Days Out

Glasgow grins and bares it

29 Nov 2007

Celebrate your cellulite this Christmas! Professional ego-booster Gok Wan is in town for the live How To Look Good Naked roadshow. Two audience members will get the full-on nudie glow, and a host of hairstylists and make-up artists will be doling out…

Big Tent Festival 2008

17 Jul 2008

While the pretend hippies drive their SUVs to Glastonbury and this year’s T in the Park fades into lager-sodden memory, all yer actual planet-savers are off to Falkland Palace. The Big Tent Festival, which grew out of a response to the 2005 G8 summit…

Behind the scenes at Scottish Ballet

6 Sep 2007

As Scottish Ballet gears up for a move to its new permanent home in Tramway, the company is throwing open the doors and inviting the public in to see exactly what they do when not putting on performances. As well as demonstrating how they intend to…

Around town - List picks

17 Jul 2008

Afr-I-Can Workshops , talks and concerts led by artists of African origin. See picture caption, page 28. Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow, Sat 19 & Wed 23 Jul. Rat Race Crazed athletic lycra-clad urban adventure happening all across Edinburgh. See…

Scotland: A Changing Nation

3 Jul 2008

‘I don’t want to blow our own trumpet, or anything,’ says Maureen Barrie, standing with her arms spread in front of a blank wall that will shortly be emblazoned with a giant replica of a Tunnock’s Teacake, ‘but we’re a hell of a nation if you think…

Up river city

17 Jul 2008

Ahead of the fifth annual Glasgow River Festival, Eve Barlow discovers why the nautical look is big this year.

GoMA Family Festival 2008

3 Jul 2008

FUN DAY Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Sat 5 Jul Messing around with paint, glue and glitter is fun at any age, so why should kids have all the fun? Although aimed primarily at 3–12-year-olds, the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Family Festival…

Retrofest 2008 lineup announced

17 Apr 2008

The bill for Retrofest, Scotland's annual festival of pop nostalgia, has been announced. The event, which moves to a new home at Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell from its old location at Culzean Castle, Ayrshire, is expected to attract 15,000 fans…

Kids - List picks

17 Jul 2008

Museum of Flight Airshow takes to the skies again, with thrilling flight displays from the Blades, fairground rides, kids activities and lots of vintage aircraft to climb inside and explore. National Museum of Flight, East Lothian, Sat 26 Jul. Fun in…

All Star Wrestling Tour

19 Jun 2008

Once upon a time, before the well-oiled ogres of WWE ruled the world in day-glo spandex, The Wrestling was a national institution. Every Saturday afternoon in the 1970s and 1980s, everything stopped at 4pm, to watch end-of-the-pier Greek tragedies…

Scottish Surfing

10 Apr 2008

Even when the surf’s up in Scotland, chances are the temperatures won’t be. But with advancements in wetsuits over the past few years, it’s now possible to surf the Scottish coastline year-round. Fuelled I suspect by seeing one too many photos of…

Afr-I-Can

17 Jul 2008

Running between June and September, Afr-I-can is a loose series of events, talks, workshops and concerts led by artists of African origin and celebrating African achievement. Although the events are mainly aimed at families of African and Caribbean…

Here comes the fun

17 Jul 2008

As the school holidays stretch out before us, Kelly Apter finds there’s no shortage of ways to get your hands dirty and learn something new this summer

Sound offering - sound 2008 Festival

17 Jul 2008

It might be all quiet in the Central Belt, but the cultural flurry up North continues this fortnight with the launch of sound 2008, which sets its musical stall in Aberdeen this October. Now in its fourth year, the multi-genre festival will feature two…

Koala Alert!

3 Jul 2008

Oh look at this lickle guy! Look at his face! Now feel guilty and concerned, please, because there are less than 100,000 of these eucalyptus-munchin’, fuzzy-faced wee fellas left in the wild. The CEO of the Australian Koala Foundation has flown all the…

The Hard Rain Picture Show

31 Jan 2008

Presentation and lecture by Mark Edwards, one of the most widely-published environmental photographers in the world. Neither a travelogue, nor another exercise in handwringing, The Hard Rain Picture Show takes audiences on a journey through rainforests…

Spinal Chord

2 Jul 2007

Through the side door and up the stairs of a church hall on Great Western Road, there’s a room where people fly and mermaids hang off bars. A trapeze hangs from the rafters by the big stained glass window, stopping about six feet above the floor. On the…

Good Vibrations

3 Jul 2008

One of the Capital’s most exciting visitor attractions, Our Dynamic Earth, has teamed up with Edinburgh International Science Festival to bring you Good Vibrations. Join Maestro and Bella as they embark on a journey of discovery to find out how noise is…

Big in Falkirk - Ajay Chhabra and Mike Roberts

24 Apr 2008

Anyone staging outdoor theatre in Scotland crosses their fingers – and toes and eyes – that the weather will behave itself at showtime. But for Ajay Chhabra, co-artistic director of nutkhut, who is bringing the dance and pyrotechnic spectacle Bollywood…

Mark Wallinger

28 Feb 2008

A talk by 2007 Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger (pictured. No, really, that’s him! In the bear suit! Artists, eh?), as he takes up the position of Artist in Residence at Edinburgh College of Art. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, Mon 3 Mar

Valentine's Day tango classes

31 Jan 2008

It’s bucketing down on Buchanan Street with all the maudlin misery of your traditional Glasgow winter. However, if you divert up a side alley, local dancers are generating the sort of heat and wild, sensual rhythm better suited to the backroom of an…

Why Scotland's writers are talking about Glasgow's sidestreets

4 Oct 2007

Think about the route you take to work every day. Between worrying about the day ahead, checking for your train pass, sorting your hair and laughing at last night’s jokes, how aware are you, actually, of your surroundings? There are spaces like this in…

Wet Sounds

3 Jul 2008

Underwater, you hear things differently. This is part of the thinking behind Wet Sounds, a knowingly named tour of sound art which takes place not in uptight white space galleries, but in ten public swimming pools between London and Nairn. With the…

Circus Summer School

3 Jul 2008

The Arches’ long-running circus school rolls around again, headed up by the ever-excellent performer, artist and professional buffoon Al Seed (pictured). It’s a week-long intensive course open to anyone between 15 and 25, during which time you’ll train…

Crime Scene: Edinburgh - the Ian Rankin exhibition

1 Nov 2007

There’s a pleasing circularity to this exhibition at the National Library. Ian Rankin wrote much of Knots and Crosses, the first Rebus book, in the reading room here, thanks to a PhD thesis on Muriel Spark that fell by the wayside. With Rankin’s famed…

Free stuff

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

19 Jul 2007

This year’s Fringe programme includes a record 304 free shows. Kirstin Innes looks at why a lack of funds needn’t hinder your Festival experience

Three to try: adventure sports

17 Jul 2008

Transgression Park Head to the top of Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal for a spin on your BMX, skateboard or inline skates. Not yet a consummate professional? Lessons and equipment hire are available for all three ‘freesports’. There is also a designated…

Festivals

5 Jun 2008

Until 8 June Leith Festival Various venues, Leith, Edinburgh, prices vary www.leithfestival.com Leith Festival showcases its trademark brew of home-grown talent and big name headliners with over 100 musical acts, 50 comedians and a dozen visual…

Boys-only cocktail classes

27 Mar 2008

‘If you want an interesting party sometime,’ the American novelist Robert Fulghum quipped, ‘combine cocktails and a fresh box of crayons for everyone.’ Today I’m doing the next best thing: I’m joining a cocktail class aimed at getting men back into the…

Dance Base & Dance House

4 Jan 2008

DANCE CLASSES There was a time when dance classes meant scraped back buns, stern ballet teachers and splinters from the church hall floor. Not anymore. At the sleek studios of Edinburgh’s Dance Base, there’s not a loose plank in sight, and enjoyment…

Festivals - Strange Days Indeed

5 Jun 2008

An integral part of the cultural calendar, festivals are fast becoming a vibrant part of the tourism industry – both at home and abroad – and organisers are undoubtedly raising the bar to keep up with demand, pushing the boundaries to give the audience…

Refugee Week

5 Jun 2008

This year, Refugee Week has built a programme loosely themed around the idea of ‘Different Pasts, Shared Futures’, with exhibitions looking at the different ways individuals interpret the cities around them, plays, talks, fairs and film festivals…

Three Harbours Arts Festival

22 May 2008

We’re all about the community arts festivals this week, it seems. Summer is finally coming, and we can’t think of a nicer way to spend a sunny weekend than tracking down art in unusual places. So, in East Lothian, the main premise behind the Three…

Glasgow International Art Festival

10 Apr 2008

‘What we’ve tried to do this year is suggest a loose theme of ‘public and private’, which runs through many of the curated shows,’ says Francis McKee, director of the biannual Glasgow International, talking me through the 70 plus exhibitions, public…

Queer Mutiny

17 Jan 2008

ALTERNATIVE GAY NIGHT Forest Café, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Jan The dark nooks and free’n’easy hedonism of gay venues such as the Polo Lounge and CC Blooms aren’t for everyone. Queer Mutiny and Queeruption groups are springing up across the world. Their…

Six Cities Design Festival

8 May 2007

We don’t often stop to consider the impact design has on every aspect of our lives. This month, a Scotland-wide festival aims to encourage us to do just that. The Six Cities Design Festival, www.six-cities.com, features established and up-and-coming…

Glasgow Mela

19 Jun 2008

Huge outdoor festival based on the traditions of the south-east Asian sub-continent. The Mela showcases a mix of international musical cultures — everything from Bhangra to Russian folk, with a cheeky wee stop off in reggae; acts include Sukshinder…

Festivals - Capital Gains

5 Jun 2008

Kicking off the capital’s world famous summer festivals in late July, it’s the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (25 Jul–3 Aug) which is the longest running jazz festival in the UK. Following hot on its heels is relative newbie to Edinburgh’s festival…

Leith Festival

22 May 2008

To commemorate the annual clamjamfry of community celebration way down dockward, we thought we’d treat you to a picture of everyone’s favourite Leither. Okay, everyone’s favourite fictional Leither. We’re not just gratuitously posting pictures of…

Puppet Animation Festival

27 Mar 2008

PUPPETRY Various venues across Scotland, until Sat 26 Apr Puppetry has come a long way since the days of Punch & Judy on the beach. And puppetry in Scotland has made some leaps of its own. Back in 1984, when the Puppet Animation Festival first came…

Trampolining

27 Mar 2008

My training for this Olympic sport began at a tender age. I was three years old, and a friend had hired a bouncy castle for her birthday party. Back then I wasn’t really thinking about the cardiovascular favours I was doing my body, or the muscular…

Cat and No Mouse

16 Aug 2007

Dressed in bow ties and tails, a bossy cat and gullible mouse attempt to put on a show. Only trouble is, Cat is convinced she can go it alone as the star of the show – hence the title. Setting her ego aside for one minute, Cat agrees to perform the…

Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert

Edinburgh International Festival

19 Jul 2007

Edinburgh International Festival Blazing squad A pair of unassuming middle-aged men are behind the explosive spectacle of the annual fireworks concert. Karin Goodwin meets the acceptable face of pyromania

Festivals

5 Jun 2007

At last, summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the streets. Not to mention fields, parks, islands, pubs, clubs and village halls. As the festivals season gets underway across the globe, Brendan Perring and Cate Simpson present a…

Ceilidh Culture

Various venues, Edinburgh, Sat 24 Mar-Sun 15 Apr

13 Mar 2007

ROOTS FESTIVAL Edinburgh’s Ceilidh Culture, the council-led celebration that runs for three weeks around Easter, brings together the city’s traditional arts under one umbrella. Eclectic sounds range from the percussion-driven dance grooves of the…

Pixar

MOVING PICTURES

27 Feb 2007

In Toy Story, which reached our screens an astonishing 12 years ago, the only things on the screen which look animated are the humans. Woody the toy cowboy, despite his name, is human, endearing, attractive. Buzz has the chin and charm of a Hollywood…

Antiques Roadshow

18 Sep 2006

Raid the attic and dust off your priceless heirlooms, the BBC’s antique experts are in town! You won’t be allowed in unless you have something to be valued. And no, taking your granny along just because she fancies Michael Aspel, doesn’t count.

Edinburgh World Justice Festival

19 Jun 2008

An excellent programme of events about global justice this year, with a firm focus on how the ‘ordinary’ Scottish resident can do their bit to help create a fairer world. Highlights include an Alternative Olympics, part family sports day, part…

Festivals - Something For Nothing

5 Jun 2008

If you’re looking to wet a whistle, then look no further than the Orkney Beer Festival (22–24 August, www.visitorkney.com ), held at the Stromness Hotel. A now annual wing-ding, guests are invited to join fellow tipplers for a taste of the local Orkney…

Festivals - Hire Learning

5 Jun 2008

From bar worker and front of house to book seller and litter picker, the festival world needs literally thousands of paid and unpaid staff to help make their events a success. DC Site Services help run many of the major festivals, so keep a close eye on…

Edinburgh Treefest

5 Jun 2008

We are aware that there are other festivals covered in this particular issue, and that many of them are trying to be carbon neutral or similarly ecologically friendly. But none of them are actually about trees. A celebration of all things wooden, leafy…

Horrid Henry Day

27 Mar 2008

The naughtiest boy in children’s fiction has his very own day – 1 April, but Borders is getting in early to capture the weekend crowd. Help celebrate the tomfoolery of Francesca Simon’s most famous character at this fun session of Horrid Henry stories…

Tigerstyle DJs

27 Mar 2008

Local Bhangra-bhoys the Tigerstyle DJs (that’s them, pictured, up there) will be opening their hearts and the doors of the Arches to a whole new generation of musicians as of Tuesday 1 April. Brothers Raj & Pops are well known around Glasgow for their…

Leonard Cohen

28 Feb 2008

There’s no particular reason why Glasgow poetry promoters Vital Synz are holding a Leonard Cohen Supper this fortnight. It’s not the great songwriter’s birthday, and he’s still, as far as we know, in rude health. He is being inducted into the Rock…

Celtic Connections

17 Jan 2008

KIDS’ WORKSHOPS Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Sat 19 Jan (percussion) & Sat 26 Jan (singing) Given that most children derive pleasure from a) making lots of noise and b) hitting things, a drumming workshop for kids seems like a match made in…

Holocaust Memorial Day

17 Jan 2008

For most of Scotland, the end of January means Burns Night. Whisky, tradition and rousing renditions of ‘A Man’s A Man For A’ That’; a time for national nostalgia and a noisy assertion, however fleeting, of equality. Perhaps it’s fitting then that a…

Neue Liebe

17 Jan 2008

Pulling together a host of well-meaning, spiffily-clad and shamelessly talented Edinburgh bohemian types in the brand new surroundings of the Voodoo Rooms, Neue Liebe, performance-poetess-about-town JL Williams’ (pictured, right) cabaret evening, is…

LGBT-Friendly Sports Clubs

4 Jan 2008

ACTIVITIES ROUND-UP Bloated from the Christmas blow-out? Struggling to downsize following excessive festive feasting? Instead of adding your name to the waiting list for an emergency tummy tuck why not fight the flab and extend your social network by…

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

15 Nov 2007

AERIAL SHOW Opposite Ocean Terminal, Leith, Sat 24 Nov, 5pm The words ‘Christmas’ and ‘free’ rarely go hand in hand these days, but a one-off event in Leith is bucking the trend. ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas is a free outdoor family event…

Scottish Opera Unwrapped

15 Nov 2007

Go behind the scenes of Scottish Opera’s latest productions, The Barber of Seville and Seraglio, with all-new evening sessions designed to ease even the staunchest aria-phobe into an appreciation of all things operatic. Talk to the performers, meet the…

Merchant City Festival

20 Sep 2007

We’re not short of festivals in Scotland. The months between April and November have begun to feel like one of those Strip the Willows that happen at particularly drunken céilidhs, where you’re buffeted relentlessly between cultural events and…

Hitlist - The best events, talks and sport

16 Jul 2007

• Cut the Carbon rally Soweto Kinch, local hobbit Billy Boyd, Harry Potter snogger Katie Leung (pictured) and musician Amy MacDonald are part of a star-studded line-up at the Edinburgh leg of this Christian Aid-run rally to raise awareness of…

Mission in Action Fashion Fundraiser

Mission In Action Fashion Show

9 Apr 2007

Fashion Fundraiser ‘Living in this country, we’ve just got no concept of how hard it is for people out there,’ says Annalese McDermott, director of Edinburgh modelling agency Stolen, and co-founder of the UK branch of Mission in Action. Mission in…

Activity Sports - Falconry

Taking Flight

27 Mar 2007

The very word falconry conjures up images of a more ancient time. Archaeologists have found evidence that it dates back to first century BC; the pastime has strong roots in the Middle East and feudal Japan, and was practiced by the noblemen and women of…

Activity Sports - Shooting

Feat of Clay

27 Mar 2007

Mark Robertson is pleasantly surprised by the transcendental experience of clay shooting

Miso Funky Market

Sun 18 Mar, Oran Mor, Glasgow; Sat 24 Mar, The Cav

12 Mar 2007

FAIRS 'We just got fed up with craft fairs where all they sold was knitted egg cosies,’ says Claire Brown, co-founder of the Miso Funky Market, the Shangri-La of Glasgow’s growing hipster craft community, which branches out into Edinburgh this month.

Life drawing meets burlesque erotica

Gothic horror picture show

12 Feb 2007

It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m loitering outside the entrance to Edinburgh’s newest art class trying not to look too much like a pervert. Some passing tourists catch sight of the Dr Sketchy’s poster advertising ‘Drawing & Drinks & Dames & Dudes’ and I…

Loch Fyne

Love in a cold climate

31 Jan 2007

It’s not always easy doing nothing, but that’s what we’re here to do. Stop, relax, get away. And Loch Fyne, a blue grey landscape cut in two by an opaque, metallic body of water, gives the impression we’re hundreds of miles away from home and not just…

Make Your Own Kind of Music

29 Jan 2007

Last year, the Your Sound networking event (aimed at local unsigned bands who want to get in touch with the media and music industry) produced we are the PHYSICS (pictured) and The Dykeenies. It’s quickly become an essential date in the industry…

Really Wild Show, The

The Really Wild Show

19 Dec 2006

A last chance to see the work of one of the world’s leading conservation photographers. Scottish-born Colin Prior has travelled from the parched Atacama Desert to the icy spires of Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountains, creating a record of the last remaining…

Glasgow School of Art Postgrad Fashion Masters

Glasgow styles better

11 Dec 2006

Eley Kishimoto, Julien Macdonald and Matthew Williamson all trained in textile design before they began putting together fashion collections. GSA’s postgraduate fashion Masters is one of the only textile-based fashion design courses in the country, and…

Wrestling

Grappletastic

26 Oct 2006

Wrasslin’ madness abounds, as World Wrestling Entertainment’s Smackdown and RAW events hit Glasgow. They’re sold out already, but the Pavilion Theatre is tagging itself into the ring with a night of American Wrestling in between. Gone are the days of…

Peace chain around Faslane

5 Jun 2008

The Scottish CND are organising a chain of people and banners along the fence at Faslane submarine base in peaceful protest against the UK Government’s plan to build a new nuclear weapon system, which is opposed by the Scottish Parliament. Faslane…

West End Festival

5 Jun 2008

Best for al fresco frolicking There is of course more to the West End Festival than Scotland’s Mardi Gras (pictured), but the impact of 500+ musicians and costumed revellers stopping traffic on Byres Road (Sun 15 Jun) is not to be sniffed at. Propping…

O2 Undiscovered

8 May 2008

Tell ya, kid. These days, everybody wants to get into showbiz. O2 Undiscovered, which lands in Glasgow this fortnight, is the latest in a fast-growing succession of hands-on networking events offering the public a chance to meet and get advice from…

Ladyfest

24 Apr 2008

ARTS FESTIVAL Various venues, Edinburgh, Sun 4 May–Sun 1 Jun Ruby-red lips, set perms and Avon panstick. Not the traditional image of a feminist – certainly not the popular, laddish stereotype of a feminist. However, Ladyfest, Edinburgh’s first…

Soma Skool

24 Apr 2008

Join the queue, kid. Or alternatively, get some hands on experience from the best in the business, as Soma Records’ annual Soma Skool, a day of workshops, demos and talks, all centering on the dance music industry, frugs its way over to your corner of…

Edinburgh College of Art Fashion Show 2008 announced

10 Apr 2008

May event on sale now Tickets are now on sale for The Morton Fraser Edinburgh College of Art Fashion Show 2008, which takes place at the Edinburgh College of Art in May. Tickets, priced £15, are on sale at www.tickets-scotland.com . See…

Speed climbing!

14 Feb 2008

Ever fancied finding love at 100ft? Boldly going where almost certainly no one else has gone before and combining popular 00s social activities speed dating and rock climbing, this post-Valentine’s Day event for lovelorn cliff face enthusiasts begins…

Ever So Sweet launch party

17 Jan 2008

Now that we’ve got your attention, how exactly to describe this event? There are cakes, there are bands, there’s an auction. The cakes are very, very, very good, one of the bands is called Dick Dangerous & the Love Bastards (we’re, like, so there), and…

Dine Around Edinburgh

4 Jan 2008

January and February are slow months for everyone, but particularly difficult for our poor friends in the restaurant trade. A broke, broken, bloated city does not make for great clientele, so in order to lure you back, some of Edinburgh’s fanciest…

Burke and Hare-themed events

4 Jan 2008

‘Up the close and down the stair/But and ben wi’ Burke and Hare/Burke’s the butcher, Hare’s the thief/Knox the boy who buys the beef . . .’ Everyone gets a bit rueful round about this time of year, don’t they? A lot of poring over old mistakes, a…

Riverside development gets underway in Glasgow

13 Dec 2007

The first blocks will be put in place for Glasgow’s much anticipated Riverside Museum this month. The new £74m Museum of Transport on the Clyde will be designed by internationally-renowned architect Zaha Hadid to house the city’s transport and…

Ice-skating at Ikea

13 Dec 2007

It’s not just city centres that get a little bit New York City at Christmas time: Swedish storage specialists are getting in on the outdoor ice rink action too. IKEA has turned half of its car park into a wintry wonderland, complete with ice rink…

St Andrew’s Day

29 Nov 2007

Around this time of year, a flurry of twee tartan tat begins to take over our streets and schools. Gym halls fill up with tinny, taped ceilidh tunes, canteens are plagued with watery tatties and sloppy neeps, and supermarkets surrender to dusty displays…

On the Buses

29 Nov 2007

In the run up to International Human Rights Day on Monday 10 December, Edinburgh and Glasgow bus passengers just need to look up to do their bit. After a series of workshops run by Oxfam Scotland and the Scottish Poetry Library, five poems written by…

Hitlist - the best events, talks and sport

1 Nov 2007

Bonfire Night Fireworks Displays Come on, who doesn’t love the cheap thrill of banging sparkly things? Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh. Glasgow Green, Glasgow, both Mon 5 Nov from 6.30pm. Glasgow Craft Mafia Massed gathering of emergent Scottish…

Hitist - the best events, talks and sport

4 Oct 2007

Illuminating Links A day of community activity commemorating the rebirth of Glasgow’s historic canal quarter. As well as kayaking, local bands and boat rides, the day culminates in a parade of spectacular floating lanterns by Scottish artist Graeme…

Mental Health Arts and Film Festival

20 Sep 2007

Ahead of Scotland’s first Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, Kirstin Innes spoke to organiser Lee Knifton about dialogues, drama and positive mental action

An Audience With . . .Nick Nairn

6 Sep 2007

Up until now, the most terrifying moment in Nick Nairn’s career was during the height of the recent foot and mouth crisis, when he interviewed the First Minister live on the BBC programme Landward. However, Nairn likes to push himself, and so to kick…

Kapow!

1 Aug 2007

Henry Northmore talks to project curator Mel Brimfield about the cross-genre, multi-platform Comic Book Project

Big in Falkirk

Callendar Park, Falkirk, Sat 5-Sun 6 May. Free.

23 Apr 2007

‘Nine or ten years ago, if I’d said to you “come and see a show in Falkirk” you’d have laughed at me.’ Neil Butler, Artistic Director of the Big in Falkirk festival, which has been running in Callander Park since 2001, is quite used to this particular…

Murmur

Right hear, right now

26 Mar 2007

Right here, at the foot of the Walk, is as far down as I’ve ever got into Leith - Saturday morning trips to the newly-opened Waterworld with a childminder, scoffing at my little brother’s friends taking on the wave machine. I left Edinburgh at 18…

Coco’s Chocolate School

School of choc

26 Feb 2007

Members of the public aren’t usually allowed inside Rebecca Knights-Kerswell’s chocolate kitchen, although they occasionally press their noses up against the windows to watch her at work. Everyone is interested in the process of making chocolate, which…

Pirates!

Arrr, Jim Lad!

12 Feb 2007

Filthy, rum-soaked blaggards prone to shaving people’s chests with rusty razors they might be, but there’s something romantic about pirates, salt air and the lure of the high seas that keeps us Hooked. Robert Louis Stevenson created the granddaddy of…

Fawlty Towers Experience

The hotel inspectors

31 Jan 2007

A swarthy waiter pursues a hamster beneath a table of dinner guests, chased by a tall, quiveringly angry man with a moustache. The diners erupt with laughter as the waiter re-emerges, accidentally displacing the wig on a female guest’s head. The furious…

Gaelic arts

Slainte mhath (good health)

4 Jan 2007

GAELIC ARTS Does Scotland still have a cohesive national identity? In the late 1980s, when Runrig’s Gaelic drumbeat pulsed through the charts, Wildcat staged ambitious promenade pieces and we all hated Thatcher, ‘Scottishness’ felt tangible. These…

Ad Lib Restaurant & Bar

Early doors

3 Jan 2007

The best time to review a budding restaurant is probably not in the first week of its operation. Nine times out of ten, the initial fortnight can be bedevilled by a variety of hiccups from staff training lessons still to sink in, to noisy butt-cheek…

Tinderbox's new branch

Tinderbox tripping

3 Jan 2007

My notes read ‘eye popping mental gymnastics.’ What this really means is a borderline hallucinogenic experience. A legal one, I hasten to add, courtesy of the new Tinderbox at Ingram and Montrose streets in Glasgow’s Merchant City.

St Andrew's Day

Various events, Glasgow & Edinburgh

11 Nov 2006

PATRON SAINT CELEBRATION Andrew was not Scottish, and what we know of his life comes from religious texts. Born a Jew in Bethsaida, Galilee, he and his brother Simon Peter were fishermen, and when Jesus came calling, he became one of his first (and…