like how blood flows through the human body or the impact climate change is having on the Great Barrier Reef, in an engaging and immersive way.

“We can also take a class through one of our new career Expeditions, which inspires students to think about their future professions by taking a virtual trip to work environments like a hospital operating theatre or behind the scenes at Aston Martin.

“We’ve already received feedback from thousands of teachers in the UK and they believe that Expeditions can improve literacy and writing skills, and help create excitement to complement traditional teaching methods.”

During a visit to Scotland this week for a meeting of the MOD Defence Board, the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced that the UK government would spend £1.7 billion on upgrading Scottish military bases.

He said: “Scotland is on the frontline of defending the United Kingdom from growing threats at sea, in the air, and on land. Our commitment to the future of defence in Scotland is underlined by increasing investment in better infrastructure for the Armed Forces helping to keep us safe.”

Of this £1.3bn will be spent on upgrading HM Naval Base Clyde’s waterfront, engineering support, accommodation and physical security ahead of the Dreadnought class of submarine arriving in Scotland from the 2030s. Other funds will be spent at Lossiemouth and Leuchars. The government said that it recognised the key military capabilities being developed in Scotland including the Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar for RAF Typhoons being built in Edinburgh.

The news of such a large amount to be invested here was not universally welcomed in Scotland.

Holyrood Veterans Secretary Keith Brown said: “The Defence Secretary’s announcement of another £1.3 billion on infrastructure for the Trident missile-carrying fleet once again underlines the folly of spending countless billions of pounds on nuclear weapons at the direct expense of investment in conventional forces.

“The  announcement also fails to acknowledge that Mr Fallon recently made the most severe round of cuts to defence ever imposed on Scotland. Late last year, he announced a near 20% reduction in the size of the defence estate, closing historic barracks such as Fort George, Glencorse and Redford.  His cuts will result in near total removal of the Army from large parts of Scotland and the end the Royal Navy’s historic presence in Fife.

“Scotland makes a strong contribution to defence and there is serious opposition to these cuts, which will result in many job losses across communities. I have personally met with local authorities from the areas hit hardest by these cuts and we requested that MOD Ministers meet the communities affected to discuss the matter.  They have repeatedly refused to do so, and it is deeply disappointing that the Defence Secretary is still refusing to do so during his visit to Scotland.”

There was also a major Westminster parliamentary debate on the subject this week during which Joanna Cherry QC MP for Edinburgh South West called on the government to provide clarity and reassurance following their proposals to close Redford Barracks in 2022.

Ms Cherry explained that last November the UK Government published its report, “A Better Defence Estate Strategy” which earmarked eight military facilities in Scotland for closure over the next fifteen years. She asserts that the plan will have a huge impact on the ability to provide conventional defence and result in a loss of fifth of Scotland’s entire defence estate.

Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon claims the strategy will concentrate investment into fewer, better locations.

Speaking in the Westminster Hall debate, Joanna Cherry said: “The closure of Redford Barracks would remove a truly historic site from the military estate and leave families who live and work in my constituency in a position of great uncertainty.

“The proposals in the publication set out a commitment to deliver: “Regional centres of mass for light infantry battalions supporting national resilience and community engagement,” but it is not clear which of the centres in Edinburgh the MOD plans to use for that purpose. The obvious choice for the Scottish Army HQ would be Redford barracks.”

During the debate and in letters to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence, Joanna Cherry continued to call for the UK Government to engage with the Scottish Government:  “As the local MP for the area, I would be happy to meet the Minister to help facilitate constructive engagement between the UK Government, the Scottish government, civic society in Edinburgh and the relevant local authorities. To that end, it would be helpful if he could confirm when the consultation will begin, how long it will last and the format it will take”.

Following the debate, Joanna Cherry said: “Although the Minister failed to answer my questions direct, I am pleased that he has committed to write to me.

“As Redford Barracks has been situated in my constituency for almost 100 years, it is truly an historic site and remains an integral part of the Edinburgh South West Community. Redford should be seen as a key military asset to the MOD rather than as a commercial development opportunity.

“Given the cultural and historical significance of Redford, the UK Government must now enter into a period of active engagement with me and my constituents. I will continue to raise my constituents concerns until that commitment is met.”

It’s always surprising to see your own country from afar.  A few days ago I found myself in a village hall in the hedge-rowed depths of Hertfordshire watching a production of Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play.”  Is this how the English still see Scotland, I wondered, a land of moors and castles and witches and rival gangs of wild-eyed Highlandmen ?

Certainly the producer was in apocalyptic mood.  He set the play in the year 2026.  The European Union and NATO had disintegrated. Putin’s Russia had overrun much of Europe. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had broken away from the UK and, like England itself, were ruled by tyrannical kings who played one warlord against another.  The actors were dressed in camouflaged battle-dress and 2^nd World War footage was projected onto the walls of Macbeth’s castle. On my seat in the theatre was a leaflet inviting me to join The Resistance and restore the rule of law, signed by “General Nicolas (sic) Sturgeon.”

So do the English see Nicola Sturgeon as a Joan of Arc figure leading us into a new promised land of free university education, free personal care, free prescriptions, a better performing NHS, lower council tax rises and a political system free from right wing ideology and xenophobia ?  Well they certainly see her as a feisty young woman fighting for her country.

This week they have seen her get her budget through the Scottish Parliament, with just a few tweaks to satisfy the Greens. They’ve seen her raise more income tax from those earning over £43,000 a year…the first time the rich will pay more in tax in Scotland than they do in England (up to £400 a year more).  They’ve seen the Scottish Government head off a business tax revolt by capping annual increases at 12.5 per cent.  And they’ve seen Scotland getting its own BBC television channel (in the autumn of next year).

Shakespeare’s three witches have certainly been conjuring up a storm. Storm Doris, the fourth of the winter, swept in from the west on Thursday with rain, sleet, snow and high winds. It caused long delays on the roads and railways. Perthshire and Central Scotland seemed to be the worst affected, with a number of schools being closed and power lines brought down.

The witches have also have been warning Jeremy Corbyn and the Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale that there’s going to be “hubble, bubble toil and trouble” at this weekend’s Scottish Labour conference in Perth.  It follows the party’s shock defeat in the Copeland by-election. The party in Scotland is almost as badly split over the Corbyn leadership as it is in England and Wales and is trying hard to find a new and inspiring message for the electorate, with just weeks to go before another round of local council elections.

In an uneasy flashback to earlier times, archaeologists are beginning a search, not far from the conference centre in Perth, for the remains of James 1^st who was brutally stabbed to death by his so-called noblemen in 1437.  An exhibition is being mounted in the local museum this weekend to explain the project to the public and to any of the Labour party delegates who care to take lessons from the past.

It’s thought poor James tried to flee his noble friends by climbing through a sewer but found that it had been blocked up by the local tennis club because they were tired of seeing their tennis balls disappearing down into it. The death of James 1^st led to the abandonment of his grand plan for Perth being the capital of Scotland. It clung on to its status as a city until 2003 when the then Labour government demoted it to a town.  Since then the three witches have cast a spell on Labour and in 2012, the SNP government quickly decided to restore Perth’s city status.

Shakespeare’s tale of treachery, guilt and the dangers of predicting the future still has the power to frighten us today.

Police are investigating an allegation of racist abuse on twitter towards Hibs’ midfielder Marvin Bartley following Wednesday’s Edinburgh Derby which ended in a 3-1 victory for the Easter Road side.

Bartley was named man of the match in the first game at Tynecastle and also produced a sterling performance in the replay.

After the game a Twitter user @StevenLeeHMFC tweeted “a hope that big black jigaboo Marvin Bartley dies. F****** spearchhucker”.

This tweet has now been deleted.

Bartley however responded with  “Still alive and kicking pal, hope you’ve recovered from your stuffing last night #WeRunThisCity.”

He then produced another comeback which has gained considerable approval from his followers:  “I only took offence at first when I thought it read ‘big black Jambo’ but it never so I’ll get on with my day.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police in Edinburgh are investigating a report of hate crime committed via social media during the Hibernian v Hearts football match at Easter Road on Wednesday 22nd February.

“Inquiries in to the investigation are ongoing.”

Edinburgh police officers are inviting local children to an arts and crafts and face painting session at the Tesco store in Duke Street on Saturday 4th March.

The officers will be at the store between 11am and 4pm giving away wristbands, pencils and pens and refreshments supplied by the store. Children will be invited to dress up as police officers and sit in the police car. There will also be a DJ and other fun activities provided by Tesco at their 80’s themed event.

This event is a follow-on from two successful community-based ‘Meet the Police’ pilot projects at the Sheriff Court and Stenhouse Primary School aimed at building trust between communities and the police with a particular emphasis on children.

Police Constable Tracey Gunn said: “We want to encourage children and families to think about the ways the police keep them safe but also to raise awareness of the rights and responsibilities of the police towards the public and vice versa.

“We will also showcase our work with offenders and their families, in particular our booklet ‘My Daddy and the Police’ and will gather feedback as to how better to build trust within the communities we serve.

“I am looking forward to meeting families at Tesco’s on Saturday 4th March and hope they will find it a fun and informative day.”

Police are investigating following a report of fraud which happened about 9am yesterday morning when a 61-year-old male received a phone call from a male claiming to be from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

The caller advised the male that they had an outstanding tax debt of £500, which would require immediate payment using ITunes vouchers.  They were advised to purchase the vouchers and provide the relevant serial numbers of them over the phone.

The male purchased the required amount of vouchers and passed the serial numbers as requested to the caller.

Police Constable John McLean of Livingston Police Station said:

“Often these fraudulent callers sounds extremely convincing and authentic but we would urge the public to remain vigilant.

“If they are in any doubt that it’s genuine hang up the phone and report matter to HMRC who take scams & bogus callers of any kind very seriously”.

An HMRC spokesperson said:  “HMRC takes security extremely seriously. We are aware that some people have received telephone calls from individuals claiming to be from HMRC. We are a well-known brand, which criminal’s abuse, to add credibility to their scams. HMRC will never request tax debts to be paid in payment vouchers and we are clear that they cannot be used to pay tax.

“We recommend that if you cannot verify the identity of a caller that you do not speak to them. We encourage you to check GOV.UK for information on how to avoid and report scams, recognise genuine HMRC contact and make payments to HMRC.”