Edinburgh - a view of two cities

After a dark and snowy time over the last few week the weather is finally lifting in Edinburgh.  It's still a little cold but the days are getting longer so time for some retail therapy.
One of the best views in New Town has to be from the cafe at the top of John Lewis department store and it only cost the price of a cup of coffee.
Now that the snow has lifted you can see all the way north to the Firth of Forth and Fife.
Other great views for free

• the Esplanade at Edinburgh Castle (Old Town and New Town)
• Ramsay Lane at the top of the Mound (fab view of Princes Street)
• Regent Road overlooking the Old Carlton Burial Ground toward the Old Town (you might recognise this from the BBC drama North and South with Richard Armitage).

So you want to go to Uni

The UCAS deadline has been and gone - if the application isn't in now, well it's probably too late.  So here are some handy tips for January 2012.

Hobbies – How you spend your time.  Unfortunately in this case Xbox and X Factor don’t count.  Never fear you have a few months to take up something impressive.

How about Falconry to demonstrate dedication and empathy?  You could try Morris Dancing – you won’t be the coolest applicant but it does show team spirit and no fear of mockery.

Achievements – Come on, anything?  What have you been doing with your time, apart from exams, assessments, coursework and endless paperwork?

Well, dredge through your past there must be something.  100 metres swimming?  Well done, that’s an achievement.  Scout Badge for Whittling a Woggle from Wood?  That will do
.
Of course something more substantial would be better, so if you’ve been digging wells, teaching English or climbing Kilimanjaro then all the better. 

By the way being potty trained before you went to High School is not an achievement you should boast about – no matter what your mother says.

Skills – Driving, diving and data-crunching are good.

Learning to work the washing machine is bad.  I am very pleased that you have mastered this tricky piece of technology and your undergarments are no longer varying shades of pink but this is not suitable for your application.

Always remember your reader.  An admissions tutor with a working partner, three teenagers and an incontinent Labrador at home will expect more to be impressed.

Ambitions – To have an aim in life shows that you have put a bit of thought into the process.  However, this is not the time to be honest.

• What you should say is –“I want to be a useful, caring and constructive member of society who will benefit greatly from everything that your esteemed institution can offer me.”
• What you want to say is – “I want money, fame and more sex than you can shake a stick at.  How can I slide through your classes without too much work?”

By the Way - If you need assistance filling in your name, address and telephone number then I suggest you seriously reconsider whether Uni is for you.

Finally should you follow this advice and not get the place you want I will leave you with the following observations.

• What do I know – I’m in the same boat as you and anyway all I want from life is money, fame and more sex than I can shake a stick at.
• Uni is about independent thinking as well as learning.  Fill in the damn forms yourself.

McDonalds and Tesco are hiring so, cut out the middleman, avoid the student debt and go straight to your future employer.

Good Luck!

The Klutz Gene - in which I fall over a kerb

Some people have dramatic accidents.   They fall down a flight of stairs, crash a car or risk death skydiving.

Not me I am as safe as they come, except that I am a klutz.  Not a good Edinburgh word exactly but entirely appropriate for the circumstances. 

Over the years I have -1) fallen over opening a door, stone cold sober and in the middle of the day  2) fallen up my front door step, having missed my footing and 3) fallen over an open desk drawer, I got up and forgot it was there.

Now I add to my list by falling down a kerb and twisting my ankle.

I could say that the roads and pavements are uneven.  I could say that is was dark.  I could say that my mind was on more important things. 

To quote the US Declaration of Independence - "We hold these truths to be self evident".
But really, crashing to the ground in a heap over a few inches of kerb, not my finest hour.

After picking myself up and hoping no one noticed I hobbled home and chalked it up to the Klutz Gene.  However my past injuries have caught up with me and my mobility is limited.

I'M GOING STIR CRAZY.   I HAVE THINGS I NEED  TO DO.  I FEEL LIKE PAPILLON. 

So Happy NewYear and my resolution is - look where you're going, bandage up that ankle and beware the Klutz Gene.

Robert Burns up the Town

Fame and glory in the arts has always brought the reward of parties and pretty girls even back in 18th C Edinburgh.

"Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;

Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!"

The poem Ae Fond Kiss  was written by Robert Burns, Scotland's national bard, to love Nancy as she set sail for Jamaica to join her husband and repair her marriage.
That he should be known for his love poems is testament to his love of women and the raucous life he had.

On 25th January every year the Scottish diaspora celebrates his birthday with food, drink and exuberant performances of his work.

If you are in Edinburgh this month the Scottish Storytelling Centre are hosting a series of events to celebrate the life of the bard.

http://www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk/events/main_event_display.asp?id=187

BTW - I like to remind visitors that out we look after our Haggi carefully and after a full and happy life we turn them into an organic treat which we eat at Burns Suppers.

If you are ever up in Perthshire or Inverness, just as the sun is setting you may see one running through the heather on the hill, but be very quiet as they are shy.

For the very brave you can search the internet for a recepe and find out how a haggis is really made - if you dare!

I'm Gleeful as Mr Shue strips off!

It's been a musical kind of Christmas with Hairspray at the Edinburgh Playhouse with Michael Ball as Edna.  What a show and the audiences are buzzing when they dance out the theatre!

With the daily Glee repeats on TV and Season 2 starting next week I was all in the mood for some Broadway type, top drawer, musical theatre entertainment so I hustled over to YouTube.

There was Michael Ball singing his heart out and Douglas Hodge going his "I am what I am" from La Cage at the Tony's and then guess what I found - Hairspray Original Broadway Cast giving it  their all.

"Can't stop the beat" has to be the catchiest finale in show biz and - do my eyes deceive me - there is Mr Shue from Glee dancing and singing for all he is worth.

If you want to see Matthew Morrison bhwf (before he was famous) see his Link Larkin - you will not be disappointed.

If you can't get enough of Matt search for "Broadway Bares" and "Humpty Dumpty".  It is an annual fundraiser for a very good cause.

All I will say is the boy can move and I will never look at a baby chick in quite the same way again!

Love and Peace.

Gin!

Islay Gin - the water of life

At last for those of us with Hebredian roots and a passion for all things Islay a new alternative to the smokey seductive Islay Malts.

Bruichladdich Distillery situated overlooking picturesque Lochindall, has launched a gin flavoured with 31 botanicals, 22 native to the island.

One for the connoisseur it is available from the distillery but I found mine at the Winehouse chain in Edinburgh. 

Fab New Year treat to keep the cold out!
http://www.bruichladdich.com/latestnewsarticles/the_botanist.htm

Hallo from the Windee City!

I am obsessed with the weather.  I will explain - I live in Edinburgh.

I call it the Windee City because the weather is so unpredictable that it's tempting to stay at home and watch the world through your windee (Scots for window).

In fact we get a lovely cool gale force wind directly in from the North Sea, oh, 365 days a year, expect in Leap Years when we get that extra blast of cold on Feb 29th.

Chicago has nothing on us.  You may get your sub-zero, artic winters but we get swirly gusts from every and all directions.  All the time. 

Edinburgh is fab in August.  It's a great place to visit anyway but the Festival (main one, fringe, jazz etc etc) means the whole place goes mad.  But no matter how nice the weather is - we do get sun and it can be in the 70's or even 80's I can guarantee you one thing - wind. 

A breeze here, a breeze there.  They say in Edinburgh "You'll have had your tea" inferring that we are tight with our money.  Well I say "You'll have your coat" because no matter what the weather is like when you get up in the morning you will turn a street corner and get a blast of good old healthy North Sea air.

So, I'm not obsessed I just live in Edinburgh and it's self preservation.

By the way, the snow has melted and I think we have floods on the way!

Why Edinburgh is special

Salt n Sauce -  a traditional condiment used on take-away food from fish and chip shops in Edinburgh.  An acquired taste, it is bitter, saucey and very addictive.