The stunning surroundings of Scotland’s finest stately home will be the setting for a summer’s night classical music celebration and entertainment.

The inaugural Classic Summer Spectacular will deliver a magical sensory experience with breathtaking classical music, fireworks and refreshments, and will take place in the surroundings of Hopetoun House, situated on the outskirts of Edinburgh, on Saturday 8 August 2015.

Event Director Dianne Kerr said ”Detailed planning is underway and we are extremely passionate about delivering a stunning event in the natural surrounds of Hopetoun House.

“We have several top names in classical music lined up already including Scotland’s largest performing arts organisation, The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, conducted by the renowned Stuart Stratford and special guest, Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Lucy Kay.

“We truly hope this can become a regular fixture on the Scottish summer event’s calendar and will help put classical music events back on the map for enthusiasts, locals, tourists and families alike.”

Special guest Lucy Kay said ”I am honoured to be involved with this exciting event and delighted that we are adding to the classical music event scene here in Scotland.”

Gates open at 3.30pm for picnics and champagne in the gardens.
The musical programme begins at 6pm with the main concert starting at 7pm.
Standard access tickets (available via Ticketmaster) cost £32 for adults and £17 for children and hampers can be pre-ordered for collection on the evening. VIP hospitality in the Hopetoun House ballroom is also available.

Visit http://www.classicsummerspectacular.com for further information or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

Submitted by Claire Dale

Our regular readers will know that we at Edinburgh Community Food are not fans of the co-called ‘superfood’ trend. Rather than asking folk to shell out money on this month’s latest pricey food fad (chia seeds at the moment) we like to focus on more humble – but equally nutritious – ingredients. Pretty much all natural foods are ‘super’ and to this end we’ve recently looked at how great cheap oily fish, beans, eggs and oats are.

Famous for reducing grown men (and everyone else) to tears, the ubiquitous onion, a real staple of cooking around the world and also seriously cheap, is sadly much overlooked in terms of nutrition. We’ve been cultivating onions for use in food for well over 7,000 years (the ancient Egyptians even worshipped it)! As a result, it’s the basis for a huge range of dishes, from pasta sauces, to curries, to Mexican food, to good old stews, to Scottish favourites lentil soup and skirlie (how many recipes don’t start with the instruction: ‘gently fry an onion’?). Onions are also pickled (which annoyingly ruins their nutrition), added to salads or the rings are battered and fried. But how many of us actually know what they’re good for?

White onions are part of a huge family which also includes the wonderful garlic, along with spring onions, leeks, chives, shallots and, of course, red onions. Like many vegetables they are high in water and very low in calories. A typical white onion has small amounts of many vitamins and minerals, with the best being vitamins B6 and C. However, it is when we come to things called phytochemicals that onions really begin to shine. Indeed, they are far higher in these wonderful compounds than many other fruit and vegetables. As far as research goes onions have played second fiddle to their much-studied and highly nutritious cousin, garlic. However, evidence is growing that onions may be good for our heart & blood vessel health and also help to reduce the risk of blood clots. Older people, especially women, may suffer from brittle bones and while milk (calcium) continues to be very important throughout life it is thought that eating onions every day may also help us to strengthen our bones.

In addition to this onions, in common with oily fish and the dinner plate-staining Indian spice turmeric, are strongly anti-inflammatory. Many health problems – including rheumatoid arthritis, the flu, asthma and simply being overweight – cause inflammation in the body. In the short term this is useful and normal, helping us to heal. But in the longer term inflammation is no good for us at all and may in turn lead to further illness and even depression. Regular consumption of onions is also thought to help reduce the risk of various cancers, including colon, throat and ovarian cancers.

When cooking with onions don’t err on the side of caution! Studies suggest that to get the benefits of onions we should eat them on most days, if not every day. Try to use at least two for an average four-person meal. Think of a good individual portion as half of a medium onion. As with all vegetables, the shorter time we cook them the better as this preserves the nutrition. Use a minimum of oil and keep frying times on a medium heat to under seven minutes.

Storage: Onions are best stored at room temperature in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place and should keep for up to one month. Try to keep them away from other vegetables as they will absorb their moisture and make them go off quicker.

A small word of warning though: never feed onions to dogs, cats or other animals. Animals cannot digest onions and they may even prove fatal.

Edinburgh Community Food sells white onions for 65p/kg and red onions for 91p/kg.
If you would like to set up a home or office delivery (free on orders over £10) please get in touch at: admin@edinburghcommunityfood.org.uk Alternatively, why not have a shot at growing your own? Onions, like garlic, are relatively easy to grow in Scotland and if you don’t have a garden you could find out about local community gardens/allotments and ask about getting a raised bed.

Submitted by Christopher Mantle

Hearts season may be over but the Tynecastle club are still making headlines as Head Coach Robbie Neilson prepares to revamp his SPFL Championship winning squad ahead of their return to top flight football next season.

Reports this morning have linked Hearts with 22-year-old Croatian centre-back Niko Datkovic from HNK Rijeka. It is believed Gorgie officials have spoken to Datkovic’s agent but it is believed the fee involved in securing the Under-21 internationalist may deter any bid from Hearts although it is understood the figure of £400k mentioned in some press reports this morning is some way off the mark.

Datkovic is presently on loan at Italian Serie B side Spezia Calcio.

Neilson has made the signing of two central defenders a priority following the departure of captain Danny Wilson and Brad McKay.

Firefighters in breathing apparatus used a high pressure jet to extinguish a blaze in a bedroom at a property in Livingston last night.

A 999 call to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service  reported the incident in Gowanbank shortly after 8:35pm and two appliances from Livingston Fire Station were sent in response.

Crews arrived to find a well-developed fire within a first-floor bedroom in a two-storey terraced house and a team of four firefighters extinguished the flames.

The SFRS team provided oxygen therapy to a woman and a girl who appeared to have sustained slight smoke inhalation and requested an ambulance attend the scene.

A man and boy had also been inside the property and all four casualties received precautionary check-ups from paramedics, who determined that they did not need to attend hospital for further treatment.

The fire began when a mattress ignited as a result of a small child playing with a lighter and SFRS has reminded the public of the need to make sure these items are always kept out of their reach.

Station Manager Martyn Brandrick, the commanding officer at Livingston Fire Station, said: “Kids are often curious about objects like lighters without understanding the danger they pose.

“It’s important we all make sure matches, lighters and cigarettes are always kept well out of children’s reach and that we help them understand these items are dangerous, that they aren’t toys and should never be played with.

“Fire can spread incredibly quickly. Flames, smoke and fumes travel rapidly through a home and as well as threatening lives they also cause significant damage.

“Thankfully this incident has not resulted in tragedy but it’s obviously a scary experience for the family and we know that fire in the home, even where no-one is hurt, can leave a lasting impact.

“We all have cherished possessions that just couldn’t be replaced and the loss of these is just one of the ways in which house fires cause significant emotional trauma.”

When fire does strike the early warning provided by working smoke alarms  is crucial if people are to have the time they need to get to safety and call 999.

Free home fire safety visits can be arranged by calling SFRS on the freephone number 0800 073 1999, by texting ‘FIRE’ to 80800 or via the SFRS website www.firescotland.gov.uk.

A 39-year-old has been arrested and charged with attempted murder following an incident in West Pilton Place, Edinburgh which occurred on Thursday, May 7.

The man will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

Former Hibs’ star Kim Little has been nominated for the inaugural BBC Women’s World Player of the Year.

Little, who was voted ‘Most Valuable Player’ in her debut season in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)

with Seattle Reign, is one of five players nominated for the award.

Speaking to the Scottish FA website, Little said: It’s great to be recognised especially with how many great players here are in women’s football.

“I get to say football’s my job when it doesn’t really feel like I’m doing a job. I get to come and train every morning and travel the world. It’s probably the best job I could possibly dream of.”

“While it is nice to nominated, I could not be where I am without my teammates and players around me who have brought out best in me,” Little said. “It would be nice to win the award, but there a lot more people than me who has contributed”

“When I was younger I didn’t think necessarily about becoming a professional footballer, but then the more I played I realised it could be a serious option.”

“I had a great time with Hibs in Scotland then down Arsenal and now Seattle and I’m just glad I’ve been able to progress and get better at each of the places I’ve been in.”

“It’s been a steady start for us”, she said. “Compared to the start of last year, the results have not as good but we are good position to progress.

“The structure of the league is very different, the goal is to reach the play-offs and win the Play-Off Final, whereas in the UK it is who is most consistent over the course of the season.”

Heather Lucchesi: Light Bulb Arts. Local artist Heather has formed a social enterprise delivering accessible art workshops to schools and the wider community, including work with Alzheimer Scotland and Art in Healthcare: this exhibition includes both her own mixed media work and pieces from the workshops, together with information about the projects. 10am-8pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am-5pm Thursday to Saturday (closed Sundays), Charles Smith Room, Morningside Library, 184 Morningside Road. There will be a drop-in Art & Chat afternoon with Heather at the exhibition 1.30-4.30pm on Saturday 23rd May. The exhibition will close on 30th May 2015.

Cameo Toddler Time:  short screenings exclusively for pre-school children and their parents and carers. This week: Toot the Tiny Tugboat Programme 2 (U). Life on the high seas is a whirl of fun and adventure when you’re a little boat with big ideas. 11am, Cameo, Home Street. Membership of Toddler Time is free (ask at the Box Office) and allows you to buy tickets for these screenings for £3 per child, accompanying adults free; tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.  No adult unaccompanied by a toddler will be admitted.

Lunchtime Concert: SINK. SINK are an Edinburgh-based trio [Daniil Doumnov (accordion), Tim Vincent-Smith (violin) and Matt Wright (soprano sax)] who explore the tactile air by means of vibrations, influenced by, among others, Beethoven, Cage, Zorn and Matt’s dog Daisy. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

For Crying Out Loud: special screenings for carers and their babies under 12 months (maximum of two adults per baby). Babychanging, bottle-warming and buggy parking facilities are available. Today’s film is Dior and I (12A) (in English, French and Italian with English subtitles). 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4.50/£3.50 (babies free) and may be purchased from the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.

The 42nd Annual Christian Aid Book Sale continues this week: books of every kind (including antiquarian and out of print), paintings, drawings, prints, antiques, printed ephemera, sheet music, stamps, postcards, vinyl, CDs, DVDs, toys and baking, all at one of the biggest charity book sales in the world. 10am-3.30pm Monday to Friday, with late opening until 7pm on Thursday 14th May, St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Undercroft Cafe open all day. Sale ends Friday 15th May 2015.

The Holy Corner Christian Aid Book Sale also continues this week: a wide variety of books, antiquarian items, CDs, DVDs, musical scores and much more. This year the sale will be offering a number of Alexander McCall Smith’s books, specially signed by the author for the sale. Donations of books (including any Alexander McCall Smith books for signature in advance), maps, photographs, music, etc are still needed and can be handed in at the side door of Morningside United Church during church office opening hours – or call 0131 447 3152 to arrange collection. 11am-6pm Monday 11th to Friday 15th May and 10am-5pm on Saturday 16th May, Morningside United Church, 15 Chamberlain Road (Holy Corner). Coffee will be available on Saturday 16th May.

Robert Colquhoun’s Monotypes: artist, collector and expert on The Two Roberts Davy Brown will talk about the monotypes of Robert Colquhoun and how his own passion for this work began as a pupil at Kilmarnock Academy in the 1960s. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed. The Two Roberts exhibition continues at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road, until 24th May 2015.

LGBT Mental Health Awareness Quiz and Police Surger. Two events within the weekly drop-in this time: (1) A lighthearted quiz to mark Mental Health Awareness Week – play by yourself, make up a team, or help hand out the pound shop prizes. Mental health information will be available; (2) An opportunity to seek advice, raise concerns around safety issues, report incidents or discuss policing in your area with an officer from Police Scotland. (To meet with the police outwith the surgery, please contact George Burrows on 0131 652 3281 or at george@lgbthealth.org.uk). Both events take place 6.30-7.30pm (drop-in 5.30-8pm), LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street.

Cameo Culture Shock – dedicated to bringing you the best in cult and genre films. This week’s film is Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (15); when two high school no-hopers are presented with a time-travelling booth, they seize the chance to get out of trouble and start instead to jump in and out of different eras, collecting historical figures and confronting them with West Coast culture. 9.10pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.

New Town & Broughton Community Council AGM/Ordinary Meeting: all local residents welcome to attend – if you have an issue you would like to raise at the meeting, please use the contact email form on the community council’s website here to let them know in advance. 7.15pm (AGM), 7.30pm (ordinary meeting), Drummond Room, Broughton St Mary’s Church, Bellevue Crescent.

Sofi’s Cult Movie Nights: popular classics on the silver screen in the cosy darkened back room – with free poporn. This week’s film is Alien (18). 8-10pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street. Free.

Old Chain Pier Folk Sessions: a fortnightly evening of traditional Scottish folk music and old favourites with Fozzy and Alistair. 7.30pm, Old Chain Pier, 32 Trinity Crescent.

Broughton History Society: Peter Dryburgh talks on Addresses in Old Edinburgh. 7pm (refreshments), 7.30pm (talk), Drummond Community High School, Bellevue Place. Visitors welcome. For more information please contact broughtonhistsocedinburgh@gmail.com.

Let’s Glow: Popular Music Final Performances: final year Edinburgh College HND students take on their final performance assessments, a culmination of two years of learning and development, in front of a live audience. 5.30pm, The Music Box, Sighthill Campus, Edinburgh College, Bankhead Avenue. All welcome: free and unticketed.

Young Chefs competition

Edinburgh Festival Fringe tickets

Late ‘n Live at Hard Rock Cafe

Craigmillar Birthday Party

VisitScotland competition

There is still time for budding young chefs attending local schools to create their own dish which will appear on the menu at The Riparian Rooms in the build up to the Edinburgh International Festival.

Gary Cromie, Head Chef at the restaurant located at the bottom of  Broughton Street, said: ‘With the growth in the amount of cookery programmes that are now on television, young people are more interested in recipes, food and how it is sourced.  We want to encourage young people to think about their ingredients and so have created this opportunity for one budding chef to work with me here in the Restaurant kitchen and to see their dish on our menu.’

The competition rules are:

• Competition is open to boys and girls between 8-18 years old in the following categories – 8-11; 12-15; 16-18
• Entrants have to create a mouth-watering main course using local and Scottish produce.  The dish should reflect ‘Edinburgh Festival’ should contain no more than five ingredients
• The dish should be made within a total budget of £5 and serve 3-4 people and be named appropriately
• Closing date for entries is Friday 15^th May.  All entries should be accompanied by a list of ingredients, detailed recipe and method together with a colour photograph of the dish

All the category winners will each receive an invitation for their families to enjoy lunch at The Riparian Rooms and the winning cook (selected from the category winners) will spend time with Gary Cromie in the kitchen making their dish before seeing it feature on the restaurant’s menu.

The judging panel will by chaired by Neil Robb, owner of The Riparian Rooms, and include Gary Cromie and Forth One presenter, Grant Stott.  He said: ‘”Edinburgh is now only second to London as a great place to eat. With Michelin starred chefs and wonderful local food shops, the capital has a thriving food culture and with its reputation for fabulous food championing local produce, The Riparian Rooms is the perfect place to launch the search for budding young chefs of the future”

Invitations have gone to all head teachers to participate, however, for further information on the competition visit www.theriparianrooms.co.uk

***

More tickets are available this morning on the Fringe website! Log in to edfringe.com  to see what’s on at the ‘greatest show on earth’ this August.

***

Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh is launching ‘Late and Live’, a brand new, monthly, live music series kicking off on Friday 15 May at 10pm. The programme will be a platform for undiscovered talent, rising stars and breakthrough acts to build their music profiles and showcase the best in new music in Scotland.

The first gig in the ‘Late and Live’ music series, which will be free entry for everyone in the city, will star performances from recent Hard Rock Rising Scotland finalists, The Modests and Sonic Templars. The Modests are an exciting four piece with a psychedelic hard rock sound. Fans can also expect a stellar show from rising alt-rock stars, Sonic Templars.

To find out more about the ‘Late and Live’ music series at Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh visit the website or check out the cafe’s Facebook and Twitter.

***

A birthday party is being held in Craigmillar Library on 30 May at 11am to mark 17 years since Craigmillar Books for Babies was set up. More information by phoning 0131 621 2621 or on their website where they also have information about all their usual events like Polish Rhymetime and books for your one and two year-olds.

***

VisitScotland is launching a nationwide appeal to find Scotland’s most treasured tastes.

Whether it’s a plate of Granny Mary’s mince and tatties devoured after a game of hide and seek in her Glasgow tenement; or a comforting bowl of Uncle Jim’s Scotch broth following a bracing walk along the Fife coast – the national tourism organisation wants to highlight the places and people behind the country’s favourite family meals and recipes handed-down through the generations.

As a lasting legacy of the Year of Food and Drink 2015, a special number of the delicious memories will be compiled into a unique one-off recipe book entitled – You’ll have had yer tea? – Treasured Tastes of Scotland.  The book, due to be published later in year, will take readers on a culinary journey from the shores of Shetland all the way down to the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders.

The nationwide appeal was officially launched at the Taste Our Best accredited Willow Tearooms in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street earlier this week by Shirley Spear, owner of the renowned restaurant, The Three Chimneys in Skye, and Chair of the Scottish Food Commission alongside Chief Executive of VisitScotland, Malcolm Roughead.

Shirley said: “It’s such a pleasure to be involved in this delightful project. I’ve long been an ambassador of family cooking. Some of my most cherished memories are of spending time with my Mum, baking jam tarts and fairy cakes, followed years later with teaching my own children how to cook simple, basic things at home and making the most of seasonal ingredients such as gooseberries and rhubarb from the garden and turning them into delicious treats. And now I hope to pass on stories about where our all our delicious ingredients come from to my gorgeous grandchildren. 

“We all have these food memories that instantly transport us back to a precious time in our lives. ‘Treasured Tastes of Scotland’ will provide a voice for these recipes and the stories behind them from all over the country so that people both now and in the future are inspired to visit Scotland and sample its amazing local produce. I‘m very much looking forward to reading the entries and hope that as many people as possible will take part in this nationwide search.”

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:

“Everyone has a delicious unforgettable meal they remember and invariably it is as a result of the food, company and setting.  My personal favourite is my mum’s stovies, made with fresh lamb from Stirling market. I can still remember the smell of it bubbling away on the stove in our kitchen in Stenhousemuir. It instantly takes me back to Saturday dinner in the Winter after we’d spent the afternoon watching the football.

Recipes must be submitted along with a treasured story about the location or circumstances behind the meal.  Entries can be sent either online on the dedicated webpage or by post. 

All entries will be placed in a prize draw to win a one-night B&B stay for two at the Three Chimneys and The House Over-By in Skye. This unique prize includes dinner at the Kitchen Table at the award-winning restaurant – a not-to-be-missed experience which sees diners become immersed in the whole tableau of the kitchen, watching the chefs at work during a busy night’s service.

Entries can be submitted until the 3 July 2015. Full terms and conditions are available on the VisitScotland website.

For more information or to submit your Treasured Taste, please visit: www.visitscotland.org/Treasured-Taste.aspx

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A new Assistant Chief Constable has been appointed to lead local policing in the East command area, covering Fife, Forth Valley, Edinburgh and the Lothians and Scottish Borders.

ACC Kate Thomson joined Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary in 1985, and carried out a number of uniformed and specialist roles within public protection and crime investigation, including assisting with the Lockerbie inquiry.

She went on to work in Professional Standards before being appointed Superintendent, Divisional Commander in Dumfries in 2006. Kate was later made Head of Crime Management Services.

Mrs Thomson was subsequently promoted to Chief Superintendent in 2011, and held the post of temporary Deputy Chief Constable in 2012.

She was Local Police Commander for Dumfries and Galloway Division until her appointment as ACC Local Policing East in Ocotber 2014.

ACC Thomson was one of three new appointments throughout the country and Chief Constable Sir Stephen House said: “The three officers appointed to the rank of Assistant Chief Constable will play a key role in delivering policing across our communities.

“Each brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of policing to the role and they will make a significant contribution to how Police Scotland meets local priorities and in critical areas such as public contact with the police and custody.”

Another very busy week in Edinburgh – films, art, Christian Aid Week events, fundraisers for Nepal, book launches, music, talks…and if none of that floats your boat, how about a Scandal in Surgeons’ Hall?  As ever, please check with the venue before setting out for any event; we do out best to ensure accuracy, but inevitably changes sometimes have to made at the last minute.

MONDAY 11TH MAY 2015

Heather Lucchesi: Light Bulb Arts. Local artist Heather has formed a social enterprise delivering accessible art workshops to schools and the wider community, including work with Alzheimer Scotland and Art in Healthcare: this exhibition includes both her own mixed media work and pieces from the workshops, together with information about the projects. 10am-8pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am-5pm Thursday to Saturday (closed Sundays), Charles Smith Room, Morningside Library, 184 Morningside Road. There will be a drop-in Art & Chat afternoon with Heather at the exhibition 1.30-4.30pm on Saturday 23rd May. The exhibition will close on 30th May 2015.

Cameo Toddler Time:  short screenings exclusively for pre-school children and their parents and carers. This week: Toot the Tiny Tugboat Programme 2 (U). Life on the high seas is a whirl of fun and adventure when you’re a little boat with big ideas. 11am, Cameo, Home Street. Membership of Toddler Time is free (ask at the Box Office) and allows you to buy tickets for these screenings for £3 per child, accompanying adults free; tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.  No adult unaccompanied by a toddler will be admitted.

Lunchtime Concert: SINK. SINK are an Edinburgh-based trio [Daniil Doumnov (accordion), Tim Vincent-Smith (violin) and Matt Wright (soprano sax)] who explore the tactile air by means of vibrations, influenced by, among others, Beethoven, Cage, Zorn and Matt’s dog Daisy. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

For Crying Out Loud: special screenings for carers and their babies under 12 months (maximum of two adults per baby). Babychanging, bottle-warming and buggy parking facilities are available. Today’s film is Dior and I (12A) (in English, French and Italian with English subtitles). 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4.50/£3.50 (babies free) and may be purchased from the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.

The 42nd Annual Christian Aid Book Sale continues this week: books of every kind (including antiquarian and out of print), paintings, drawings, prints, antiques, printed ephemera, sheet music, stamps, postcards, vinyl, CDs, DVDs, toys and baking, all at one of the biggest charity book sales in the world. 10am-3.30pm Monday to Friday, with late opening until 7pm on Thursday 14th May, St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Undercroft Cafe open all day. Sale ends Friday 15th May 2015.

The Holy Corner Christian Aid Book Sale also continues this week: a wide variety of books, antiquarian items, CDs, DVDs, musical scores and much more. This year the sale will be offering a number of Alexander McCall Smith’s books, specially signed by the author for the sale. Donations of books (including any Alexander McCall Smith books for signature in advance), maps, photographs, music, etc are still needed and can be handed in at the side door of Morningside United Church during church office opening hours – or call 0131 447 3152 to arrange collection. 11am-6pm Monday 11th to Friday 15th May and 10am-5pm on Saturday 16th May, Morningside United Church, 15 Chamberlain Road (Holy Corner). Coffee will be available on Saturday 16th May.

Robert Colquhoun’s Monotypes: artist, collector and expert on The Two Roberts Davy Brown will talk about the monotypes of Robert Colquhoun and how his own passion for this work began as a pupil at Kilmarnock Academy in the 1960s. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed. The Two Roberts exhibition continues at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road, until 24th May 2015.

LGBT Mental Health Awareness Quiz and Police Surger. Two events within the weekly drop-in this time: (1) A lighthearted quiz to mark Mental Health Awareness Week – play by yourself, make up a team, or help hand out the pound shop prizes. Mental health information will be available; (2) An opportunity to seek advice, raise concerns around safety issues, report incidents or discuss policing in your area with an officer from Police Scotland. (To meet with the police outwith the surgery, please contact George Burrows on 0131 652 3281 or at george@lgbthealth.org.uk). Both events take place 6.30-7.30pm (drop-in 5.30-8pm), LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street.

Cameo Culture Shock – dedicated to bringing you the best in cult and genre films. This week’s film is Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (15); when two high school no-hopers are presented with a time-travelling booth, they seize the chance to get out of trouble and start instead to jump in and out of different eras, collecting historical figures and confronting them with West Coast culture. 9.10pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.

New Town & Broughton Community Council AGM/Ordinary Meeting: all local residents welcome to attend – if you have an issue you would like to raise at the meeting, please use the contact email form on the community council’s website here to let them know in advance. 7.15pm (AGM), 7.30pm (ordinary meeting), Drummond Room, Broughton St Mary’s Church, Bellevue Crescent.

Sofi’s Cult Movie Nights: popular classics on the silver screen in the cosy darkened back room – with free poporn. This week’s film is Alien (18). 8-10pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street. Free.

Old Chain Pier Folk Sessions: a fortnightly evening of traditional Scottish folk music and old favourites with Fozzy and Alistair. 7.30pm, Old Chain Pier, 32 Trinity Crescent.

Broughton History Society: Peter Dryburgh talks on Addresses in Old Edinburgh. 7pm (refreshments), 7.30pm (talk), Drummond Community High School, Bellevue Place. Visitors welcome. For more information please contact broughtonhistsocedinburgh@gmail.com.

Let’s Glow: Popular Music Final Performances: final year Edinburgh College HND students take on their final performance assessments, a culmination of two years of learning and development, in front of a live audience. 5.30pm, The Music Box, Sighthill Campus, Edinburgh College, Bankhead Avenue. All welcome: free and unticketed.

TUESDAY 12TH MAY 2015

Stewart Bremner: The Early Days of a Better Nation (or How we laid the foundation for the campaign that will win an independent Scotland). The freelance graphic designer and official artist for the YES campaign discusses his new book, a collection of political posters and other designs (some only previously seen in digital form) created for the Yes campaign. ‘Stewart created an iconic image that the whole Yes campaign could rally around and identify with’ (Lesley Riddoch). 6.30pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street. Free; all welcome  – donations also welcome!

Tiny Tales: Peek-a-Boo! Where Are You? Join Ann Pitcher on a journey round the world with Baby Jay and his magic Peek-a-Boo blanket. Helping Ann tell her stories and sing her songs will be some of her menagerie of puppets, and the session will be rounded off with a chance for a ceilidh dance with your child. For children aged 1-3 years and their parents and carers. 10am or 11.30am (40 minute sessions), Storytelling Bothy, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £5 per child, accompanying adult free, and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579. Please remember to book a free adult ticket as well as your child’s ticket.

Lunchtime Concert: Svetoslav Todorov (piano). 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Cameo Silver Screen: if you are over 60, join the Silver Screen Club and enjoy free tea, coffee and biscuits at these special weekly screenings, for which your ticket will cost just £5 (others are welcome to attend these screenings but will need to pay standard ticket prices) – membership of the Silver Screen Club is free; ask at the Box Office. This week’s films are Girlhood (Bande de Filles) (15) showing at 12.45 and 3.30pm, Far From the Madding Crowd (12A) showing at 12 noon and 3pm, The Falling (15) showing at 3.20pm and Marvel Avengers Assemble 2D (12A) showing at 12.10pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets for all screenings may be purchased online or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.

Alternatives Never Found: a new group show of works by Helen Booth, Martyna Borowiecka, Jill Cope, John Franzen, Alastair Gordon, Charlotte Keates, Paul Kessling, Cathy Lewis, Allie Macdonald, Emma Pratt and Rachel Ann Stevenson. Open preview tonight 6-9pm, then 10am-5pm Monday to Saturday, 1-5pm Sundays, Arusha Gallery, 13a Dundas Street. Ends 25th May 2015.

Jennifer Klinec: The Temporary Bride. Jennifer Klinec abandoned a corporate job to launch a cooking school from her London flat; her search for ancient recipes and her desire to explore the links between food and culture eventually led her to Iran. There she not only learned the secrets of the Persian kitchen but also fell in love with an Iranian man; Iranian laws and customs meant the pair had to take huge risks to spend any time together ‘A soaring story of being loved, being fed, and the struggle to belong’. 7-8pm, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained via eventbrite here.

Oxgangs Library: find out about health, social care and other services in your local area. 12 noon-4pm (drop-in) Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North. For more information please call 0131 529 6552 or email rachel.howe@edinburgh.gov.uk.

A Calendar of Memories: a monthly session of stories, songs, laughter and reminiscence in the relaxed setting of the Storytelling Court, hosted by the Life Stories project, whose staff specialise in sharing stories with older people to rekindle imagination, trigger memories and increase communication. 2pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £3 and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.

Just for Men: a relaxed social opportunity for men who would like to get to know other gay, bisexual or transgender men in one of Edinburgh’s newest LGBT-friendly bars. For ages 18+. 6.30-8.30pm, Woodland Creatures, 260 Leith Walk. For more information please contact Alison Wren on 0131 652 3283 or at alison@lgbthealth.org.uk.

The Speakeasy: the Speakeasy returns with a cross-section of exciting performances. An evening of insightful humour and  storytelling, mixed with theatre, music, song and poetry – ‘a truly enjoyable night out’. This month: comedy from Stuart Mitchell, poetry from Doug Garry, a true story from Gareth Mutch, an extract from Ross Hepburn’s Bettlejuice’d, poetry from Lewis Brown – and Impro FX: Men with Coconuts. Hosted by Jo Caulfield. For ages 16+. 8pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £7 and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.

Picturehouse Documentaries: Heaven Adores You (15). An intimate, meditative enquiry into the life and music of Elliott Smith, who died in 2003 at the age of just 34. Threading his music through the dense yet often isolating landscapes of the three cities – Portland, New York City and Los Angeles – in which he lived, the film presents a visual journey and reviews the singer’s prolific songwriting and its continuing impact on fans, friends and fellow musicians. 9pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.

Unlocked: Magna Carta or Abroath? Do Scotland and and the rest of the UK share a constitutional past – or future? This debate will seek to chart the next steps in Scottish constitutional and political future, looking back at the Declaration, charting the Independence Referendum and looking forward to what the future holds for Scotland and the rest of the UK. Presentations by Professor Charlie Jeffery (Centre for Constitutional Change), Alastair Stoddart (Democratic Society), Juliet Swann (Electoral Reform Society Scotland) and Adam Ramsay (openDemocracy) will be followed by an open public debate and the creation of a new document expressing the aims and values of Scotland for 2015. 7-9pm, St John’s Church Hall, Princes Street. Free: please register via eventbrite here. This event is organised by Unlock Democracy.

‘For the Inspection of the Public’: the Story of Dulwich Picture Gallery. Ian Dejardin, Sackler Director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery, delves into the story behind England’s first public art gallery, founded in 1811 but with a history that stretches back much further. The story links Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite actor with a French art dealer, his Welsh heiress wife, a half-Swiss artist, England’s greatest Regency architect and Stanislaw Poniatowski, the last king of Poland. Four of these six characters are buried on the site of what has been described as  ‘the most beautiful small art gallery in the world’. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

Bookbug: songs, rhymes and stories for pre-school children and their parents and carers. 10.30am today and every Tuesday (and Friday), Muirhouse Library, Pennywell Court. All welcome: free.

Leith Folk Club: Sarah McQuaid with support Trish Santer. ‘McQuaid’s genre-spanning tastes in traditional song, together with her own songwriting, make this a genuine must-see show’. 7.30pm, Leith Folk Club, Victoria Park House Hotel, 221 Ferry Road. Tickets cost £9 and may be purchased online here or via the club’s text booking line on 07502 024 852.

WEDNESDAY 13TH MAY 2015

Wiff Waff Wednesday: a monthly ping pong night for all ages, with music, drink and great food available to purchase at the Drill Hall Arts Cafe. 6-10.30pm, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street. Free entry. ‘Friendship first, competition second’.

LGBT: The Media – Friend of Foe? The quarterly community discussion will tackle the often thorny and sensational issue of ‘The Media‘ and representations of LGBT people and their communities. A panel of media representatives, including Night Editor of The Times in Scotland Katherine O’Donnell, RBS Rainbow Network social media coordinator Steve O’Brien and other special guests, will share views on how various media respond to LGBT issues and portray LGBT+ identities. Questions for the panel may be submitted ahead, but there will be plenty of time for free-flowing questions on the night; you are invited to bring along an article, headline or story that you either love or hate for its representation of LGBT people or issues. 6.30-9.30pm, Serenity Cafe, The Tun, 8 Jackson’s Entry, Holyrood Road. Booking is essential and may be made online here (ie not just by joining the FB page – the form must be completed).

Black God, White Devil (12) (in Portugese with English subtitles). A special screening of the seminal film by Glauber Rocha, one of Brazil’s most revered directors. Black God, White Devil was a radical experiment in film form released during the early period of the military dictatorship that governed Brazil 1964-85; it ventures to the spiritual heart of the country, the arid backlands, to document the political, religious and social upheavals taking place in the country. “By turns surreal and brazenly realist, Black God, White Devil remains a compelling example of international political cinema and an illustration of Rocha’s manifesto for an ‘Aesthetic of Hunger'”. The film will be introduced by Dr Charlotte Gleghorn and followed by a panel discussion with Dr Raquel Ribeiro (both Hispanic Studies, University of Edinburgh). 2-5pm, Project Room (1.06), University of Edinburgh, 50 George Square. Free: all welcome – please book via eventbrite here. This event forms part of a conference Possibilities of Exchange: Experiments in Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art, which continues this evening and on Thursday 14th May 2015 (see listings). Possibilities of the Object continues at Fruitmarket until 25th May 2015.

Possibilities of the Object Panel Discussion: artist Rachel Adams, Dr Michael Asbury (University of the Arts, London) and Dr Isobel Whitelegg (LJMU/Tate Liverpool) consider the role of the object in Brazilian art from the 1950s to the present. Dr Catherine Spencer (University of St Andrews) will chair the discussion. 6-8pm, Fruitmarket Gallery, 45 Market Street. Free and open to all, but please book via eventbrite here. This event forms part of a conference Possibilities of Exchange: Experiments in Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art, which continues on Thursday 14th May 2015 (see listings). Possibilities of the Object continues at Fruitmarket until 25th May 2015.

Lunchtime Concert: Will Pickvance – Piano Speak. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Vera Chytilova Film Season: Vera Chytilova, the leading lady of 1960s Czech New Wave, died last year at the age of 85. A rebel, a feminist, a critic of contemporary society and an innovative filmmaker best known for her work Daisies, Chytilova focused on women rebelling against a male-dominated order, while consistently applying her own moral vision. She was banned from filming by the Czech government. Today’s film is Prefab Story/Panelstory aneb Jak se rodi sidliste (18) (in Czech with English subtitles). Chytilova’s multilevel portrayal of contemporary life is a blunt and aggressive confrontation with the ‘normalised’ society in which she lived. Set against the background of a high rise estate, it examines the nature of contemporary morality and the materialist preoccupations of its inhabitants. 6.15pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688. The next film in this series is Traps/Pasti, pasti, pasticky on Wednesday 20th May.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents James Runcie: Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins. The author and award-winning filmmaker launches the latest instalment in his Grantchester series, set in 1960s Cambridge and featuring full-time priest and part-time detective Sidney Chambers. 6.30-8pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the store’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218, by emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.

Filmhouse Special Screening: Hinterland (15). When Harvey hears that his old friend Lola has been forced to return home after years abroad, he arranges to take her away to the seaside cottage where they spent much of their youth; what follows is a touching and beautiful story of an old friendship rekindled within a new context. Harry Macqueen’s debut film is ‘a poetic journey of self-discovery and heartbreak in contemporary Britain’. Today’s screening will be followed by a Q & A session with director and star Harry Macqueen. 6.10pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here. Also showing at same time on Thursday 14th May 2015.

Dementia Information Evening: Pamela MacKay, Development Officer for Dementia Care at Crossreach, will talk about the different types of dementia and what can and is being done to tackle them. 7.30pm, Carlow Room, Annan House, 10 Palmerston Place. All welcome: for more information please contact Linda Cunningham on 0131 3321596.

Jammin’ at Voodoo: monthly live jamming session with some of Scotland’s leading musicians playing lounge grooves from many genres – blues, soul, funk, ska, rock and reggae, jazz and country. Musicians appear by invitation only to set a good standard. 9pm, Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Free admission.

Evenings of Enlightenment: join University of Edinburgh researchers on Wednesday evenings in May and June to celebrate the 2015 International Year of Light. Experts from various disciplines will explore this fascinating area – from historical discoveries to today’s cutting-edge research. Tonight Dr Chris Mowat (School of Chemistry) will talk on Illuminating the Invisible: The X-Ray Revolution. 6.30-7.30pm, Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets are free and may be booked via eventbrite here.

THURSDAY 14TH MAY 2015

THE BUSINESS: all writers, at any stage, are invited to this free event – talks, Q & A sessions and the chance to meet publishers, editors and agents. 1-6pm, Cabaret Bar, The Pleasance. Free: no booking required – just come along. Organised by the University of Edinburgh and Writer-in-Residence Jenni Fagan.

Voluntary Arts Week: Craft Bombing! Voluntary Arts Week starts tomorrow – and tonight the Scottish Waterways Trust and Re-Union Canal Boats will be craft bombing Leamington Lift Bridge (near the canal basin at Fountainbridge). Last year’s display was fantastic – so if you’d like to contribute your work and/or be involved in the ‘bombing’ tonight, contact Alan on 07768 951 740 or alan@scottishwaterwaystrust.org.uk.

Cameo Big Scream: for parents and carers with a baby up to one year old. Membership of the Big Scream Club costs £5 and lasts until your baby’s first birthday: it enables you to buy tickets for these special screenings at Picturehouse members’ rates. Only customers with babies will be admitted. Today’s film is Cinderella (U). 10.30am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.

Kirsty Logan: The Gracekeepers. The celebrated author of The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales launches her hotly-anticipated new book, ‘by turns Margaret Attwood, by others Angela Carter’. 6.30pm, Waterstones, 83 George Street.  Free, no booking required. For further information please call 0131 225 3436.

Spotlight On: Waterloo. 200 years on from Waterloo, Principal Curator Dr Stuart Allan discusses the impact in Scotland of this famous battle; a new exhibition about its aftermath opens at the National Museum tomorrow. For ages 14+. 2-3pm (doors open 1.45pm), Auditorium, Level One, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free but booking is required, in person at the Museum’s reception desk or online here.

IberoDocs: the second Scottish Ibero-American Documentary Film Festival opens today with double the number of films shown in 2014, plus a programme of events, discussions and parties! Today’s film is Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America/La voz de Latinoamerica (12A) (in Spanish, French, English and Portugese with English subtitles). This documentary on the life, music and achievements of the great Argentinian folk singer is narrated by Mercedes herself and includes excerpts from her public and private life. 8.20pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here. The screening will be followed by a Skype Q & A session with director Rodrigo H Vila and then the festival’s opening party. The festival continues on Friday 15th, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May 2015.

Spark Greyfriars Lunchtime Concerts: 20th Century British Song. Reid School of Music students Timothy Matson and Amanda McLeod will perform music by Britten, Head and MacMillan. Accompanist: Gina Baker. 12 noon-12.45om, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free: all welcome.

Sue Lawrence: Fields of Blue Flax. The journalist, broadcaster, food writer and champion of Scottish produce launches her first novel, set in Edinburgh and Angus. When cousins Chris and Mags find out something about their Victorian great-great grandmother, their own lives become troubled in a disturbing parallel with the past… ‘A compelling tale of an innocent interest in family history uncovering long-buried dark secrets’. 7-8pm, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained via eventbrite here.

Portrait Gallery Curator’s Talk: Heads Up – A Tour of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery through Portrait Sculpture. A chance to chat to the gallery curators about the current exhibitions – this month Imogen Gibbon, Chief Curator and Deputy Director, will lead a tour. 5.30-6pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed.

HG Watt: The Importance of Manners. The editor of The Istanbul Review and author of nine books launches her new work, ‘a slapstick, satirical comic novel in the vein of Alexander McCall Smith, Evelyn Waugh and PG Wodehouse’ in which four characters on a cruise ship take an ill-judged excursion into modern-day Benin. 6.30pm, Looking Glass Books, 36 Simpson Loan, Quartermile. To reserve your free ticket please email info@frieghtbooks.co.uk.

The Drawing Room: informal. artist-led drawing sessions, each developed by a contemporary artist and reflecting concerns in that artist’s work. The Drawing Room explores the range of possibilities within contemporary drawing practice. All materials are supplied and no experience is necessary! 5.30-6.45pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. Free but please book your place by calling the Education Department on 0131 624 6410 or emailing education@nationalgalleries.org.

UNESCO European Literature Night Edinburgh: The Enemies Project. A groundbreaking evening of live contemporary literature: ten pairs of poets present brand new Camarade collaborations, crossing the traditions of sound, performance, art and poetry, and written specially for this unique celebration. 8.30-10.30pm, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. This is a free event with limited capacity: seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, so please arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Live Music Now: Spencer-Strachan Duo. Two of the most sought-after young instrumentalists in the UK, Rachel Spencer and Duncan Strachan, draw on David Roberts’ love of painting great architecture, and perform music by Bach and Ravel, both masters of musical construction. 6-6.30pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

WATCHING: a special screening by Music in the Community of the documentary about its recent collaboration with the Royal Botanic Garden and Leith Walk Primary School. 6pm, Atrium, Alison House, University of Edinburgh, 12 Nicolson Square. All welcome: free, no booking required.

Possibilities of Exchange: Experiments in Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art. A free international conference organised by Edinburgh College of Art and Fruitmarket Gallery. Coinciding with the Possibilities of the Object exhibition at Fruitmarket Gallery, the conference seeks to develop a broader understanding of the shifts that have occurred among Latin American artistic practices since the 1950s and into the present. Keynote Speaker: Professor Sergio Bruno Martins (PUC-Rio); Guest Speakers: Dr Michael Asbury (University of the Arts, London), Dr Isobel Whitelegg (LJMU/Tate Liverpool) and Dr Catherine Spencer (University of St Andrews). 9.45am-5.30pm, Teviot Row House –  Dining Room, University of Edinburgh, 13 Bristo Square. Free tickets may be booked via eventbrite here. Possibilities of the Object continues at Fruitmarket until 25th May 2015.

Concrete Antenna: Artist Talk. Tom Perman, Professor Simon Kirby and Rob St John discuss their site-specific sound work, commissioned by Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop for the opening of its Creative Laboratories. Concrete Antenna explores the past, the present and the (potential) future of the Workshop’s site, evoking its various histories as a blacksmith’s, a railway siding close to the Newhaven docks, and now a thriving creative workshop beside a wildlife-rich cycle route. 7pm, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, 21 Hawthornvale, Newhaven.  Please book by emailing office@edinburghsculpture.org. The Concrete Antenna exhibition continues in the Tower (part of the new Creative Laboratory development) at Hawthornvale until the end of August 2015 and is open 10am-5pm Monday to Saturday.

European Literature Night at The Forest Cafe: readings on the theme of activism from Ryan van Winkle (curator), Thomas MacColl, Ed Smith, Rachel McCrum (all Edinburgh), Katy Hastie and Calum Rodger (Glasgow) and Anne Cotten (Berlin). 6-7pm, Forest Cafe, Lauriston Place. Free; no booking required.

Electric Circus Showcase Open Mic: an open mic night to scout for new acts in Edinburgh. If you are a solo artist, or can play a stripped-down acoustic set with your band, and are interested in securing a support slot at an Electric Circus show, this is your chance to meet the team and show them what you can do. Slots will be allocated on a first come, first served basis (prepare roughly two songs), and all performers will get a free beer. If you have any questions email nicky@theelectric circus.biz. For over 18s only. 7pm, Electric Circus, 36-39 Market Street. Free admission.

Caesura: a special free event to celebrate European Literature Night. Sound poetry is an art form that explores the sonic and aesthetic possibilities of language; tonight’s event will feature a talk from renowned art historian and Bob Cobbing collaborator David Hopkins and work from three European poets at the forefront of this visceral, playful and innovative art form – Jorg Piringer (Austria), Eduardo Escoffet (Spain) and Martin Bakero (France). 6-7.30pm, The Saltire Society, 9 Fountain Close, 22 High Street. Free but booking is required and may be made via eventbrite here. For further information please contact jennifer.williams@spl.org.uk.

Christian Aid Week : Quiz Aid. Individuals and teams of up to five all welcome. 7pm for 7.30pm start, Cramond Kirk Hall, Cramond Glebe Road. Tickets cost £4 in advance from the Kirk Office on 0131 336 2036 or £5 on the door (sta).

Cafe Voices: The Princes of Destiny. the Storytelling Centre’s monthly storytelling session, with an open-floor section for storytellers to tell their own tales, all in the relaxed setting of the Storytelling Court. Tonight, inspired by the work of writer and sociologist Reginaldo Prandi, Brazilian storyteller Ana Maria Lines presents tales about destiny, the myths of the Yoruba people and their influence in Brazil and Cuba. 7pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £5 and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.

FRIDAY 15TH MAY 2015

Crafty Books Time: The Sea. Crafts and stories for the under-10s; this week you can make a Stained Glass Sea Scene. 2.30-3.30pm, Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Road. Free: no booking required. ‘You’ll have a WHALE of a time!’

International Conscientious Objectors’ Day: Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and friends will hold a vigil to remember the Conscientious Objectors of all wars, past and present, and especially those of the First World War. With songs from the Protest in Harmony Choir, and stories of some of the Objectors; bring your reflections, songs, poems and photos. 5-6.30pm, The Mound. For more information please see the event’s Facebook page here.

What’s Your Poison? Arsenic, asbestos, mercury and lead – today we know these substances as dangerous – even deadly – but throughout history poisonous and fatal materials have been used in very surprising places. From poisonous make-up to deadly dyes and maddening materials, experts from Edinburgh University will explore these dangerous substances, from their origins in nature to their uses throughout history and today. 1.30-2.30pm, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh, Doorway 3, Medical School, Teviot Place. Free but booking is required via eventbrite here. The Anatomy Museum will remain open 2.30-8pm for those who hold tickets to What’s Your Poison? This event forms part of Scotland’s Festival of Museums 2015.

WHALE Mini Snappers: an exciting darkroom photography session for young people as part of Voluntary Arts Week. Learn from a tutor and the WHALE Snappers team; come and take photos, then develop them in the traditional way! For ages 8-16 years. 2-4pm, WHALE Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. Free but booking is essential, in person or by calling WHALE on 0131 458 3267.

Steampunk Salvaged Jewellery Workshop: drawing inspiration from Victorian culture and technology, Steampunk is a growing trend in fashion, art and music. Join PhD student and resident Steampunk expert Shannon Rollins for a workshop on the history of this cultural phenomenon, and create your own Steampunk-inspired fashion accessory. This is a BYOB event so bring your favourite tipple! 6-7pm, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh, Doorway 3, Medical School, Teviot Place. Tickets cost £5 (to include all materials) and may be booked via eventbrite here. The Anatomy Museum will remain open 2.30-8pm for those who hold tickets to the workshop. This event forms part of Scotland’s Festival of Museums 2015.

Kidnapped: When Kilts were Banned. Discover Robert Louis Stevenson’s timeless tale in Donald Smith’s exhilarating, gutsy adaptation; let two actors, a chest and your imagination take you on an exciting, fast-moving and adventure-filled story for all the family as young Davie Balfour leaves home for the first time, only to be double-crossed by his devious uncle and find himself kidnapped. Directed by Gavin Paul. 7pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £8/£6 and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579. In association with Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust. Also at 2.30pm on Saturday 16th May 2015.

Capturing the Dark Side: Photography with Dark Edinburgh. A talk on how to create stunning images in Edinburgh, given by the man behind Dark Edinburgh Photography. Please note that the workshop that will follow this talk is now fully booked, but tickets are still available for the talk itself. 8pm, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh, Doorway 3, Medical School, Teviot Place. Tickets for the talk alone are free and may be booked via eventbrite here. The Anatomy Museum will remain open 2.30-8pm for those who hold tickets to this event, which forms part of Scotland’s Festival of Museums 2015.

Dwelling: Garry Fabian Miller. One of the most experimental and progressive figures in fine art photography, Garry Fabian Miller has created large scale camera-less photographs since the 1980s. With the coming of the digital age in photography and the discontinuation of Cibachrome paper, Fabian Miller has decided to reach out from photography and explore new ways of making work, in particular in this new, long-term, collaboration with Dovecot. This exhibition looks back at his influences and the conditions that led him to produce the body of work he has achieved in a lifetime of practice. Works in Dwelling highlight the importance of Fabian Miller’s home and its landscape, the work and life of Winifred Nicholson, and light in domestic spaces, often emanating from its heart – the fire and hearth. The exhibition will also feature two new gun-tufted hearth rugs created in collaboration with Fabian Miller; a large scale tapestry is also planned. 10.30am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays), Dovecot Studios, Infirmary Street. Exhibition closes 4th July 2015.

Bookbug: songs, rhymes and stories for pre-school children and their parents and carers. 10.30am today and every Friday (and Tuesday), Muirhouse Library, Pennywell Court. All welcome: free.

Chesko and Karel: a sensational Spanish duo playing all different styles from Spain, South America and the Caribbean – covers including flamenco, fado, samba, son, salsa, rumba, reggae and world music. 9pm-1am, Victoria Bar, 265 Leith Walk.

Waterloo: After the Battle.  A new exhibition to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo; find out more about the impact of the battle within Scotland, from public celebrations to political unrest, the celebrity of veterans and the birth of battlefield tourism. 10am-5pm daily, Grand Gallery, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free. Ends 27th September 2015.

Ratho Adult Colouring Group – come and try the new stress reliever and anti-depressant! 11am-12.30pm today and every second Friday, Ratho Library, School Wynd.

IberoDocs: the second Scottish Ibero-American Documentary Film Festival, continues. Today’s films are:

(1)   Alentejo, Alentejo (PG) (in Portugese with English subtitles). A journey into present-day Portugal, discovering Cante – traditional and new songs sung by dozens of amateur polyphonic choirs who gather regularly in Alentejo. Cante was born in the taverns and fields, sung buy miners and peasants, and transmitted through the generations: UNESCO has now recognised it as Cultural Heritage of Humanity.  Plus short: Spaces of Time #2: Porto by David Hermandez. 6.05pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road.

(2)   Arraianos (PG) (in Galician with English subtitles): a portrait of a small village trapped out of time and located on the Galician-Portugal border, in which moments of fiction stand alongside the daily life of the Arraianos, now ‘actors’ playing themselves. Reality, myths and dreams merge together in this film, freely inspired by the local play ‘O Bosque’. Plus short Mountain in the Shadow (Montana en sombra) by Lois Patino. This screening will be followed by a Q & A session with Arraianos producer Beli Martinez. 8.30pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road.

Tickets for Aelntejo Alentejo and Arraianos may be purchased from the Filmhouse Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online.

Additional films will be shown today at 50 George Square, University of Edinburgh: My Village Doesn’t Live Here Any More/A minha aldeia ja nao mora aqui will be screened at 11am and Through Shadows/Pelas Sombras at 12.15pm. These films will be followed by a masterclass delivered by filmmaker – and director of both films – Catarina Mourao, and the event will conclude with a reception at Tugas Amor, 161 Dundee Street. Please see the Festival’s brochure here for more details.

90s Night @ Boda: a theme night to embrace everything that was fantastic about the nineties – from pen trolls to Buffy the Vampire Slayer! 8pm, Boda Bar, 229 Leith Walk.

Old Chain Pier Friday Nights: soul, funk, motown and more with guest DJ ‘he’s fat, he’s old and he’s bald’ Lenny Love. 9pm-1am (food served until 10pm), Old Chain Pier, 32 Trinity Crescent.

Nobel Ambitions: Rethinking Capitalism II. The Buchanan Institute hosts an afternoon with Graciela Chichilnisky, lead author of Nobel Peace Prize winning intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Dr Chichilnisky appears regularly on CNN and BBC, speaking extensively on topics including globalisation, global economics and the environment; she is best known for her extensive work in the Kyoto Protocol process, and has served as special adviser to several UN organisations and heads of state. 4-6pm, George Square Lecture Theatre, 50 George Square, University of Edinburgh. All welcome: free but please register via eventbrite here.

Rally & Broad: Because the Night. To mark Rally & Broad’s 50th event since October 2012, a special partnership gig in collaboration with the Mental Health Foundation and Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Because the Night will be a ‘sparkling line-up of utterly delicious lyrical delight’ and a celebration of using the arts to address stigma in mental health. Acts will include ‘prolific and multi-talented’ songwriter Aidan Moffat in a special spoken-word set, ‘prodigiously talented and criminally underrated’ singer Kathryn Joseph, author and ‘captivating live reader’ Anneliese Mackintosh, ‘heartbeaking and hilarious’ songwriter and lyricist Liz Cronin and poet and writer McGuire, whose first collection is entitled ‘As I sit quietly I begin to smell burning‘. 7-10pm, The Bongo Club, Cowgate. Tickets cost £5 and may be purchased via eventbrite here (transaction fee applies) or on the door sta.

Edinburgh University Music Society Summer Concert. Chorus (conductor Neil Metcalfe): Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music, Biebl Ave Maria and Stanford Te Deum in E Flat; Sinfonia (conductor Peter Keenan): Dvorak Slavonic Dances (7 & 8) and Weber Der Freischutz Overture; Symphony Orchestra (conductor Russell Cowieson): Britten Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. 7.30 (doors open 7pm)-9pm, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Tickets cost £10/£5 and may be purchased online here (booking fee applies) or on the door sta (please arrive early as this is a very popular event).

Nitekirk: a monthly, creative, drop-in experience of church. Come and go as you like, sit in stillness or join in quiet conversation, songs from the Taize and Iona communities, reading and art. This month’s theme is Wonder. 8-11pm, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. All welcome. ‘A place of welcome, a space for stillness, a pause on your journey, an open door’.

Isle of Arran Mountain Festival. Here’s your first chance to get away from it all this weekend: from wildlife watching coastal walks to airy scrambles on towering granite ridges, the Arran Mountain Festival offers a wide programme of graded walks over four days, all guided by experienced local leaders, plus talks, music and social gatherings. Meet like-minded people and discover a fascinating island with some of Scotland’s most amazing landscapes. Each walk can be booked separately, and there are discounts for multi-bookings.  Full programme and booking details on the festival’s website here. Ends Monday 18th May. (For your second – and quite different – chance to escape, see Saturday’s listings…)

SATURDAY 16TH MAY 2015

Christian Aid Nepal Earthquake Appeal: An Evocation. An inspiring event seeking to evoke some of the thoughts, feelings, sentiments and consciousness of the years preceding and following the First World War, through words and music of the time from the UK and beyond. Performances, both sacred and secular, will include wind and string ensembles, organ, piano, violin and song, and feature St Mary’s Music School String Ensemble and Sirocco Winds, both award-winning performers, together with readings from the period. 1-2.30pm and 5-9.30pm, St John’s Church, Princes Street. All-day tickets cost £10. For more information please contact Alastair Guild at anevocation@gmail.com.

Polish Bookbug: a special session for the annual Bookbug Week. This year’s theme is Bookbug’s Big Bedtime Story. Fun, songs, rhymes and stories for children aged 0-4 years and their parents and carers. 11-11.30am, Piershill Library, Piershill Terrace.

Scotland’s Open Gardens: Broadwoodside. A garden planted in and around a farm steading, rescued from dereliction. Two sheltered courtyards are encircled by the old buildings; outside the planting extends into the surrounding farmland and woods on an ambitious scale. ‘One of Scotland’s finest contemporary private gardens’ (Scotland for Gardeners 2014). 2-6pm, Broadwoodside, Gifford EH41 4JQ. £5 person, of which 40% will go to Cancer Research Scotland and the net remainder to SG beneficiaries.

Christian Aid Week Coffee Morning: cake and candy stall, tombola, 99p bazaar, potted plant bonanza, books, toys and children’s activities (and coffee…).10am-12 noon, Queensferry Parish Church Centre, The Loan. Admission £2.

Gaelic Writing Workshop with author Martin MacIntyre: one of a series of workshops arranged by the Scottish Book Trust in association with its Journeys campaign to get Scotland writing. Each session will offer advice, writing practice and inspiration to writers of all levels in a relaxed environment. 11am-12.30pm, Scottish Book Trust, Sandeman House, Trunk’s Close, 55 High Street. Free but booking is essential: please email frances.campbell@scottishbooktrust.com or call 0131 524 0170.

Christian Aid Week Coffee Morning: hot rolls and home baking. 10.30am-12 noon, St Michael’s Parish Church, 1 Slateford Road.

Kidnapped: When Kilts were Banned. Discover Robert Louis Stevenson’s timeless tale in Donald Smith’s exhilarating, gutsy adaptation; let two actors, a chest and your imagination take you on an exciting, fast-moving and adventure-filled story for all the family as young Davie Balfour leaves home for the first time, only to be double-crossed by his devious uncle and find himself kidnapped. Directed by Gavin Paul. 2.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £8/£6 and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579. In association with Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust.

The Vintage Kilo Sale: over 5 tonnes of quality mixed vintage fashion and accessories. £15 per kilo, with stock replenished throughout the day. 11am-4pm, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street. Early bird admission (11am-12 noon) £3, then £1.50.

150 Years of Alice in Wonderland: activities, games and fun to celebrate Alice’s 150th birthday. Come in fancy dress if you like! The event will be followed by a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, which is free but ticketed as places are limited – call 0131 226 2666 for more information, or ask in the shop. From 2pm, Waterstones West End, Princes Street.

Strawberry Tea: tombola, cake and candy, books. 2-4pm, St Mark’s Parish Church, Portobello. £2 per person (children free).

This May Hurt…Medical Procedures from the Thompson-Walker Collection: a talk taking a look at some medical procedures that will make your toes curl and your hair stand on end! The Thompson-Walker Collection, part of the University of Edinburgh Art Collection, was amassed by Sir John William Thompson-Walker (1871-1937), a surgeon and print collector from Newport in Fife. This collection of engraved portraits of medical men is one of the largest of its kind in Scotland; along with portraiture it includes depictions of some ‘interesting’ medical procedures – so sit back, relax and thank your lucky stars that you live in the 21st century! 1-2pm, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh, Doorway 3, Medical School, Teviot Place. Tickets are free and may be booked via eventbrite here. The Anatomy Museum will remain open 2-4.30pm for those who hold tickets to this event, which forms part of Scotland’s Festival of Museums 2015.

Fascinating Plants: come and celebrate the wonderful diversity of plants with staff from the Botanics. A rare opportunity to see some unusual plants and discover why they can be so varied in their appearance. 1-4pm, Real Life Science Studion, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Free and suitable for all ages. Also at same times on Sunday 17th May 2015. This event is part of Fascination of Plants Day 2015.

Rainforest Adventure: jump into the canoe, hold the oar and travel deep into the rainforest with Brazilian storyteller Ana Maria Lines. With tales and songs, Ana will lead you on a magical adventure on the Amazon river, where every flower, bird and fish has a story to tell. For ages 6-10 years. 10.30am, Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6 per child, accompanying adult free, and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579. Please remember to book a free adult ticket as well as your child’s ticket.

IberoDocs: the second Scottish Ibero-American Documentary Film Festival, continues today. Tickets for all screenings may be purchased from the Filmhouse Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online. Today’s films are:

(1)   Viking Land/Terra de Vikingos (15) (in Galician and German with English subtitles).  A found-footage compilation taken from VHS tapes that director Xurzo Chirro stumbled across – tapes containing 16 hours of material shot 20 years ago by a Galician working on a ferry crossing from Denmark to Germany – which he then edited into ‘chapters’ inspired by Melville’s Moby Dick: ‘an elemental journey into the nature of bygone images, and also a chartless navigation into the meaning of creative authorship’. Plus short: Pettring by Eloy Dominguez Seren. 3.10pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. This screening will be followed by a Q & A session with Vikingland producer Beli Martinez.

(2)   The Salt of the Earth/Le sel de la terre (12A) (in French, Portugese and English with English subtitles): for the last 40 years, photographer Sebastio Salgado has been travelling through the continents, witnessing some of the major events of recent history – he is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, of wild fauna and flora, and of grandiose landscapes, as part of a huge project which is a tribute to the planet’s beauty. 8.45pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road.

Morningside Farmers’ Market: fresh, local, seasonal goods direct from the producers. Refreshments for sale throughout the market and in The Merlin. 9.30am-3.30pm, The Merlin (rear car park), 168 Morningside Road.

Nothing But The Poem: Tomas Transtromer. A reading and discussion session about the work of the Nobel Prize-winning Swedish poet, with poet Kate Hendry – no previous knowledge or experience necessary! Please note that the poet will be present on paper only. 11am or 2pm, The Saltire Society, 9 Fountain Close, 22 High Street. Tickets cost £5/£4 and may be purchased via eventbrite here.

St Bride’s Family Cinema: see your favourite films for free! Adventure, excitement, fun and laughs – it’s all here. Choc ices and juice are available to purchase during the interval for 50p. This week’s film is Basil The Great Mouse Detective (U). Please note that all children under the age of 16 years must be accompanied by an adult. 10.30am-12.30pm (including interval), St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace. All welcome: no booking required.

The Storyteller, The Boy and the Road of Legends: Tim Porteous introduces you to the stories and legends that pave the route to Loch Ness, Scotland’s most famous loch. A powerful and moving performance, laced with humour, from this seasoned storyteller, who tells of a journey with his young companion; all is not as it seems as the stories begin to reveal truths for them both – what awaits them at Loch Ness will destroy a world and perhaps create a new one. For ages 16+. 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £8/£6 and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.

Heart and Soul: Living Stones. The Church of Scotland’s large-scale celebratory event to coincide with the beginning of the General Assembly: exhibitors, two stages of featured performances, 60+ congregations from all over Scotland, youth space, kids’ marquee and much more, with a closing worship service at the open-air Ross Theatre at 5pm. 2-6pm, Princes Street Gardens (with some events in St Cuthbert’s Parish Church, 5 Lothian Road). Free: all welcome.

Sofi’s Beatles Night: live music with resident pianist Olly Farrell. 7pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

Edinburgh Society of Musicians: guitar students of Simon Thacker play Bach, Ravel and music from Argentina, Cuba, Peru and Brazil. 7.30pm (prompt), Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road. The Edinburgh Society of Musicians was founded in 1887; it promotes practical music-making in the city and arranges chamber music recitals every Saturday from October to June. Admission is free.

Loud and Proud: Scotland’s LGBT Choir. A spring concert celebrating ‘a glorious history of glamour performances since 2005’ with special guests the Ostergok Choir (Sweden). 8pm, Stockbridge Parish Church, Saxe Coburg Place. Tickets cost £10/£7 and may be purchased by calling 0131 473 2000 or online from Hub Tickets here.

3 Straight Heads: tunes and fun. 8pm, Skylark Cafe, 241 Portobello High Street.

LGBT: T Time in Edinburgh. An informal social gathering open to all transgender people and supporters. Come along for tea/coffee and a chat in a friendly, relaxed environment. An optional event runs alongside each T Time – today this will be a screening of a trans-themed short or feature film and time for discussion afterwards. 1-4pm (film 2-3.30pm), LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact Jules Stapleton Barnes on 0131 523 1104 or at jules@lgbthealth.org.uk.

A Scandal in Surgeons’ Hall: an evening of dark entertainment with music, dancing, magic and mystery all included! A scandalous evening of surprise and suspense inspired by the collections from The Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh Anatomy Museum. Dance the night away with the ceilidh band, solve a mystery with the Victorian crime scene, let a fortune teller tell you what your future holds, be amazed by the magician – and much more. Expect to see the dark side of the collections…and of Edinburgh itself. You are invited to dress to impress in a Victorian/Steampunk outfit. For over 18s only. 7.30-11pm, Quincentenary Building, Surgeons’ Hall, Nicolson Street. Tickets cost £10 (students £8) and may be purchased via eventbrite here. This event forms part of Scotland’s Festival of Museums 2015.

Knockhill McRae Rally Challenge. Here’s your second opportunity to escape the city this weekend: a special rally festival to mark the 20th anniversary of Colin McRae’s 1995 World Rally Championship win. This will be the biggest single-venue rally event ever seen at Knockhill; a 30 mile ten stage rally plus – in association with Coltness Car Club – a showcase of some of Colin’s iconic competition cars, including the 1995 Championship-winning Subaru. Knockhill Racing Circuit, by Dunfermline, KY12 9TF. Tickets (for single days, the weekend, camping and caravan parking) may be booked online here or by calling 01383 723 337. Events continue on Sunday 17th May.

SUNDAY 17TH MAY 2015

Raising the Relief Fund for Earthquake Victims in Nepal: Charity Dinner. The Everest Nepalese and Indian Restaurant has organised this special event – and their chef, the wife of the proprietor – is ‘probably the best Nepalese chef in Scotland’, so as well as contributing to this very worthwhile cause, you’ll be able to enjoy a great meal. 2-10pm, Everest Restaurant, 52 Home Street. £12.99 per person. Please book asap by calling 0131 229 1348/07830 982471 or emailing info@everestnepal.co.uk.

Horrible Histories from the Archives: a family event looking back at some of the stranger goings-on from the University of Edinburgh’s archive. Expect gruesome stories and unexpected tales about Edinburgh and its residents. 11am-12 noon, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh, Doorway 3, Medical School, Teviot Place. Tickets are free and may be booked via eventbrite here. The Anatomy Museum will remain open 12 noon-2pm for those who hold tickets to this event, which forms part of Scotland’s Festival of Museums 2015.

Filmhouse Junior: films for a younger audience. This week: Cinderella (U) (2015), Kenneth Branagh’s live-action retelling of the classic tale. 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 per person, big or small, and may be purchased from the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here.

Bumps in the Night: Edinburgh Blackout Injuries in World War II. What was the impact of the enforced blackout on the Home Front? In this talk, Lothian Health Services Archivist Louise Williams will delve into wartime case notes exploring the injuries caused by these ‘bumps in the night’. 1-2pm, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh, Doorway 3, Medical School, Teviot Place. Tickets are free and may be booked via eventbrite here. The Anatomy Museum will remain open 12 noon-2pm for those who hold tickets to this event, which forms part of Scotland’s Festival of Museums 2015.

Bags of Art: cool and creative fun with artists Tessa Asquith-Lamb and Louise Fraser. For ages 4-12 years. 2-4pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. Free and unticketed. Supported by the Friends of NGS.

Cameo Vintage Sundays: classic films back on the big screen. Today: Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 (15). Fellini’s semi-autobiographical story – about a renowned film director who has lost his inspiration -is still a mesmerising mystery tour that has often been quoted but never duplicated. 1pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.

Music, Murder and Mayhem: an afternoon of macabre music. Delve into the dark side of music – from instruments made of human remains to songs about murder and crime. Discover what makes music the perfect medium for these murky subjects. The presenters will look at different aspects of music, including grisly musical instruments from the collection and popular murder ballads – there will even be a macabre singalong! 2-4pm, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh, Doorway 3, Medical School, Teviot Place. Tickets are free and may be booked via eventbrite here. The Anatomy Museum will be open 12 noon-2pm for those who hold tickets to this event, which forms part of Scotland’s Festival of Museums 2015.

Fascinating Plants: come and celebrate the wonderful diversity of plants with staff from the Botanics. A rare opportunity to see some unusual plants and discover why plants can be so varied in their appearance. 1-4pm, Real Life Science Studion, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Free and suitable for all ages. This event is part of Fascination of Plants Day 2015.

Modroc Mirrors (rescheduled): make a beautifully crafted mirror with modroc, inspired by the shore and the woodland. With Margaret Findlay. These workshops are intended for families working together; at least one paying adult must accompany each child and no child should be booked into a workshop alone. 11am-3pm, Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road. Tickets cost £5 per person and must be booked in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here.

Hearing Impaired Tour: Scottish Collection Highlights. A free tour of the exhibition with portable loops, led by artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb. 11am-12 noon, Scottish National Gallery (Gardens Entrance), The Mound. To book a place please contact the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560.

Scotland’s Open Gardens: 101 Greenbank Crescent. The front of the house is on a busy road – the back is in the country; a terraced garden, including a water feature, a variety of shrubs and trees, and wandering paths and steps with fine views of nearby hills and the neighbouring Braidburn Valley Park. Refreshments available. 2-5pm, 101 Greenbank Crescent, EH10 5TA (on bus routes). £3 person, of which 40% will go to Macmillan Cancer Support and the net remainder to SG beneficiaries. For further information please contact Mr & Mrs Jerry and Christine Gregson on 0131 447 6492.

IberoDocs: the second Scottish Ibero-American Documentary Film Festival, concludes today. Tickets for all screenings may be purchased from the Filmhouse Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online. Today’s films are:

(1)   Paradiso (15) (in Spanish with English subtitles). The Duque de Alba is the last remaining adult movie theatre in Madrid, still with a regular clientele. Rafael, the projectionist, works hard to keep the place nice, but now Luisa, the ticket clerk with whom he has worked for over 30 years, is about to retire. 3.45pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road.

(2)   Cloudy Times/El tiempo nublado (12A) (in Spanish, German and English with English subtitles): Paraguayan director Arami Ullon has lived in Basel for many years, but when her mother’s health deteriorates, she must return to Asuncion in Paraguay to face her past. This screening will be followed by a Q & A session with Arami Ullon. 5.45pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road.

(3)  Mala Mala (18) (in Spanish and English with English subtitles). A film about the transgender experience and the power of transformation told through the eyes of nine trans-identifying individuals in Puerto Rico. ‘A vibrant and visually striking immersion into the transgender community, Mala Mala celebrates the breadth of experience among a diverse and evolving community, from campaigning for government recognised human rights to working in the sex industry or performing as part of a drag troupe’. Plus short: High Heels Aren’t Compulsory by Annabel Cooper, starring Jo Clifford.  This screening will be preceded by a special performance by Jo Clifford to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, and will be followed by the festival’s closing party. 8.35pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road.

Talking Trees Storytelling: let the RBGE’s volunteer storytellers grow your imagination with tall tales from around the world. For ages 5+. 2-2.45pm, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Free.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Teenage Book Group: if you love to read, or just want to read more, join the club to talk about the latest teenage fiction and your favourite books. This monthly group reads everything from classics to contemporary, dystopian to historical – and anything else you fancy; currently reading Louise O’Neill’s Only Ever Yours. 2-3pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. If you would like to join the group (it’s free), please email your details to schools.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk.

Scotland’s Open Gardens: 61 Fountainhall Road. Large walled town garden in which trees and shrubs form an architectural backdrop to a wide variety of flowering plants. A collection of hellebores and triliums, several alpine beds and three ponds with a lively population of frogs. Refreshments available. 2-5pm, 61 Fountainhall Road, EH9 2LH.  £4 person, of which 40% will go to Froglife and the net remainder to SG beneficiaries. For further information please contact Mrs Annemarie Hammond on 0131 667 6146.

Big Big Sing Day: whether you sing in the shower or regularly with a choir. you’re all invited to belt out some songs with Big Big Sing. Join hundreds of people for a fun-filled afternoon with inspirational choir leaders Stephen Deazley and Jennifer John, singing everything from gospel and folk to pop, roots and world. You don’t need any singing experience or the ability to read music. ‘Lively, uplifting and guaranteed to put a big smile on your face’. 12 noon-5pm, Usher Hall, Lothian Road. £5 per person: tickets may be booked in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here. Big Big Sing is a UK-wide project inspiring thousands of people to get singing, enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits it brings, and have fun.

Scotland’s Open Gardens: Redcroft. A walled garden surrounding an Arts & Crafts villa, providing an unexpected haven off a busy road and planted with form and texture in mind. A fine display of flowering shrubs and tulips. Refreshments available. 2-5pm, 23 Murrayfield Road EH12 6EP (on bus routes).  £4 per person, of which 40% will go to New Caledonian Woodlands and the net remainder to SG beneficiaries. For further information please contact James and Anna Buxton on 0131 337 1747.

Sofi’s Nocturnes: weekly open stage hosted by Matt Norris and Arno Blok. Unplugged and intimate – all acts welcome, including music, spoken word and anything else you’d like to perform. House guitar available. A free drink for all performers! 8-10pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

St Giles’ At Six: Paul Chamberlain (accordion) plays Zolotaiev Sonata No 2, Angelis Romance, Wienawski Scherzo Tarantella, Rachmaninov Vocalise and Weber Konzertstuck in F Minor. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free: retiring collection.

Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh is launching ‘Late and Live’, a brand new, monthly, live music series kicking off on Friday 15 May at 10pm. The programme will be a platform for undiscovered talent, rising stars and breakthrough acts to build their music profiles and showcase the best in new music in Scotland.

The first gig in the ‘Late and Live’ music series, which will be free entry for everyone in the city, will star performances from recent Hard Rock Rising Scotland finalists, The Modests and Sonic Templars. The Modests are an exciting four piece with a psychedelic hard rock sound. Fans can also expect a stellar show from rising alt-rock stars, Sonic Templars.

The Modests said this about performing at the very first ‘Late and Live’ gig: “We want to thank Hard Rock Cafe not only for hosting us during Hard Rock Rising but now inviting us to their Edinburgh venue for the first gig of the series. We’re looking forward to raising the roof on 15th May!  We are big fans of Hard Rock, who as well as our fans have just been amazing to us so far.” 

Sonic Templars on their upcoming performance at Hard Rock Edinburgh said: “We’re really excited to have been invited to play the Hard Rock Cafe again. It’s always a pleasure to play there and they’ve been so supportive of us in recent times. Oh and they do great burgers!”

To find out more about the ‘Late and Live’ music series at Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh visit the website or check out the cafe’s Facebook and Twitter.

Police are appealing for witnesses following an assault and robbery on West Granton Road which happened around 1pm yesterday  as a woman walked down the steps near to B&M.

Three men assaulted the 41-year-old and took a two-figure sum of cash from her.

She sustained minor facial injuries as a result, but did not require medical treatment.

The first suspect is described as a white man, aged 28-30, with shaved fair hair, and a Polish accent. He was wearing a white t-shirt, grey joggers and white footwear.

The second suspect is also a white man, aged 28-30, with a Polish accent. He had short dark hair and was wearing a dark-coloured jumper.

The third is a white man, also aged 28-30, with dark hair.

The three were last seen heading towards Granton Road.

Detective Constable Mark Seymour said: “This was a shocking attack in broad daylight and we’re confident that there will have been people in the area at the time who can help us to identify these men.

“Anyone who can help with our enquiries is urged to come forward and we’d like to reassure the community that there will be additional patrols in the local area over the coming days as part of our enquiries to trace them.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Long-serving Club Secretary and Operations Director Garry O’Hagan is leaving Hibs following a restructure of the Club management.

O’Hagan has been at the club for 17 years, and during that time has played a pivotal role in some key developments – in particular the creation of the Hibernian Training Centre and the redevelopment of Easter Road Stadium.

Chairman Rod Petrie said: “Garry has played an important part in creating the infrastructure which is of so much benefit to the Club today, and in addition to that his role as Club Secretary saw him play a vital role in supporting all of our football operations. Garry was a familiar figure to supporters on a matchday, and has been a well-liked and respected figure.

“Everyone at the Club wishes Garry well for the future, and he is welcome back at Easter Road Stadium at any time.”

Garry O’Hagan added: “I have enjoyed my time with Hibernian immensely. It’s been a great honour and privilege to serve the Club and its supporters for the last 17 years.

“We face a busy end to the season with the play-offs and hosting the Scotland Match so I felt that it was best that we communicate things now so that the focus from here in can be on the football still to be played.

“I’d like to thank all of my colleagues at the Club for their support and hard work during my time with the Club.

“I wish the Club, Board, Manager, Players, Staff and of course the Supporters every success.”

Former Hibs’ striker Leigh Griffiths has won the SPFL Player of the Month award for April.

Griffiths scored seven goals in six games for Celtic over the course of the month, including two hat-tricks which helped the Hoops win their fourth title in a row.

After leaving Hibs, Griffiths returned to Wolves for a short period before Celtic pounced and after a slow start, his career has gone from strength to strength, scoring an impressive 26 goals in 51 games

Yesterday Griffiths told the club website: “I’ve hit a good patch of form and scored two hat-tricks so it might have been difficult for the voting panel to go elsewhere.

“Last season Kris Commons and Anthony Stokes and I were sharing the goals but this season it’s been more one man each month. After that it has been someone else that has been top goalscorer each month, but thankfully April has been mine.

“It’s just a confidence thing. Whoever has that jersey up front will be confident of scoring goals.”

The striker added: “Since the turn of the year I’ve hit a good run of form and people are seeing the real Leigh Griffiths that was at Hibs a couple of seasons ago and was scoring goals for fun in the Premier League.

“My goals-to-games ratio is now up there with the best. It’s a good stat and it was great to score a hat-trick on my 50th appearance.

“It has been an incredible season when you look at it like that but it might not have happened if I didn’t buck up my ideas after I spoke with the manager.

“I could have just sulked and said, ‘Right, that’s my Celtic career over,’ but I didn’t because I wanted to prove everyone wrong and show that I was the main man.”

Photo by www.jcmackintosh.co.uk

Former Hibs’ midfielder Dean Shiels scored the vital goal that put Rangers in the driving seat in the play-off quarter finals at Palmerston last night.

The second leg will determine who meets Hibs in the semi-final but Rangers are now overwhelming favourites.

Stevie Smith gave the Ibrox side the lead with a sensational free kick just before the break however the Doonhamers equalised in the 64th minute through Derek Lyle.

Eleven minutes later Shiels grabbed the winner with a well taken header from a Richard Foster cross.

Speaking after the final whistle the Ulstermen told the club website: “Obviously every goal is important when you are in these play-offs and they are hard to come by.

“I got into the box and it was a great cross from Fozzy. I then managed to direct in into the net.

“I actually scored one like that in training yesterday and the lads were giving me a bit of stick about it. They keep saying I don’t head the ball enough so I had to show them it wasn’t a fluke!

“Obviously it was really pleasing to see it go in and it gave us a really good victory.

“It was just one of those games where we knew we had to come and dig in.

“It was going to be a tough game, it has been all season, and we had to come with a game plan and try to put it into place.

“We managed to do that and come away with a win which is a very good result for us.

“We’ll now be confident going into our next game at home. We know the job is far from over yet but hopefully if we can get the first goal it will put us in a good position.”

“Stevie (Smith) hasn’t played much football and he’s come in and done a great job tonight.

“We knew from before that he’s very dangerous from free kicks, he did it against Dundee United and in a few big games last season.

“He’s got a great left foot so anywhere around the box he’s got that quality, it was brilliant free kick.”

Portrait Detectives: collect your kit, follow clues and solve a mystery from history! For ages 4-12. 2-4pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed. Supported by the Friends of NGS.

Turtles in Trouble: come and find out what you can do to help Scotland’s rare turtles – from satellite tagging programmes to reducing harmful marine litter. Say hello to Lola the life-sized Leatherback turtle model, or make your own turtle or jellyfish finger puppet! With the Marine Conservation Society. 1-4pm, Real Life Science Studio, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. For all ages: free, no booking required.

Filmhouse Junior: films for a younger audience. Today: Home (U) Tip must learn to fend for herself after her mother is abducted during the invasion of Earth by aliens calling themselves the Boov, but when she meets a Boov called Oh, they form an unlikely friendship. 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 per person, big or small, and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.

Pond Secrets with Mike Durnan. Come along to the pond in the beautiful Japanese garden at Lauriston and discover the creatures that live there; record your findings, then return to the Glasshouse to make your own wooden sailing boat to launch back in the pond. Please note that these workshops are designed for families – at least one paying adult should accompany a child; children must not be booked into workshops alone. 10.30am-12.30pm, Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South. £4 per person. Booking must be made in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office – in person, by phone (0131 228 1155) or online here.

Uptown Abbey: Lauriston above and below stairs: award-winning troupe Edinburgh Living History offers a unique chance to observe life in an Edwardian house. Meet the Reids, their staff and some of their guests as they go about their daily lives. 3pm, Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South. £5 (adults), £3 (children), £12.50 (family ticket) or £6.50/£4.50/£17 to include afternoon tea . Booking must be made in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office – in person, by phone (0131 228 1155) or online here.

Damian Callan Pop-Up Gallery: new drawings and paintings, framed and unframed work by the Edinburgh-based figurative artist and art teacher. Damian will give a demonstration of his drawing and painting techniques at 2pm, and his new book Paint Like Renoir will be available to purchase. There will also be a bargain box! 10am-6pm, The Art Club, Brandon Terrace (next to Coffee Angel), Canonmills. The exhibition will be available to view online here from 8th May.

Friends of the Botanics Plant Sale: your annual chance to purchase from an enviable collection of plants at wonderful prices, plus the Connoisseur’s Collection and Home Baking Stall. 2-4pm, RBGE Nursery, Inverleith Avenue South. Admission £3 (RBGE members free).

Scotland’s Gardens: Dean Gardens. Nine acres of semi-woodland garden with spring bulbs, on the steep banks of the Water of Leith in central Edinburgh. Founded in the 1860s by local residents and containing part of the great structure of the Dean Bridge, a Thomas Telford masterpiece. Lawns, paths, trees and shrubs, lovely views, children’s play area. 2-5pm, Dean Gardens (enter from Eton Terrace or Ann Street), Admission £3 (children free) for Scotland’s Gardens beneficiaries.

Cameo Vintage Sundays: classic films back on the big screen where they belong. Today a celebration of the life of the late, great Robert Altman with a double bill: Altman (15) is a documentary about the director’s life and work, and The Long Goodbye (18) is his ‘brilliant post-hippy Raymond Chandler crime thriller’. 12 noon, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.

Radical Voices: a monthly gathering to listen to singers of radical songs, and to share songs, stories and poems on a different theme each time. 6.30-9.30pm, The Constitution Bar, Constitution Street, Leith. All welcome; free entry, with a raffle and donations collected for a relevant cause. For more information please email radicalvoices@gmail.com.

Filmhouse Film Quiz: the ‘phenomenally successful (and rather tricky) monthly quiz’. Free to enter: teams of up to 8 people should be seated in the Cafe Bar by 9pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road.

Colinton Amateur Orchestral Society Concert: Around the World. Music by Arnold, Geddes, Borodin, Sibellius and Bizet. Conductor: Julian Appleyard. 7.30pm, Polwarth Parish Church, Polwarth Terrace. Tickets cost £6/£3 (students) on the door, children admitted free.

The Feast of Life: a Musical of Hope from Christian Aid. 7.30pm, Portobello & Joppa Parish Church, 1 Brunstane Road North. Tickets costs £5 (accompanied children free) and are available from Ian Warwick on 0131 669 4906. All proceeds will go to Christian Aid.

Nothing Ever Happens Here and Tradfest Present Khartoum Heroes + Adam Stafford + C Duncan. Khartoum Heroes are ‘an elusive, seldom seen, ramshackle band of saggy misshapen superheroes who’ve recently come out of retirement to no applause whatsoever’. They include King Creosote, ‘Uncle’ Vic Galloway, Captain Geeko the Dead Aviator, Uncle Beesly and Broken He-Rory; expect psychedelia, folk, punk, ska, indie, pop and bluegrass ‘played by paunchy men in tights and ill-fitting outfits’. 9pm-3am, Dissection Room, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £10 and may be booked here.

Strings, Wires, Threads and Guts: Emma Lloyd and Matthew Whiteside. An evening viewing of the current exhibition Possibilities of the Object, with music for viola d’amore, viola and electronics, including Prologue by Gerard Grisey and the premiere of Glasgow-based composer Matthew Whiteside’s new work. 7-8.30pm, Fruitmarket Gallery, 45 Market Street. Tickets cost £6 and may be booked via eventbrite here (transaction fee applies).

St Giles’ at Six: George Heriot’s School Chamber Choir, featuring the Brass Ensemble and others. Rutter This is the Day and What Sweeter Music, Poston Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, Finzi God is gone up, Parry I was Glad, Durufle Ubi Caritas, Tallis If ye love me and Whitacre Sleep. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free: retiring collection.

The Green House Thrift Shop

Edinburgh Leisure free 7 day pass

Edinburgh Central MSP advice surgeries

Russell Watson at the Queen’s Hall 

Teddy Bears Picnic

If you are having a spring clean then you could give your donations of anything except electrical goods, car seats and helmets to The Green House Thrift Shop at 64 Niddrie Mains Road EH16 4BG. Drop your stuff with them any weekday between 10am and 4pm.

More information from  greenhouse@communityalliancetrust.org.uk

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Edinburgh Leisure is offering you a chance to try out a free 7 day pass for their facilities to see which ones you like best and you can find out more here.

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Edinburgh Central MSP Marco Biagi holds his advice surgeries across the city centre:

Mondays at 6.30pm at 77 Buccleuch Street EH8 9LS

On the second Monday of the month he also holds surgeries as follows:

10.30am Saughtonhall Community Association

12.00pm St Bride’s Community Centre

1.30pm Stockbridge Library (except public holidays)

You may also contact him by clicking here.

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Russell Watson is one of the world’s most prominent tenors, selling in excess of seven million albums worldwide. His first album The Voice was a world’s first when it held simultaneous number ones in the US and the UK. Tomorrow night he is playing the Queen’s Hall and you may still be able to get a ticket or two here…..

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The Edinburgh Reporter has met Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray many times over recent years.

He was reelected to Westminster in Thursday’s General Election with a majority of 2637. This is an increased majority over his 2010 result when he won the seat just 316 votes ahead of Liberal Democrat Fred Mackintosh.

He has thanked all his supporters on Facebook:

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Murray went to university at the very early age of 16. One of two sons raised by his mother in Wester Hailes he quickly realised the benefits that an education might bring and it was probably no surprise to anyone that he entered politics at a fairly early age. Most recently he was Shadow Minister (Business, Innovation and Skills). We presume that as the only Labour MP in Scotland he may be asked to become the Shadow Scottish Secretary

We met up on one occasion at Portcullis House in Westminster which is of course where he and the 649 other MPs who make up the UK Government work for part of the week.

You can listen to our 2011 interview with him and read more about him here.

The Labour MP has a parliamentary record of voting against reducing spending on welfare benefits, and also voted against raising England’s undergraduate tuition fee cap to £9,000 per year.

He is a great supporter of independent businesses and we met him at the opening of his own local post office in Bruntsfield when he brought the then Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna MP along to cut the ribbon.

Most recently we interviewed him ahead of the General Election 2015, and we were not surprised to be interrupted during filming by a local resident who wanted to thank Ian for the help he had given him recently with a problem.

You can watch the interview here:

[vimeo 124337291 w=500 h=281]

#GE2015 Ian Murray Scottish Labour from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

A Victorian school building on Viewforth will become vacant next year when Boroughmuir High School moves to its new campus on the bank of the Union Canal. The council have decided to put the building up for sale and it is now recommending sale to property  company CALA.

The preferred bid is from CALA who have developed many sites across the city and have a track record of high quality housing at the luxury end of the market. They are already developing sites at Ocean Drive with prices from £435,000 and Dalmeny near South Queensferry with prices in excess of £510,000 and Fairmilehead where the prices range from £715,000 upwards.

The other bid is that from the Out of the Blue Trust (OOTB) who want to develop the school as an arts  and business venue in the same way that they have developed the Drill Hall in Dalmeny Street Leith They also want the building to continue to have educational use by offering it as capacity to nearby schools. The community bid is not the council’s preferred bid at this stage although there is still time for the Finance and Resources Committee to change their minds or indeed refer the matter to the full council.

The difference is plainly more than money. The price offered by CALA is said to be over £14m and that offered by OOTB is just under half that. We are told that only CALA’s offer is subject to planning permission for the changes to the building, but the final say on who gets to buy the school lies with the council who currently own it.

Local councillor Melanie Main said: “Out of the Blue’s bid for Boroughmuir would see the old school, which has been  for so long the heart of the community,  kept in the public domain for the use of the many rather than the few.    What could be better for the local economy and community in Bruntsfield and South Edinburgh than OOTB bringing 20 years’ success and experience to develop an Arts and business hub at the old Boroughmuir?

“What’s more this project would allow the extensive  use by community  groups and organisations to continue, securing their future and giving them a home for years to come.   There is no shortage of arts and businesses in need of space across the city, with over 200 on OOTB’s  waiting list currently.

“It has become abundantly clear that the community feels strongly that it’s voice should be heard and that selling off this wonderful historic building, the largest building the Council is likely to dispose off,  is not to be rushed through committee at the earliest opportunity, without due consideration and evaluation of the community bid.”

Merchiston Community Council also support the bid by OOTB and helped them to hold a public meeting on Tuesday at the school when they say over 150 residents attended.

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The community council is now calling on residents to sign a petition to support the bid by OOTB and you will find that by clicking here and the Community Council have a Facebook page here.

The Community Council is set firmly against a housing development as they say the housing density is already amongst the highest in the city, and that there will be long delays before the actual development of the listed building begins due to the planning process.

It backs the arts bid as they feel it will help the council to fulfil six of their stated pledges:

 

1. Providing for Edinburgh’s prosperity – the new SME and Social Enterprise businesses run from this space will contribute to the economic impact of the area and the City
2. Ensuring every child in Edinburgh has the best start in life – Out of the Blue’s bid includes working with the local schools for formal and informal education for children
3. Reducing poverty, inequality and deprivation – Out of the Blue intend to provide social housing within the space as well as developing work placements, training, supported employment, education and development projects to help those in poverty, inequality and deprivation.
4. Strengthening and supporting our communities and keeping them safe – Out of the Blue will make the space for the community and by the community with events/ classes and development for all.
5. Maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in Edinburgh – an arts and creative hub will improve the quality of life to benefit all in the area and the City of Edinburgh.
6. Ensuring Edinburgh and its residents are well cared for – the community aspect of the Out of the Blue bid ensures that outreach work (which also covers point 3 above) will benefit residents in the area and Edinburgh as a whole.

OOTB has a track record of success in providing arts spaces in Dalmeny Street but they also set up the Bongo Club in New Street until the building was demolished in 2006 and the club had to move to new premises. They also set up Powerhouse in Portobello where they offer studio and creative spaces to businesses and in 2011 they took up a lease on additional rehearsal space there. Run as a social enterprise they generate income which is then reinvested for social benefit.

CALA also owns the former Donaldson’s School where development has not yet begun and the school has lain empty for a number of years.

Planning permission for development of that important building was granted in 2007, but CALA has been involved with heritage restoration specialist City & Country who will soon be lodging updated proposals for the transformation of the Playfair building into homes.

CALA propose a crescent of new build homes alongside the listed building where parking will be provided in underground car parks.

David McGrath, managing director of CALA Homes (East) said: “This is a special site and our designs have been carefully shaped to fit the context of the setting.

“Our proposal celebrates this historic building, which is the site’s most impressive feature. Anyone living in our new apartments will enjoy the unique view of Donaldson’s every day.

“The changes we are proposing not only reflect the best advances in design of the past seven years, it also means we are meeting changes in the market to deliver the style and quality of homes that people actually want today.”

The council has begun building the new school which will provide new facilities for 1165 pupils, including a roof top games area to make the most of the space.

Turtles in Trouble: come and find out what you can do to help Scotland’s rare turtles – from satellite tagging programmes to reducing harmful marine litter. Say hello to Lola the life-sized Leatherback turtle model, or make your own turtle or jellyfish finger puppet! With the Marine Conservation Society. 1-4pm, Real Life Science Studio, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. For all ages: free, no booking required. Also at same times on Sunday 10th May.

Edinburgh Ballet Circle: Paquita, Death in Venice and Popular Dances. A triple bill by this company of non-professional adult ballet students from around Edinburgh: Marius Pepita’s Paquita is a glittering showcase of Russian classical dance with music by Alexander Minkus, Death in Venice is a new production based on Thomas Mann’s famous novella, with music by Benjamin Britten, and a suite of Popular Dances is set to the music of Leroy Anderson, the king of American light orchestral pieces. Directed by Jonathan Burnett. 2.45pm and 7.45pm, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry Road. Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be purchased from St Bride’s Box Office on 0131 346 1405.

Zoo Arts Extra: Beach Day – food, fire, sea, sky, sand and art! The group will leave North Edinburgh Arts at 12.30pm to walk to the beach at the Granton end of Silverknowes promenade, where there will be lunch beside a fire, with hot chocolate and marshmallows, followed by play and creative activities. At 4.30pm the group will walk back to NEA, to be collected by parents at 5pm (unless you have previously advised that your child is to make his/her own way home). Full details are on Zoo Arts Extra’s Facebook page here. 12.30pm, North Edinburgh Arts, Pennywell Court. This trip is free, although donations are very welcome towards costs. Booking (and completion of permission slips) is essential; call into NEA, email zooarts.nea@gmail.com or call 0131 315 2151. Participants over the age of 10 years may wish to achieve an Arts Award at this event; if so, please inform Zoo Arts when you book – you will then need to arrive at 10am for research and ideas in Zoo Arts’ new Creative Space.

Storytime in the Book Bothy. Stories will be chosen to suit the ages of children attending. 11am today and every Saturday, Far From the Madding Crowd, 20 The High Street, Linlithgow.

Damian Callan Pop-Up Gallery: new drawings and paintings, framed and unframed work by the Edinburgh-based figurative artist and art teacher. Damian will give a demonstration of his drawing and painting techniques at 2pm daily, and his new book Paint Like Renoir will be available to purchase. There will also be a bargain box! 10am-6pm today and Sunday 10th May, The Art Club, Brandon Terrace (next to Coffee Angel), Canonmills. The exhibition will be available to view online here from 8th May.

Fresh Start Fundraising Sale: an opportunity to browse some of the many quality donated goods, have a coffee, try some home baking and have a go on the tombola. 10am-12 noon, the Food Station, 1 Harrison Place, Polwarth EH11 1SF. Fresh Start is an Edinburgh charity that helps people who have been homeless get established in their new home. It is Lothian Buses’ Charity of the Year 2015.

Tiger Tales: stories and crafts for ages 4-8 years. 3-4pm, Fountainbridge Library, 137 Dundee Street. Free.

St Bride’s Family Cinema: see your favourite films for free! Juice and choc ices available for 50p in the interval. Please note all children under the age of 16 years must be accompanied by an adult. Today’s film is Toy Story (PG). 10.30am-12.30pm, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry Road.

Madelvic House Open Day: Madelvic House dates back to 1898 and was the first custom-built car factory in Britain. A Granton community group is now developing ideas for the building to offer local people somewhere to come together and relax. The current plan is to develop a creative hub with resident artists on the upper floor and gallery/event space below, plus a cafe and craft area with activities for the community. Today the group invites you to attend its first open day, which will include presentations on what the building could become, a craft workshop for children, a raffle and light refreshments – come along, see for yourself, learn about the history of the area, see artists at work, hear from the leaders of other successful projects from across Scotland, and discuss ideas with the group. 11am, Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue. If you can’t make this date but would like to find out more, please contact Wendy Wager, chair of the group, at madeleviccommunity@gmail.com.

Christian Aid Week Coffee Morning – including a home baking stall. 10am-12 noon, St James Episcopal Church, 57b Inverleith Row. Tickets cost £2.50 on the door.

Water of Leith Conservation Trust Plant Sale: pick up a bargain at the famous annual plant sale! Doors open 10am, Water of Leith Vistor Centre, 24 Lanark Road. Admission by donation of 50p.

Elspeth Hart and the School for Show-offs: author Sarah Forbes and illustrator James Brown launch the first book in their new series for children aged 7-9 years. Come and hear stories about disgusting dinner ladies, see some caricature drawing, ask questions and get your book signed. 3pm, Waterstones West End, Princes Street. For more information please call 0131 226 2666.

Key Ideas in Simone Weil’s Life and Thought: Force, Affliction and Attention.  A one-day conference about the life and thought of the French philosopher, mystic and political activist. The conference facilitators will be Dr Timothy Baker, Professor Zenon Bankowski, Elizabeth Drummond Young, Dr David Levy and Professor James Williams, and the Chair will be Brian Smith, former Scottish Episcopal Bishop of Edinburgh. 10am-5.15pm (registration 9.30-10am), Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. Admission costs £25/£20 (concessions)/£10 (students). For more information please contact Neil Walker on 0131 331 4469 or at mesp2015@hotmail.com, This event forms part of The Edinburgh International Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace Festival 2015.

Christian Aid Week Coffee Morning: a warm welcome awaits you at this annual event. 10am-12 noon, Marchmont St Giles Parish Church Centre, 1a Kilgraston Road.

Alan James McLeod: a new exhibition. 12 noon-5pm today, then 10am-5pm Monday to Friday, 12 noon-5pm Saturdays, Doubtfire Gallery, 3 South East Circus Place. Ends 30th May 2015.

Bruncheon featuring The Sound of Muesli: original songs – from melodious, dark and dreamy to quirky and silly – from Fish to Fry, supported by Tom Kane with folk tunes and tales. The Drill Hall Arts Cafe will be offering delicious food and drinks, including breakfast dishes on a fishy theme! 11.30am-3pm, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street. Admission free.

Bookbug: for young children and their parents and carers. 10.30-11am, Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North.

The 42nd Annual Christian Aid Book Sale starts today: books of every kind (including antiquarian and out of print), paintings, drawings, prints, antiques, printed ephemera, sheet music, stamps, postcards, vinyl, CDs, DVDs, toys and baking, all at one of the biggest charity book sales in the world. 10am-4pm today, then 10am-3.30pm Monday to Friday, with late opening until 7pm on Thursday 14th May, St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Undercroft Cafe open all day.

The Holy Corner Christian Aid Book Sale also starts today! A wide variety of books, antiquarian items, CDs, DVDs, musical scores and much more. This year the sale will be offering a number of Alexander McCall Smith’s books, specially signed by the author for the sale. Donations of books (including any Alexander McCall Smith books for signature in advance), maps, photographs, music, etc are still needed and can be handed in at the side door of Morningside United Church during church office opening hours – or call 0131 447 3152 to arrange collection. 10am-5pm today, 11am-6pm Monday 11th to Friday 15th May and 10am-5pm on Saturday 16th May, Morningside United Church, 15 Chamberlain Road (Holy Corner). Coffee will be available today and on Saturday 16th May.

Dads Rock: the first free musical playgroup for Dads and their kids (aged 0-5) in Scotland. 10-11.30am, Gate 55, 55 Sighthill Road and The Prentice Centre, 1 Granton Mains Avenue. For more information please call David on 07511 533 432 or Thomas on 07807 498 709.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents The Scottish Lute: Eric Thomas plays a selection of Scottish music from some of the earliest sources, including the Rowallan, Straloch and Panmur 5 manuscript. Eric is currently studying for a Masters in Historically Informed Performance Practice at Glasgow University and RCS. 2pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.

Gallery of Modern Art Highlight Tours: monthly tours of the Gallery’s permanent collection, focusing on key works. 2-2.45pm or 3-3.45pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE (meet at main entrance), Belford Road. Free and unticketed.

Linlithgow Street Fair: a fundraising event for local organisations and charities, taking place around The Cross. A large variety of goods for sale, plus raffles, tombolas and other games. Any charitable organisation can take a stall for a nominal fee – email the clerk, rosswmcintosh@btopenworld.com, for more information. From 1pm, The Cross, Linlithgow. Organised by Linlithgow Marches and Deacons’ Court.

The Wee One: writer/performer Philip Rainford’s first full length stage play focuses on an older couple, Marie and John, and their grown up son Danny, who persists in living with them. ‘A heartwarming and original story about the tragi-comic circumstances of their situation’. Director Alan Tomkins and a cast of five talented local performers have come on board to stage the play’s premiere performance in Edinburgh’s newest licensed studio theatre. 7.30pm (box office opens 7pm), DISCOVER 21, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Tickets cost £5 per person and may be purchased in advance from Brown Paper Tickets here (transaction fee applies), or on the night (sta).

Portobello Open Door Film Night: Birdman (15). 7pm, The Wash House Community Centre, 3 Adelphi Grove. Tickets costs £5/£3 and may be purchased from Popeye’s Sandwich Bar, 132 Portobello High Street. Bring your beanbag; tea/coffee and snacks are available to purchase at very reasonable prices, but feel free to bring your own food and drink if you wish.

Culture Shock: dedicated to bringing you the best in cult and genre films. Today a double bill, Mad Max 1 and 2, both films directed by George Miller and starring a much younger Mel Gibson. In Mad Max (18), an Australian policeman sets out to avenge his partner, his wife and his son, murdered by a motorcycle gang in retaliation for the death of their leader. Mad Max 2:The Road Warrior (18) is set in a post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, where a cynical drifter agrees to help a small gasoline-rich community escape a gang of bandits. ‘Oil-black humour and superbly choreographed chase sequences make for an unforgettably thrilling joyride’. 9pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.

Sex, War and Painting or The Bible is Not Enough: a two-part exploration of Christian Revelation in the Bible, Human Reason and Sacred Art. Two lectures: When the Bible gets it wrong: Sex and War, and When the Bible isn’t enough: Crib, Cross and Paintings – with discussion plus lunch with wine or soft drinks. The event will be led by Professor David Brown FBA FRSE (Professorial Fellow, Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts, St Andrew’s University). 10am-4pm, St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street. Free but registration is required: for more information or to book, please email Dr Stephen Holmes at stephen_holmes@stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk.

Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair: the biggest vintage fair in the UK, with over one hundred stalls selling vintage men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, homewares, collectibles, knick knacks, furniture, jewellery and more. 11am-4pm, Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street. Admission £2 (children under 12 years free).

A Scandinavian Ceilidh featuring The Flaming Heathers! The Scottish Swedish Society and the Danish Scottish Society invite all Scandis and friends to this fun event. Over 18 years only. 8-11pm, Lauriston Hall, Lauriston Street. Tickets cost £10 in advance via the Scottish Swedish Society’s website here or £12 on the door.

Nothing Ever Happens Here: TeenCanteen Presents The Girl Effect: a fundraiser for Scottish Women’s Aid. Over ten acts will perform covers of songs by girl groups past and present. Over 18s only. 7-10pm, Dissection Room, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £10 and may be booked here. Arranged with support from Tape Studio.

Cadenza in Concert: Mary & Motets, Madrigals & Moderns. The Cadenza Choir performs some of its lighter repertoire of a cappella and accompanied part songs: classical, contemporary, folk and jazz arrangements – Gibbons to Greig Rogers, Hart, Macmillan, Pentatonix and more. 7.30pm, Polwarth Parish Church, Polwarth Terrace. Tickets cost £10/£8 (concessions)/£2 (children) from Cadenza’s Concert Manager on 07985 091 714, from choir members or on the door (sta). Refreshments will be available in the interval.

NHS Lothian looking for board members

Music to your ears from the Edinburgh Quartet 

Pleasance Day Centre Memory Café

Royal Blind Pub Quiz 

Responsible investment event

Looking for a new job? NHS Lothian is looking for new members to join its board and help shape the region’s health care.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing will appoint five new non-executive board members over the next year. The new members will be expected to play a central role in guiding strategies to address the health priorities and health care needs of people living in Lothian.

Brian Houston, Chairman of NHS Lothian board, said: “We are looking for diverse candidates with a wide-range of experience who can represent their community and voice the needs of local people.

“This challenging but demanding role gives the right candidates the opportunity to play an important role in shaping health care and ensuring it meets the needs of the local community.”

New board members will be recruited for a period of four years. The role will require a part-time commitment of around eight hours a week and will include tasks such as attending board and committee meetings, background reading and operational site visits.

Shulah Allan, who joined NHS Lothian’s Board as a non-executive member four years ago, said: “The role is much more than going to meetings. It’s about participating in decision making, reviewing the challenges and successes and planning the way forward. As non- executive Directors we have a unique opportunity to take part and be involved in our local health services and shaping how they are delivered, day in and day out.”

For an application pack and full details please visit the public appointments website: www.appointed-for-scotland.org or www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

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On Wednesday 27 May the Edinburgh Quartet will give the first performances of Silent Shores, a newly commissioned string quartet by Scottish composer Tom Harrold.

The new work features in a programme entitled “Youth” – celebrating music by composers, namely Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Webern, at the outset of their careers.

Composer Tom Harrold said:

“My second string quartet, Silent Shores, depicts an early-morning boat crossing I was on to the Isle of Arran, in which the island (when viewed from the boat) was shrouded in a cold, still mist. The calmness, serenity and beauty at this scene resonated with me. The work is constructed of three adjoined movements: the first features a haunting, baleful melody; the second is scurrying and frenetic, with hints of reels heard throughout; and the third passage returns to the earlier melodic material, although it is hazier, perhaps even damaged, in this passage. The work is one of the more substantial works in my recent output, and I am thrilled and humbled that the Edinburgh Quartet is giving the world premiere”.

The Edinburgh Quartet commissioned this new work with financial support from Creative Scotland.

Wednesday 27 May 7.30pm, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh 0131 668 2019 www.thequeenshall.net

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Pleasance Day Centre – Memory Cafe

A new service started in March this year for anyone affected by Dementia, including families and carers.

Go along, meet others, share your experiences, take part in discussions and a range of activities and enjoy some refreshments.

This is a free service but they suggest a donation of £1 towards the cost of refreshments.

Where is it?

7 West Adam Street (Just off the Pleasance)
EH8 9SX

When?

Mondays 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.

For more information telephone Roy Henderson or Ellen Graham on 0131-558 3728

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You can still enter the Royal Blind Pub Quiz which takes place on 20 May 2015. This year the quiz will be held at a new venue, Hemma above the Tun on Holyrood Road. Visit their website for more information about this and also abseiling for the charity from the Forth Bridge!

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Cllr Jim Orr will host a discussion on “Responsible Investment – Lessons from Denmark” at 6pm on May 18th at the City Chambers in association with Nordic Horizons.  The guest speakers will be Zaiga Strautmane, Head of ESG (Environment, Social Justice and Governance) at UniPension in Denmark and Marianne Harper Gow, Head of Corporate Governance at Baillie Gifford, who will provide a local perspective on whatresponsible investment means to Scottish pension firms and what more we could do..  The event will be chaired by Sarah Smart, an independent financial adviser.

Cllr Orr said “I’m looking forward to learning more about Unipension’s approach to responsible investment which I understand involves screening out businesses and sectors considered to be irresponsible or unethical and working with others to improve behaviour.  So they are interested in much more than the bottom line.  Here in Scotland, the ethics of our financial services industry are under scrutiny as never before and few of us want our pensions or investments to damage the environment, or support the production of weapons that hurt civilians, or even encourage smoking.  This is a great opportunity to learn from our Scandinavian neighbours and I’m delighted that Nordic Horizons are supporting the event.”

UniPension operates pension schemes for three separate professions, investing funds of around £10 billion.

A Q&A session will follow and after the event participants will be welcome to come for drinks in Hemma, the Swedish bar on Holyrood Road:  http://www.bodabar.com/hemma/

The event is free and registration can be done via Eventbrite here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/responsible-investment-lessons-from-denmark-tickets-16454582098

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Police chiefs are hailing the results of the first phase of a crackdown on car and vehicle crime across Scotland as a success.

A national operation, Quarterlight currently has particular focuses in 6 divisions around Scotland – C (Forth Valley), E (Edinburgh), L (Argyll & West Dunbartonshire), G (Greater Glasgow), N (Highlands & Islands) and U (Ayrshire).

The operation took a two-pronged approach – detection and prevention.

Since its launch in November 2014, nearly 900 vehicle related crimes have been detected, with detection rates increasing across most of the country.

More than 350 people have been charged with a number of vehicle related crimes in that time, including theft & attempted theft of motor vehicles, and house breaking with vehicles being stolen.

A toolkit for officers has also been produced to ensure the aims of Operation Quarterlight become firmly embedded in day to day policing.

Notable successes have been achieved across the country. In North Ayrshire, within U Division, officers identified a cluster of young men responsible for a sharp increase in local vehicle-related crime in recent months. All four were traced, apprehended, and have either been remanded in custody or put under bail curfew orders.

Also within U Division, a prominent rural thief has been arrested in connection with thefts from agricultural vehicles in East Ayrshire – news which has been well received by the community. Targeted work has been carried out in rural communities, including campaigns with NFU Scotland within L & U Divisions, where theft of agricultural vehicles such as quad bikes, has increasingly become an issue for farmers as well as police.

Police in Edinburgh (E Division) have made numerous arrests, including detaining 2 individuals jointly responsible for more than 20 crimes, and officers investigated the suspected use of a “Bumper Key” to open vehicles without damaging them. Operation Quarterlight officers also uncovered drugs worth more than £30,000 during a vehicle search.

Within Forth Valley (C Division), several high profile offenders – including two from Glasgow – who’ve been responsible for more than 60 vehicle related crimes in the area, have been identified, and are either in custody, or have warrants active against them.

Teams also worked collaboratively across divisional lines to ensure perpetrators committing crimes outwith their residential areas are traced and charged. Officers in G (Greater Glasgow) and L (Argyll & West Dunbartonshire) staged a joint operation to trace and detain a known offender reported for more than 50 crimes.

Officers across Scotland are also delivering crime prevention advice within their communities, particularly in rural areas in L, N and U divisions. Via social media, Operation Quarterlight officers highlighted how a change in personal behaviour can prevent you becoming a victim of crime. Advice was targeted around issues such as vehicles being left running, and unattended, with keys in the ignition, while defrosting, and the ease with which thieves can steal keys left visible within the home.

Detective Superintendent Yvonne Scott, deputy lead for Operation Quarterlight, said: “Through Operation Quarterlight, Police Scotland will continue to target those responsible for all types of vehicle crime. The consequence of this type of crime can be frustrating and inconvenient and therefore I would again appeal to the public to work with us. In particular ensuring the safety of your property, be it in your home or your car. Secure your home and vehicle, particularly with the better weather, remember to remain vigilant and don’t leave valuables in sight and make sure your car keys are not left where they can easily be stolen – make sure they are out of sight in your home.”

Following comments by  David Thomas, a regional director of American Airlines, that Air Passenger Duty is “stifling demand” on flights between Scotland and the United States, Colin Keir, Edinburgh Airport’s MSP, said:

“Mr Thomas’s comments are most welcome and further validate our position that the Scottish Government must have control over Air Passenger Duty.

“As Edinburgh Airport’s recent report showed, reducing APD in Scotland by 50% will initially support 800 new jobs and create millions for the economy, is most welcome and must be taken seriously by the UK Government.

“The tourism tax that is particularly damaging to Scottish airports – should be cut at once. Devolution of APD would be a game changer for Scottish airport.

“The Scottish Government has committed to cutting Air Passenger Duty once it is devolved and that responsibility cannot come soon enough for passengers and Scotland’s airports.

“A strong team of SNP MPs will ensure Scotland gains the powers it has been promised – including APD – to create jobs and build a more prosperous and fairer country.”

The Edinburgh Reporter has spent a great deal of time in recent weeks meeting the candidates for all seats across the city, and at the Edinburgh count last night we met a few of the candidates before and after the results were announced.

The new MPs for the next parliament are:

Deidre Brock SNP – Edinburgh North and Leith

Ian Murray Labour – Edinburgh South

Joanna Cherry SNP – Edinburgh South West

Tommy Sheppard SNP Edinburgh East

Michelle Thomson SNP Edinburgh West

Here is a selection of the interviews we conducted so that you can get to know your new MP or reacquaint yourself with Ian Murray who was MP for Edinburgh South in the last parliament, and who has the dubious honour of being the only Labour MP in Scotland.

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#GE2015 Ian Murray Scottish Labour from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

You will eventually be able to click here to find details of your new MP and how to contact them.

“Today we are announcing our ticket prices for the Premiership Play-off semi-final match at Easter Road Stadium against the winners of the quarter-final tie between Rangers and Queen of the South, due to be played on Saturday 23 May.

“Our position has been that clubs should have the flexibility to deal with season ticket holders as they think best. While we were given the opportunity last season to do this by the Board of the SPFL, our view has not prevailed this time.  “The debate has been ongoing since October, when the Board of the SPFL sought to introduce minimum pricing and to strengthen the rules to ensure that season tickets are not valid for play-off matches.

“I would have liked to be announcing that we were able to allow our season ticket holders in for free but we have been left in no doubt by the Board of the SPFL that to do so would be to breach the rules on differential pricing.

“We fully accept that the levy is intended to help fund clubs through relegation.  Our club was at the table when the SPFL was formed and the original rules agreed.  Our experience of the competition and the interaction and expectations of supporters has led us to the conclusion that collectively we need to re-evaluate the current rules, particularly in relation to season ticket holders.  This will help to avoid future conflict between clubs, their supporters and the league body.  We would like to positively contribute to that discussion.

“There is no deduction permitted for match operational costs therefore the Club has to pay the full costs of staging the match, and obviously the VAT element of the match receipts. At a time when we are seeking to build a squad for next season, we are in no position to lose money on a match.  The only way left open to us is to offer the match to supporters as inexpensively as we can, knowing that the price has to be open to all.

“””For that reason we are offering the tickets at £15 and £10 for concessions. This will allow us to meet the various obligations I have detailed, pay the 50% SPFL levy and any modest additional revenue we generate –given a good crowd – will go to Alan Stubbs to help fund our squad next season.

“The introduction of the play-offs is a good thing for Scottish football, but for us, the outcome regarding season tickets has been disappointing at a time when Scottish football needs to do more to promote the game.

“Play-off tickets are on sale to supporters, who are registered on the club’s database as of 2pm today. Our season ticket holders’ seats will be reserved until 5pm on Wednesday 13 May. Details on how to purchase are available on the Club website and ticket information for the away tie will also be announced shortly.

“A final word from Alan and the players. We all want to see Easter Road full on Saturday 23 May for a vital game for the Club. Please get behind the team as we have seen this season and as we know you can. We want as many Hibernian fans in the stadium as we can. Myself and the Board will make a call next Thursday 14 May based on the demand to that point to determine whether we will open up half of the South Stand to Hibs supporters. We want this to be the case, but can only do so if the demand is there from supporters.”

Things have changed, changed utterly. The SNP wave that began during the referendum campaign last year has now overwhelmed all the “old politics” and washed away the Labour Party, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Who would have thought just a short year ago that these old political champions would each be reduced to just one seat in Scotland?

“The Scottish lion has roared.” That’s how Alex Salmond put it as he made his victory speech in Gordon. Why he chose a lion rather than a stag I can’t quite understand but I see his point. The people of Scotland have had enough of “Westminster austerity”….the public sector cuts, the harsh new welfare regime, the scandal of high pay, bonuses and expenses fiddles for the fat-cats in London. They have endured seven years of famine, caused by those fat-cats, and now, they reckon, it is time to change all that.

The huge swing to the SNP (from 6 seats to 56) is, of course, a leap of faith. Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond offered voters the hope, rather than the reality, that things could get better. With the Conservatives back in power at Westminster the reality is that the cuts will get deeper (£30bn of them this year), the welfare changes harsher (a £12bn cut is planned) and taxes on the rich will be reduced (eg inheritance tax).

The Conservatives will argue that all this blood-letting will lead to higher growth in the private sector and we will all get richer as a result. But the omens are not good. The 2.7 per cent growth we had last year was from a very low base and it is already being scaled back. The rise in employment is based on sandy soil…low wages, part-time work, low investment and low productivity. It also fails to include the young, 17 per cent of whom are unemployed and many more are working in jobs below their capabilities.

So will this SNP wave, dashing against the rocks of continuing austerity at Westminster, lead to a break-up of the United Kingdom ? It’s possible but I don’t think so. Nicola Sturgeon insisted throughout the campaign that this election was not about independence. It was about an end to austerity and a wish for a fairer society. But she also warned Westminster that “Scotland cannot be ignored.” My guess therefore is that David Cameron will fulfil his famous “vow” to give more powers to the Scottish Parliament. But he will only go as far as the Smith Commission recommendations and wild talk of “a federal Britain” by luminaries, from Boris Johnston to Gordon Brown, will be quietly forgotten.

So we are entering an uneasy period for the United Kingdom, with Scotland a one-party state at odds with the rest of the nations, and the UK at odds with the rest of the European Union.

Looking back over the whole campaign, the undoubted star has been Nicola Sturgeon…..young, fresh, female, feisty, positive, offering the only substantial alternative to the austerity of Labour and the Tories. Wise old Alex Salmond made a clever move when he resigned as leader of the SNP last year to allow her to give the party a new momentum. By contrast the unionist parties were negative, telling Scots what can’t be done. The result was a tumbling of the stone giants of Labour’s Jim Murphy, Douglas Alexander and Margaret Curran and the Liberal Democrats’ Danny Alexander, Michael Moore, Jo Swinson and Charles Kennedy.

It’s difficult to see where the unionist parties can go from here. Clearly they have to stop digging themselves deeper into the ditch of austerity and negativity. Then they might wait for the SNP wave to pass over and dash itself out on the beach of time. And meanwhile they might contemplate how to make “home rule” work for the real issues that people care about…..good jobs, a fair welfare system, better schools and health centres, solutions to the housing shortage, crime, energy, climate change and Britain’s role in a world of international trade, poverty and tax avoidance, civil wars and terrorism.

It’s been a curiously quiet election, considering the revolutionary result. No one has been hurt. No unscripted incidents have occurred. No furry animals have followed the leaders about. There have been no eccentric candidates. There were not many window posters, or lamp-post decorations, banned as they are across Edinburgh. I’ve heard no loud-speaker vans or seen many doorstep canvassers. The leaders’ rallies, walk-abouts and factory visits have been carefully staged-managed to avoid encounters with “ordinary” people.

Instead it’s been a campaign fought on television, on the internet, and with leaflets through the letter-boxes. The live hustings I’ve been to have been quiet, well-behaved affairs. Even the old fashioned art of heckling has been lost. But in the end, the people have spoken clearly, especially in Scotland, and left us with plenty of things to think about.

A terrible beauty is born.

200 young people from The Boys’ Brigade will be joined by the Brigade President, Lord Griffiths of Burry Port for the 58th Boys’ Brigade Beating Retreat at Edinburgh Castle tomorrow evening.

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The event will feature the Massed Pipes & Drums, 1st Tulliallan BB Band, Central Band of The Boys’ Brigade and 3rd Johnstone Brigades Band. All will march from City Chambers to Edinburgh Castle, performing a short routine on the Castle Esplanade.

The event is expected to attract around 500 spectators over the course of the evening, to watch bands from across Scotland perform. BB musicians (bass, woodwind & pipe) from Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Fife, Stirling, Dundee and Edinburgh will all participate.

Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating back to the 16th century when drums were used as signals in the battlefields.

Beating the Retreat was the cue for troops to retreat from battle as light faded.

The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after a bearded dragon was found on a bus in Edinburgh.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted on Thursday around midday when the creature was discovered on a Number 20 Lothian Bus, which runs from the Slateford area of the city to Ratho.

The bearded dragon is now in the care of the charity’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre, where staff have named him Blakey after the character from On the Buses.

Animal Rescue Officer Fiona Thorburn said, “A passenger found Blakey inside a plastic pet carrier within a large carrier bag and alerted the driver.

“At this stage we can’t say for sure whether Blakey has been abandoned. Someone could have been transporting him and forgotten him but this seems unlikely and as far as we are aware no-one has been in touch with Lothian Buses looking for him.

“We understand Lothian Buses will be reviewing CCTV footage. In the meantime we would ask anyone who recognises Blakey and knows who might have owned him to contact us.

“This isn’t the first animal we have rescued having been left on a Lothian Bus. Last year we took in a kitten who we named Ticket and in 2013 a guinea pig was left behind.

“Blakey is in good condition and is now receiving the care he needs with us. If he has been abandoned we will soon be looking to find him a loving new home.”

Photo by Scottish SPCA

Operation Avocation is a long-standing initiative that aims to prevent contraband from entering HMP Edinburgh where Police Scotland work closely with the Scottish Prison Service to deter and disrupt the activities of criminals, including from serious and organised crime groups, associated with inmates.

Following intelligence indicating that individuals attending HMP Edinburgh were arriving in vehicles used for criminal activity, or which were unfit for road use, approximately 85 vehicles heading for the prison were subject to road checks on Friday 24^th April and Friday 1^st May 2015.

This led to a 27-year-old man being arrested and charged for driving while disqualified, and a 47-year-old man arrested and charged for intent to supply controlled substances. Two men and a women aged 31, 36 and 44 were also arrested on outstanding warrants.

Six people were searched under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971), and three men aged 19, 22 and 48 were reported to the procurator fiscal for possession of Class A and B drugs.

Four people were reported to the procurator fiscal for driving while using a mobile phone; two people were reported for driving without insurance; one person was reported for driving on a provisional license; and one person was reported for overloading a vehicle. Two vehicles were impounded; 2 people were issued with warnings for not wearing seatbelts; and one person was issued with a prohibition notice.

Inspector Bob Innes said: “This latest phase of Operation Avocation is focused on preventing contraband from entering the prison and ensuring the safety of road users in Edinburgh by detecting and intercepting those involved in criminality which are intending to enter the prison grounds.

“As a result of intelligence gathered, ourselves and partners from HMP Edinburgh conducted road checks which led to five people being arrested and 11 people reported to the procurator fiscal for drug charges and driving offences, which put other road users and members of the public at risk.”

Annette Dryburgh, Head of Operations at HMP Edinburgh, said:  “HMP Edinburgh are committed and proud of our collaboration with Police Scotland in preventing and detecting crime.   We recognise that this partnership working is vital to ensure the safety of those within our establishment and the wider community.”

The Lord Provost Donald Wilson will visit residents of the Erskine Edinburgh care home later today to join celebrations marking 70 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe.

Arranged by staff at the home, a replica 1945 tea party complete with cocktails, bunting, war time artefacts and dancing will take place with live music from the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s.

The Lord Provost plans to bring a ‘memory box’ of WW2 artefacts gathered from the Council’s People’s Story Museum to help residents reflect on their memories of 8 May 1945. They will then take part in the national two minute silence at 3pm.

Erskine has been caring for Scotland’s ex-Service men and women for almost 100 years. The Erskine Edinburgh Home, situated in Gilmerton, opened in November 2001. The purpose-built care home provides nursing and dementia care, both long term and respite, for 76 residents.

Erskine Edinburgh Home Manager Alison Payne said: “We always commemorate and celebrate significant anniversaries in our home and we are delighted that the Lord Provost could join us to celebrate VE Day 70 years on. Our residents thoroughly enjoy mixing together live music, having a cuppa and food so having a tea party is a perfect way for them to reminisce and remember VE Day and what it meant to them.”

Commenting ahead of the event, the Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “I am really looking forward to hearing stories from Edinburgh’s ex-service men and women about that joyful day in 1945. It turned the direction of history and changed these residents’ lives so much. Victory in Europe Day was celebrated all over the country and in Edinburgh there were scenes of street parties in Stockbridge and throngs of people along Princes Street. I hope the artefacts from the Council’s People’s Story Museum stir up some fond memories for the residents. They very much deserve this 1940s feast from the fantastic staff at Erskine.”

The War Time Edinburgh memory box includes a scrapbook tracing the Blitz to VE Day, propaganda posters, ration books and National Identity cards. These items and other objects from the People’s Story Museum and the Museum of Childhood are available for free to loan from the City Art Centre and are popular with those who have elderly neighbours and family members who struggle to visit museums.

Photo courtesy of Capital Collections shows VE Day Street party at the Stockbridge Colonies, Kemp Place and Bell Place in 1945. Photographer unkown.