Skip Cottage

The new Clematis montana 'Alba' only went in last year, but it is showing promise already.

There was only the one bloom on this new Rhododendron, planted in 2015, but I think I made a good choice. Hopefully it will grow on well. In general though it wasn't a good year for the rhoddies this year at Skip.

These Himalayan poppies seem to like the conditions!

I left it late in planting up the containers this year, but these two are coming away nicely now.

I've made another attempt at a Dahlia bed this year (in the background of this pic), for colour later in the year. I have all sorts of other things in containers, especially hostas.

I tried to get rid of these poppies early in the year, but, as you can see, I wasn't really successful!

These day lillies were originally grown from seed and do add a splash of colour.

Geranium Johnson's Blue is always reliable.

I encountered Strawflowers for the first time last year in a friend's garden, and was fascinated by them. I failed to get seeds in time, but found a couple of plants when browsing the Rouken Glen garden centre in early June. Xerochrysum bracteatum is native to Australia.

This red squirrel has been a regular, welcome visitor to the garden, first thing of a morning for a nibble at the peanut feeder.

I should probably give him a name! I hope he stays around.

Photos © Skip Cottage

Last weekend saw the staging of the 19th Moffat Classic Car Rally. On the Saturday, some of the cars take part in what is described as a 'scenic fun run', up the A708 to St Mary's Loch then over by Talla to Tweedsmuir and back to Moffat via the Devil's Beef Tub. It's a great test for these classics.

I always try and support the event when I can. So I was at the start on Saturday, to see the participants setting off from Moffat's High Street.

There's a big nostalgia element for me too. I always look out for cars similar to those I've owned in the past. This Sunbeam Talbot Mark 3 was my wheels in my final year as a university undergraduate in 1968-69. Happy memories!

More recently, in the 1990s, I had a Reliant Scimitar for a while. So whenever I see one, memories of my time with that car jump back to mind.

As a student, I worked one summer as a sales representative. The 'firm's car' was this Vauxhall 101 Estate. I did lots of miles in it, and had lots of experiences.

I would have loved to have owned one of these.

Just one of the many photo opportunities last Saturday!

On the Sunday, all the cars assemble at the Moffat Show Ground. With more than 500 cars on display, plus car clubs and trade stands, there's lots to see. On Sunday morning the weather was fine and it was wonderful to see so many enthusiasts with so much passion for their old cars!

Needing wheels in a hurry when I came back from the USA in 1974, I bought a second hand Triumph 1300. It turned out to be something of a dud, and certainly made me very wary of buying used in the years that followed. This one on display last Sunday looked to be in wonderful condition, but the model itself has nothing but painful memories for me!

A colourful lineup of Stags!

I look in vain every year at Moffat for the first 'old banger' I ever owned - a Triumph Mayflower. Fond, fond memories. I expect I'll have to travel to classic car shows further afield to find one. Those remaining are much loved, see here.

Pix © Skip Cottage

Monday saw me on the other side of the country, on the beach near Scoughall, south of North Berwick. A picnic lunch, with this view of the Bass Rock.

Peffer Sands is a beautiful beach, flanked by high dunes.

Amazingly, I had the whole beach to myself!

Perfect!

Where the Peffer Burn reaches the sea.

This is what remains of a WW2 observation post, built of brick and concrete. I'm thinking that at one point it would have been atop the dunes.

It was a perfect place to be, and a lovely day to be here.

These concrete blocks were WW2 anti-tank coastal defences, which were put in place on sandy beaches all along the east coast of the country, with the prospect of a German invasion. The blocks in this photo are no-longer in situ, having been moved and piled up here, near Scoughall Rocks, presumably to be a barrier to the erosion of the small headland behind.

One can see how these were constructed, on examining this one which is lying on its side. On the right is the base which would have been buried in the sand. Above ground the concrete cube measured approx 6 feet on each side. The striations show how the concrete would have been poured in layers. Considering how many of these things were built, it must have been a huge effort.

A little further down the coast, south of the Peffer Burn, these anti-tank blocks are still in place.

I was last here at Scoughall in the early 1960s. I have no photos of that time, only rather vague memories. I do recall campfires on the beach!

In my early teens I attended a Scripture Union camp here at Scoughall. This could have been the very field, which would have had canvas bell tents and marquees. It was a wonderful experience for this city youngster.

The Scripture Union still runs camps on the site, see here. There are more permanent facilities now, so not all need to be under canvas, and there are opportunities for indoor activities should the weather be unpleasant.

I had a pleasant chat with two students who will be working all summer here, and who were getting things ready for the first campers arriving in July.

I hope that campers in 2016 will have a similar enjoyable, challenging and enriching experience as I had as a fourteen year old.

Photos © Skip Cottage

I haven't had a 'steam fix' for a while so that was why I was at Carlisle's Citadel Station yesterday to see LNER A3 Class 4-6-2 no 60103 Flying Scotsman!

The locomotive was hauling the Railway Touring Company's 'The Hadrian' day tour.

The security was in place and cameras were there.

But the fuss was because they were filming for a future episode of the Antiques Roadshow. Presenter Fiona Bruce got to visit the cab! Jealous, me? Never.

I was standing beside Bertie, a six month old Westie - Bichon Frise cross, whose owners had brought him along to experience the famous steam locomotive, when the puppy was noticed by Fiona, and she came over to say hello. Big day for a wee dog!

Expect these framed railway posters to feature on the forthcoming 'Golden Age of Travel' Antiques Roadshow episode.

The locomotive's support coach.

It was a wet, cold day at Carlisle yesterday. Here flying Scotsman sets off to park the carriages in a siding just over from platform 1.

It is an amazing locomotive.

Time to take on water and get pointed the other way by going around the Upperby triangle.

The real enthusiasts were out trackside yesterday to capture the Flying Scotsman tackling Shap, and elsewhere, see, for example, here, here, here and here.

Photos © Skip Cottage

My exploration of the UK's railway network found me on Merseyrail's Northern Line yesterday.

I was headed for the delightfully named Blundellsands and Crosby station.

The beach hereabouts is very nice, but many visitors don't come for the sand.

Nor do they come to see the flora on the dunes, interesting though it may be.

High tide is probably not the best time to visit 'Another Place', Antony Gormley's installation of 100 cast-iron, life-size figures spread out along three kilometres of the foreshore, see here.

But with time to spare one can watch the figures gradually being covered by the incoming tide, and being revealed as the water recedes.

And there is the added attraction of watching the ships arriving and leaving Liverpool docks.

I can vouch for the coffee and friendly welcome in the nearby leisure centre, and after a good exploration of the promenade, I was able to get close to a couple of the figures nearest the shore.

The elements are beginning to take their toll.

Each figure weighs 650 kilos and all were made from casts of the artist's own body. The following is from the original proposal in 1997, here: "The sculptures are made from 17 body-casts taken from my body (protected by a thin layer of wrapping plastic) between the 19th of May and the 10th of July. The sculptures are all standing in a similar way, with the lungs more or less inflated and their postures carrying different degrees of tension or relaxation."

Of course, not everyone is a fan, for all sorts of reasons, see here, especially when it was proposed to site the figures permanently at Crosby, after they had been displayed at beaches at Cuxhaven, Germany, at Stavanger in Norway, and De Panne in Belgium.

But I enjoyed seeing the installation, watching the effect of the tides, and attempting to understand what was in the artist's mind.

And I was pleased to see the RNLI patrolling the beach, or indeed the promenade, as it was high tide.

A great day out!

Photos © Skip Cottage

I was looking forward to a ride on Bolton 66 at Blackpool. The tram dates from 1901, and you can read about it here and here.

Unfortunately, by the time I reached Blackpool, it had developed a fault, and was despatched back to the depot.

However, next heritage tram to arrive was Boat 227, and I enjoyed several trips thereon! Great fun.

I armed myself with this ticket, which cost a tenner. But I was back and forward on a number of trips along the Golden Mile on heritage trams, then along the whole length of the tramway from Starr Gate to Fleetwood Ferry. Good value for the enthusiast! And lots of blue sky to enjoy. Wonderful.

Read all about the Blackpool Tramway here.

Tim, our driver on no 227, checks behind. Those operating the heritage services are volunteers, and Tim, with conductor Bradley on the boat tram, along with the other volunteers I met yesterday, could not have been more friendly and helpful. Full marks to them.

Boat 227 waits at North Pier as one of the new Flexity 2 trams heads past towards Fleetwood. I visited three years ago to check out the new trams, see here, and six years ago I experienced some of the older ones, here.

Many of these now comprise Blackpool's 'Heritage Fleet'. Last year the heritage trams operated on special days. In 2016, as well as the 'enhanced running' weekends with six different trams to ride on, most weekdays see two of the heritage fleet operating. Most trips are between Pleasure Beach and North Pier, with the occasional run further to Cabin.

Our conductor Bradley turning the trolley pole.

Heading off back towards Pleasure Beach.

'Balloon' car No 717 was brought out to replace no 66 yesterday. Here it is beside the Pleasure Beach. It dates from 1934, see here.

On the top deck. The car is in lovely condition.

Always up for a bit of culture, I found myself investigating the strange noises coming from one of the many modern art installations along Blackpool's promenade. This is the High Tide Organ designed by the Liam Curtin and John Gooding. Read about it here.

Photos © Skip Cottage

The final day of my 'rail roving' for this year took me to Manchester, for the opportunity to ride more of the Metrolink light rail.

Manchester Victoria, now with its new roof and seamless interchange with the trams, is so much improved since my last visit.

This unprepossessing building, an old bus and tram garage, was my destination yesterday. It is Manchester's transport museum, see here.

It was well worth the visit. This is the place for a bus enthusiast!

And more! The list of all the vehicles in the collection is here.

If I had to pick just one? It would have to be this single decker, because of the Scottish connection. This Leyland Tiger PS1was built by W Alexander and Sons, and entered service in 1950. It is here in the Manchester museum to represent the thousands of buses and coaches which visited Greater Manchester from other parts of the country on express services and tours. CWG 206 was retired in 1971.

In this old coach body, there was a fascinating video of Manchester's transport during WW2. Sobering to watch.

This chassis reminded me that my father, as an apprentice with Albion Motors, used to drive such in all weathers.

Looks like a bus, but it is in fact a trolleybus, one of two in the collection. It is a Crossley which entered service in 1950 with Ashton Corporation. Withdrawn 1966.

I was privileged to get a preview of the work being done to restore the inside of the other trolleybus in the collection.

This is JVU 755, Manchester Corporation Transport No 1250, a Crossley Dominion trolleybus, from 1951. And George, one of the friendly and helpful volunteers I met yesterday.

No 1250 has a double axle at the rear, presumably because it is so long.

Yet another great day out!

Photos © Skip Cottage

Rosa 'American Pillar' was an addition to the garden a couple of years back, and is rambling away!

If I have a favourite annual, it has to be the snapdragon!

In the twelve years I've been at Skip, the garden has grown somewhat. Some would say that it has become rather 'overgrown'. But that seems to have brought an advantage this year.

This is the first red squirrel I saw in the garden back in May.

The house has become the 'hide' this past couple of months and the new camera given a good workout.

In homage to Beatrix Potter, I had to name it 'Nutkin'.

When I encountered Nutkin outside, he (she?) didn't seem too frightened of me.

Nutkin showing off!

And taking the applause!

It soom became apparent that Nutkin had a friend. I had two red squirrels visiting the garden! Privileged, indeed. You can tell them apart by the colour of their tails.

So this is Twinkleberry admiring the perennials.

I don't have the patience to be a wildlife photographer, but Twinkleberry does like to investigate the peanut feeder, and lets me take photos like this one.

When I first came to Wamphray there were red squirrels in the plantation near the old school, but they haven't been there for a while. I hope that my seeing them in my garden means that they are re-establishing themselves in the area.

Pix © Skip Cottage

I've been to Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum a number of times before. It's a wonderful place if you are at all interested in Britain's industrial heritage.

Last weekend there was something a bit special - a gala featuring four visiting narrow-guage locos in steam, as well as resident Sir Tom. There were two visitors from from Statfold Barn, Diana from the Bala Lake Railway and, above, 'Joffre' class from the Moseley Railway Trust. Built at the Kerr Stuart works, this locomotive served in the trenches in France in WW1, see here.

Alpha is a Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 from 1924, used at Ryam Sugar Mill in India, and just recently restored to working order at Statfold Barn.

Built by Hudswell Clarke in 1930, No 1643 Bronllwyl is an 0-6-0 well tank. Read about it here.

Diana is a recently restored 0-4-0 side tank locomotive built in 1917 by Kerr Stuart for the Kerry Tramway in Wales. It has come to the gala from the Bala Lake railway, see here.

Paired with Sir Tom, Diana heads up the short length of track to the main quarry.

Sir Tom is Threlkeld's resident locomotive. The loco was made by Bagnall of Stafford in 1926 and named after Sir Tom Callender of British Insulated Callender Cables. The 0-4-0 saddle tank worked at BICC in Kent until 1968. After lying idle for thirty three years, it arrived at Threlkeld in 2001, and has been fully restored since.

Sir Tom has travelled away from home on occasion. Last year I ran into the locomotive at Alston, see here.

Those on duty worked hard all day, ensuring everyone's safety. I can say that a huge amount of effort had been put into making the gala a reality. Full marks to them.

Bronllwyd and the Joffre double headed up into the main quarry.

At the quarry end of the line, various movements provided a sense of what things might have been like 'back in the day'.

There was an opportunity to learn the history of the quarry from Martin, and the uses to which Threlkeld granite has been put over the years. The stone doesn't take a polish, so there have never been curling stones from Threlked!

I shared rides with many interesting visitors, including four legged 'Peat', rescued as a puppy in Ireland.

There were lots of other things to see on the gala day. 'Small, but perfectly formed'!

Threlkeld is home to the Vintage Excavator Trust. The star attraction of the collection is the 1909 Ruston-Proctor full-circle 12 ton steam navvy. And it was in operation on Saturday!

Also in action was this Ruston-Bucyrus 22-RB dragline. The more I learn about these old excavators, the more fascinated I become. The next Vintage Excavator Trust 'working weekend' is September 17-18, 2016, and is in my diary!

Photos © Skip Cottage

I had my first Festival Fringe foray up to Edinburgh today. I did enjoy last year, and I shared some of my adventures online. I may do so again. Not that I see myself as a 'reviewer'. I only blog about things I like, and quietly ignore anything I go to see that, in my mind at least, is not particularly good.

This year, I have a plan. Of course I want to see some Japanese drums, and there are a number of performances to chose from.

Samurai Drum IKKI, on their fourth consecutive year at the Fringe, were out promoting their show on the High Street today. I am sure that their performance will be excellent, and I hope to see them next week.

Today though, rather than go for the dependable, I thought to take a bit of a chance. I had noticed in the programme that a Korean group was at Edinburgh - Tago: Korean Drum ll. I thought I recognised the name, and, indeed, they played the Fringe in 2011.

I was heading to buy my ticket, but who should I run into on the High Street but the group members themselves, just about to go onto one of the free stages for a few minutes to promote their show.

So I watched for free, and was quite impressed. I looked forward to the real performance later in the afternoon.

In the meantime, I watched and was impressed by some a capella from one of the four Oxford groups one can see this month. I've filed the Oxford Alternnotives as a 'definite possibility' for one of my future away days.

Having bought my ticket for Tago, and had lunch, I still had an hour or so to spare. I took a pot luck on a theatre production, The Unknown Soldier, by Grist to the Mill Productions. Essentially a monologue from one of the soldiers still in uniform in clearing up the WW1 battlefields after the Armistice. A first class performance, and extremely thought-provoking with (dark) humour in places. It's on in the Baillie Room, Assembly Hall, a small space, ideal for the production, most days at 13.45 until the end of the month.

Mind you, any theatre I go to this year is unlikely to match up to last year's top class 'One Day When We Were Young', acted out by the brilliant Valorie Curry and Sam Underwood, see here. But I live in hope.

Tago's performance was in the Rainy Hall, at the Assembly Hall on the Mound. Wow! Billed as 'A great mixture of Korean traditional instruments, from gigantic drums to small percussion with a hint of martial arts which will zest the show with dynamic movements. A colourful fusion of drumming and dance'. Let me add words like expertise, physicality, modesty, humour and, above all, enthusiasm. I love drums anyway, but this hour had so much else.

I don't want to give anything away but the finale involves dancers with 'interesting' headgear, and is quite amazing. I've never seen anything like it.

I was in the front row (of course) and as the audience ripped out the applause, I wanted to stand up, they were that good. I looked round - but everyone was already ahead of me. A standing ovation!

I predict that Tago: Korean Drum ll will be the hit of this year's Fringe. On at 14.55 most days until the end of the month. "We play for the brighter world," indeed!

I was batting two out of two for the day, and next up was 'Union', from Momentum Dance, the performance company of CAPA College.

In the 1980s, I was a hugh contemporary dance fan. I still enjoy the occasional dance/physical theatre performance, and I had earmarked this show as a possibility. I know that contemporary dance is not for everyone. But I like the art form - it can be so varied, and I am often introduced to music of a sort that one does not find on Radio 2, as so it was today. And contemporary dance is not always easy to understand. In many cases that matters naught.

Union comprised five separate pieces, all original works by leading young choreographers. By the time that it got to the third one, 'What are you waiting for', depicting 'the dark places of of our minds in an intense, dramatic dance theatre production' (according to the programme notes), I was well into it.

Hard to believe that the thirteen strong troupe are all aged 17 -19! Very professional.

C Venue 34 on Chambers Street, at 16.30 until August 13.

A successful day then, with all three performances getting star ratings from me. And my bag was full of flyers by the time I got back to the train to come home. Most will head for recycling, but some have given me ideas for my next day in Edinburgh. There will be more drums, that's for sure!

Pics © Skip Cottage

Skip from the south, on an August Monday.

They pass overhead usually much quicker that I can get the camera pointed at the sky. But I caught it this time!

It is from this angle that you can see how much the cottage is dominated by the old beech trees.

I don't usually look into the garden from outside. The pink astilbe has always been in the garden, and crocosmia 'Lucifer' adds some vibrant colour at this time of year.

The bed of dahlias is colouring up well.

It was a nice afternoon for a walk. This is Saughtrees farmhouse, and what I think of as the 'Wamphray Notch', a firebreak in the plantation on Braize Hill.

Peaceful Annandale scenes on an August afternoon ...

... and again.

My favourite tree, in mid-summer garb.

Sharing my walk, these youngsters have a bit of growing to do before October!

Photos © Skip Cottage

Four performers, eleven drums, HIBIKI were my taiko favourites at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, see here. This year they are back at the same venue, in a better time-slot, more confident, and if anything even more accomplished than before! FIVE stars in my opinion.

Here's the promotional group photo! You know, there is always a risk going back to see a performance that you've enjoyed before. Sometimes it can disappoint. Hibiki's show was the reason I went up to Edinburgh yesterday. Would the effort be worth it? Would they be as good?

They were not just as good as before, they were even better. The set-list for 'Super-cussion 2016' comprised seven separate pieces. The second of these, 'Vision', had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Wow!

The group compose their own work, and Hibiki has an original style. I'm no taiko expert, but I've seen a fair bit by now, and I know what I enjoy. Two new pieces, 'Tabi-no-mono' (Travellers) and 'Junction B' have been created from the inspiration the group took from appearing at the Fringe last year.

Even if you have never seen taiko before, do go and see Hibiki. They are on at Venue 43, thespace@Symposium Hall, Hill Square, every day (except the 21st) until the end of the Fringe, at 14.00.

Early for the performance, I got to meet the group again, and was able to appreciate the logistics involved in getting ready for the performance. First problem - all the drums have got to be moved to the stage, and then removed immediately thereafter as the conveyor belt that is the Fringe progresses to the next act at the venue.

The performance space is actually a couple of floors up, so the little lift was working overtime moving the drums about.

That's Natsuko in the photo above. In one performance she plays the group's biggest drum, with what looks like a baseball bat, which she whirls around one-handed! I asked if this drumstick had a name, and it seems to be called (translated) as 'bat-stick'. You have to see it to believe it!

I found this page a good introduction to the various types of Japanese drums.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urR6OMlz5O8

There is this YouTube video of Hibiki online. Personally, I think that drums never come over well on television, or on the computer or tablet. Much, much better is the live performance, where you can feel the air vibrate and see the physicality (make that the sweat) of the performers. But the video certainly gives a taste of Hibiki! Turn up the sound.

There's more on the group's website here, where you can also read about Hibiki's story.

Not quite the same as collecting curling pins, but I'm working towards the full set!

The group state that their goal is 'to make the world a better place'. They certainly enriched my life yesterday. Many congratulations to Hironobu, Manabu, Megumi and Natsuko, and their stage director Kazuhiro Hirano. Continued success.

Subarashi!

Pics as usual by Skip Cottage, and illustrations from various flyers. More on yesterday's Fringe adventures to follow.

There's a big Korean presence at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. Encouraged by seeing, and enjoying, Tago last Friday (here), I planned to take in another of the various offerings from that country on yesterday's day out.

My day had begun by seeing Hibiki again, see here. That was so good, that it was going to be difficult for the rest of the day to match up to such a high start.

But I bought a ticket for 'Chef', not that you can tell much of what it might be about from the poster, above, seen in various places about town.

The performance was in the University of Edinburgh lecture theatre venue in George Square, a big auditorium - and it was a sell out! Word gets around quickly when something is good. And it was that.

Hard to describe what it was about. Think gangnam style meets ready steady cook, and pantomime and old time variety meet beatboxing and breakdancing. Throw in some audience involvement and you've got the idea. Great fun!

Some of the talented performers relax afterwards. Who knew that Koreans had such a fabulous sense of humour.

I'm not a great one for selfies with celebrities. But here I am with 'Sexy Chef'!

Moving on ....

Yesterday's 'nourishment' was a Malaysian curry from 'Umami Spice Girl'. Best I've tasted outside of Southeast Asia. Yummy street food in Edinburgh - who knew! My first stop on future visits to the big city this month, that's for sure.

My 'I've got an hour to spare, what's on?' pot luck of the day, was this show by Elsa Jean McTaggart, promoting a new CD, 'Lassie Will Ye Go'.

The flyer says, "If Folk Music is Your Thing." Well it used to be ... back in the 1960s when I was a student. Recently, not so much. I confess I'd never heard of Elsa Jean McTaggart. But I have now, and she's great! What an enjoyable hour.

Accompanied on stage by her husband, she began with 'The Birks of Aberfeldy'. I learned that she went to school in the town, moved away to hone musical skills in Ireland and elsewhere, and has recently returned to Scotland, and was excited to be back 'home'.

A version of 'MacPherson's Rant' brought back the memories. A great Corrie's favourite, see here, Elsa Jean's take on this old song was captivating. And nostalgic for me, although Venue 43, a little lecture theatre in the College of Surgeons building, was a far cry from the beer soaked atmosphere of the Glasgow Folk Club back in the years when performers were seen (barely) though the thick fug of cigarette smoke.

Her new material was great too, and that too has persuaded me to pay more attention to folk music again. More about this talented multi-instrumentalist here and here. I really loved her fiddle playing.

This show 'Simon and Garfunkel: Through the Years' was a recommendation from someone I met at lunchtime. Bookends are a tribute act - a tribute to the music of Simon and Garfunkel as Dan Haynes and Pete Richards themselves make the point that they don't look at bit like the originals! They have played five performances at Fringe 2016, every one a sellout.

And I now know why. This was a delightful hour. The show took us through Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel's story. Making good use of the huge screen above the stage, it was like a musical PowerPoint presentation! All the big hits were there. I loved it!

I had a shiver down my spine and a tear in my eye when the first notes of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' rang out. Not just because it is a such a beautiful song, but because the screen text showed that it is more than forty-six years since the song became No 1 on the UK chart, the album staying in the charts for 300 weeks, see here. Forty-six years! Seems like yesterday, where have the years gone?

Bookends' website is here.

'The Boxer' was ringing in my ears as I left the venue to head home.

... In his anger and his shame
“I am leaving, I am leaving”
But the fighter still remains
Lie-la-lie . . .

Talk about earworms. I 'lie-la-lie'd all the way back on the bus to my car at the Park and Ride and, having bought one of Bookends' CDs (above), I had a most enjoyable drive home listening to it. The short one hour performance at the Fringe could only contain part of Bookends' full repertoire. The pair do a full stage show and will be at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre on January 27, 2017. A date for the diary, perhaps?

Postscript: Riding the Lothian Bus No 25 last night, I could not help but notice how many people thanked the bus driver as they got off. These guys do a difficult job well, especially at Festival time, and it was great to see people appreciating this. Me too.

What a day it was. Four great shows. I'm batting seven from seven at the Fringe this year. Maybe I should stop now.

My reason for being in Edinburgh yesterday was to continue some curling history research at the National Library of Scotland, above. It's a place I know quite well, with its helpful staff. The results of that research should be on another blog, in the not too distant future.

So it was the early train out of Lockerbie, and, it being Fringe season, I headed first for C Venue 34 on Chambers Street on the off chance there might be a single ticket for Shakespeare for Breakfast at 10.00. Yes, the free coffee and croissant was an added attraction.

But sadly, the show was sold out, and no tickets were available at the box office ...

... but wait! A woman had handed back one ticket, because her friend had been unable to attend. And I was given this, for free!

So I did get my coffee and croissant, and watched a wonderful 'adaptation' of A Midsummer Night's Dream. There should have been a health warning. I'm sure it is not natural to laugh so much that early in a morning! The offering was from C Theatre, the in-house company at the C Venues, and Shakespeare for Breakfast has been a Fringe favourite before. The stars this year were Roseanna Connolly, Johnathan Davenport, Emily Jane Kerr, Laura B Mortemore, and Noah Young, ably assisted by a feather ferret and three members of the audience.

Great fun! And a special thank you to the kind person who allowed me to have the spare ticket. The show's on until the end of the festival, and I recommend it highly, if you can get in.

But then it was back to work in the library. Hopefully, after such a good start, it would be a good day.

And it was. My 'work' done fairly quickly, I had time to explore the 'You Are Here' maps exhibition at the library. Now, I use the NLS maps website a lot, and this is a wonderful resource. But it was wonderful to see the display of 'real' maps and other items from the NLS collection. The Library's maps' collection is one of the largest in the world, and at Edinburgh they are rightly proud of this. The exhibition content is outlined here.

This runs until next April, and I'll certainly be back to visit again.

And it is International Map Year, see here.

How would the rest of the day pan out?

No, not an NUT protest, but an advert for a musical. A possibility for a future visit, perhaps.

I ran the gauntlet of those touting for business. These two had made the effort. Great sax.

I came away with a bundle of flyers to sort through, and I've already identified more shows that I think I will enjoy.

It is difficult to know what to go to, with so many performances on offer. Fine if you have favourite 'must see' things to head for, but daunting to pick out the good from the 'not so good' in the official programme. I caught this couple trying to make decisions on what to see, sitting on a wall outside the National Museum of Scotland, on their first day in Edinburgh!

I hope their Fringe experiences turned out well.

One way of doing it, is to have a favourite venue, and concentrate on what's on there. My favourite place is thespace@Symposium Hall, in Hill Square. It has the most comfortable seats of any venue in the city, that's the first thing to say!

I had bumped into Dr Phil Hammond putting out flyers for his own shows, and at Bookends' Simon and Garfunkel tribute, I was sitting just behind him. He seemed a really nice guy, and so I bought a ticket for Life and Death (But Mainly Death). This was my 'I've an hour to spare, what's on' pick yesterday.

What an interesting hour! It was much of Dr Phil's family photographs, and his life story, and that of friends and family, with much humour involved. But there was lots to contemplate. "Can we live and die with pleasure, purpose, compassion and modest medical interference?"

This was a talk that was very clever, funny, yet moving. As an NHS doctor working in the field of chronic fatigue, he knows what he's talking about. As next week I enter my 70th year, I took away much from his show. I think I've become a Dr Phil fan. I wonder now if I can fit in his late night show about the NHS? I bet that's good too.

His two shows run until August 27 at Venue 43.

Going to back-to-back shows is not necessarily the best thing to do, but I did want to see Dan Clews''The James Taylor Story'. Same venue, so it was exit Dr Phil, join the queue, and then find a seat in the auditorium again.

Now, it wasn't until the 1980s that a work colleague gave me a cassette tape (remember these?) of James Taylor's music. So I was a late starter. This tribute to the singer was absolutely delightful, with the story of the ups and downs of Taylor's life told using slides on the big screen, with Dan playing the hits. I loved it, and so did the audience!

Dan Clews' website is here. The run of this show will have ended by the time you are reading this. He hadn't been sure how it would go down at the Fringe, and so went for just a few dates. Hopefully this year's success will tempt him back again for a longer run next time.

So, a day without drums?

Don't believe it.

There was just time yesterday for me to see Samurai Drum IKKI again. 2016 is their fourth year in Edinburgh, and so the three women and their 'master' have built up quite a following. It was a sell out performance.

IKKI's performance is Japanese drumming at its most spectacular - colourful, technically brilliant, and fast, some might say frenetic!

I enjoyed the performance - this was the fifth time I've seen the group over the years. For a taster of the performance, here's a YouTube clip. They are spectacular. They work hard to promote their show, and deserve their success.

But whisper it, HIBIKI (here) are still my favourites!

I caught the train home, happy after a full, busy day. The last train out of Waverley for Lockerbie leaves at 8.15 pm. So the timetable ensures that oldies like me get to bed early, or in yesterday's case, got me home in time to watch the Olympic cycling team pursuit final. Magic stuff!

Photos © Skip Cottage

Yesterday afternoon I was having an enjoyable time with some old friends at a BBQ in Glasgow (thanks Leslie), but I bailed out early and headed across to Edinburgh. I had a ticket for the above performance at the 'real' Festival.

Now, last year, one of my disappointing experiences over a number of visits to Edinburgh had been an evening at an International Festival performance. A visiting company, big money production, expensive ticket, yet it had not given me anything like the same enjoyment as many of the Fringe events I had seen. Ever the pessimist, I wondered as I drove along the M8 yesterday, whether I should just have stayed in Glasgow. Would the evening at the Festival Theatre be worth the effort?

I had bought the ticket as soon as the Festival programme had come out. The opportunity to see one of the world's best dancers - in a contemporary dance production - seemed too good to miss. And the very fact that I'm blogging about it today means that it was a great night, one I am so glad to have experienced.

Bear with me, I have to tell you a bit about it!

Natalia Osipova is a Russian ballerina, once Principal with the Bolshoi, and, since 2013, with the Royal Ballet where she has starred in many productions. Last night though was a Sadler's Wells production to showcase Osipova's talent in contemporary dance. There were three pieces by different choreographers.

The first piece was called 'Run Mary Run'. I found the photo above in this positive review by Kelly Apter in the Scotsman, here. You can find lots of photos of Natalia online.

The story of 'Run Mary Run' was a simple one, easy to follow, and exquisitely danced. It did help that I was in the front row and almost in the performance!

The director/choreographer was Arthur Pita, whose inspiration for the piece came from listening to Shangri-Las songs from the 1960s.

As a youngster myself back then I probably didn't really appreciate the significance of the various teenage tragedy songs, or 'death discs' as they were called, that appeared in the charts of the time. Think 'Tell Laura I love her' (here, the 1960 Ricky Valance version); 'Teen Angel' (here) by Mark Dinning from 1960; and of course the Shangri-Las 1964 hit 'Leader of the Pack, here, all with the authentic scratches of old vinyl.

('Billy don't be a hero' by Paper Lace, here, came later in 1974 and was one of my favourites, and can be considered as another example of a 'splatter platter'! But I digress.)

Steering clear of 'Leader of the Pack', Pita worked 'Past, Present and Future', 'Remember (Walking in the Sand)', 'Give Us Your Blessing', 'Give Him a Great Big Kiss'', and 'Dressed in Black', all by the Shangri-Las, into the score, as well as other appropriate tracks, such as 'Walkin' Along' by the Crystals. (Look them up on YouTube, and Mary Weiss has her website here.)

As the programme notes say, 'Run Mary Run' was 'a doomed love tale, an obsessively possessive relationship, with some sex drugs and rock 'n' roll!' Indeed, there was a warning posted on the auditorium doors: 'This performance contains adult themes'. Splendid stuff.

In 'Run Mary Run', Natalia was partnered by Sergei Polunin, another of the world's great dancers. In the third of yesterday's performances 'Silent Echo', with Russell Maliphant the choreographer, the two occupied the stage separately and together in a mesmerising performance to specially composed music by Scanner, with Sergei's solo danced to 'Trouble in Paradise' by James Lavelle.

The second performance was Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's 'Qutb', an Arabic word meaning 'axis' or 'pivot'. Natalia danced with Jason Kittelberger and James O'Hara, to a wonderful score and an amazing backdrop of a red sun in an eclipse. Completely captivating, and, of the three performances, the audience's favourite.

Natalia and Sergei are partners off the stage too. This lovely pic is from this fan's tribute website.

Some in the packed out theatre who were expecting more of a classical ballet performance might have been disappointed, but those who appreciate contemporary dance would have been ecstatic - I know I was! August in Edinburgh continues to be a great success so far. Let's hope it continues!

Photo credits as indicated.

I had been batting very well at the Fringe and Festival. Twelve great performances. But yesterday I saw my first 'not very good' show. Now, I don't blog about shows I've not enjoyed. I did wonder what I might have said had I been working, and had needed to file something. I might have said, "The backing musicians were very good." Or "This musical tribute made me want to download some of the original artist's music." If I had intended to speak my mind fully, I would have said, "It was a lovely day in Edinburgh yesterday, and I should have just stayed sunbathing in the Gardens." I should have. It is always disappointing when a performance that you hope is going to be good, turns out not to be - in my opinion, of course.

The second of yesterday's disappointments was when I went to book a ticket for what was to be my birthday treat to myself. I thought to be well organised and make sure I had a ticket in my hand for a later night at the Assembly Roxy, where the Havana Ballet's 'The Cuban Gypsy' was going to be top class, I was sure. Except .... the company had failed to reach Edinburgh, for whatever reason, and all performances have been cancelled! Ah well.

So I was strolling along, wondering what had happened in the Universe for the Earth to be revolving around the Sun faster and faster. Recent years have passed so quickly! This next birthday has come round too soon. I was passing Venue 38, Space Triplex, when I was 'accosted' in the nicest possible way, "Would I like to see some talented Canadian singers?" And why not.

I found myself in the queue with a group of former Glasgow University Alumni, who, when we were ushered into the hall, left a seat for me, front row, right in the middle! This turned out to be significant. The performance: 'Countermeasure: 14 Characters'.

I was promised 'Genre-defying versions of jazz and pop favourites, powerful originals, stunning harmonies, dramatic staging'! And as the show got underway, I found myself really enjoying it all.

It was at that point that the mistake of sitting in the middle of the front row, with a big smile on my face, became apparent. The compere decided to find out the names of some of the audience, and what they did for a living. Not a problem. I'm retired now of course, and I've done a few different things in my life. So when asked what I used to do, I mentioned that I had been Editor of the Scottish Curler magazine. Countermeasure being a Canadian group, that identified with some of the cast, curling (arguably) the country's national sport!

That should have been it, but no. A few minutes later, with a couple of other members of the audience, I was making my Edinburgh Fringe debut. I was taken by hand out of my seat, to a chair at the back of the stage and told to "Sit there, I'll be back to get you later!" I have to say that in all my adult years, that's never been said to me by a beautiful woman. But I digress again.

My Fringe debut involved some dancing to samba rhythms, shaking my rear end, and a conga round the stage. At least I wasn't asked to sing!

I trust no live footage or photographs of my 'performance' exist. It was not pretty.

Of course, the programme was not finished. The group sang to accompany clips from the wonderful 'Runaway', a National Film Board of Canada animated short by Cordell Barker, and that appealed to my love of trains!

The penultimate song was trailed as a Scottish tribute, a traditional love song. And we got a version of the Proclaimers '500 miles'. Absolutely brilliant, especially when it morphed to the 'metric version'!

Exit theatre, big smile on my face! Well done Canada. Countermeasure have only a few more shows in Edinburgh - the last is on the 20th - before they are off to Italy for a week at another festival. Go see them if you can. I promise that I won't be on the stage next time!

If you can't get to see them live, Countermeasure's website is here, with lots to explore.

Countermeasure images are from the group's flyer and a CD. The middle image is a screenshot from 'Runaway'. Watch the whole film here.

I'm going to get these two bits of wood framed, as a souvenir of my two weeks 'holiday' in August 2016, with several days at the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe. My 'batting average' of enjoyable shows was excellent early on, but was too good to last. And once you've been to two back-to-back shows that have not been very good, the remedy is to go and see, for the second time, a show you've enjoyed before.

Hibiki's Super-cussion (at Venue 43, theSpace@Symposium Hall until the 27th at 2pm each day) I could enjoy many times over. See my previous post here. Do go and see them if you can. The top pic is a broken taiko bachi (a drum stick). They don't make trees like they used to! A wonderful memory of Edinburgh 2016. I saw it happen. The performer (Hironobu, I think) barely missed a beat as he grabbed a replacement!

And I've now got the full set! Great fun.

I got up early one morning to be sure of seeing Elsa Jean McTaggart's morning show, and that was a lovely way to start a day. Elsa has two different shows each day until the 27th, at 11.50am and 7.30pm, both now in the same venue: theSpace@Symposium Hall, in Hill Square, Venue 43.

My 'find' of the Fringe was Countermeasure, a Canadian a capella group like no other. I went back to see them again, and enjoyed the second time even more than the first, partially because I didn't have to take part again! Their run has finished and the group should now be in Italy at a festival there. I hope our paths will cross again. A credit to Toronto, and Canada! I found this promotional video.

I have gained an admiration for those who 'flyer' their shows, which must be a thankless task, but is a vital marketing strategy. It is only this year that I've discovered that many of those who I've stopped to talk to about their show, are actually the performers.

It is a lovely thing when one is approached, to be able to take the ticket out of your pocket and say, "I'm just on the way to see your show!" Or better, "I saw your show the other night, and it was great!"

On the other hand, I have had to kick myself a couple of times when shows that I've looked forward to going to see have reached the end of their run before I was able to get to them!

I came across a couple of visitors with cameras pointed upwards. It took me a little while to appreciate that they were fascinated by this strange, rare, meteorological phenomenon. Yes, a Scottish blue sky, with nary a cloud in sight.

Next day, the rain was belting down, and the outside tables looked a bit forlorn!

Still, I've enjoyed the two weeks. I took the car up on a number of days, so that I could see evening shows. It's something I haven't done often, as the train is so convenient. I have learned about Edinburgh's various park and ride schemes, and have obtained good value from my National Entitlement Card, aka my bus pass. Lothian buses are wonderful!

One show that should get an 'honourable mention' from me is Joe Stilgoe's 'Songs on Film' at Assmbly Checkpoint, of an evening. That I did enjoy. See Joe's website here.

I had not intended that my Edinburgh adventures would last longer than two weeks. But many Fringe shows have another week to run. There are more drums to experience, and I've yet to find some good theatre to enjoy. Maybe I'll manage another couple of days in the big city this coming week!

Pics © Skip Cottage

So, having had a few days to recover, I caught the early train back up to Edinburgh yesterday for more Fringe adventures! It turned into a good day. I saw four shows, all very different, and all excellent.

First up was another in the Korean season, Binari.

Early off the train, I bumped into two of the performers out on the street promoting the show. It was great to be able to say, "I'll see you in the theatre in a short while!"

I knew it was going to be a Korean mask play with 'shamanic exorcism where unhappy souls are entertained and are finally able to leave the world'. I thought it might be a bit dark. It was anything but. Song, dance, drum, and even lots of humour - I was reminded of the various theatre performances I went to see when I was living in South East Asia. Always, there were comedy interludes in even the most serious and traditional stories. Binari was great. It was a charming way to start my day.

I've seen four shows in the Korean season. All were different, and all really enjoyable.

Then it was a return to the little performance space, the Box, where I had my best theatre experience last year, see here.

Now, I have to admit that it had not been my original intention to go to see Octopus. But I had kept the flyer in my bag (rather crumpled as you can see) because it had come with a free bag of crisps as an incentive! (There's probably advice out there that says 'Never accept crisps from a stranger', but I did check over the pack carefully and the sell-by date. And they were very tasty.) So, suitably bribed, I made my way to the small, hot venue to join a full house (how many bodies can you fit into a container?) to see three women act out an 'anarchic satire' written by Afsaneh Gray.

It is about what it means to be British. The women have been called to an interview to ascertain if they qualify for benefits. Sara 'looks kind of Asian'. Scheherazade looks Middle Eastern. And Sarah is 'kind of white'.

I was sitting beside a visitor from New York. I'm not sure if she would have caught the subtlety of all the political references, and she must have wondered just what I was guffawing at. Very funny at times. It was extremely well acted, and definitely thought provoking. You don't need to be bribed by packets of crisps to go and see, and enjoy, this performance. Full marks.

So, that was me batting two from two for the day. What next?

Time for coffee. One of the best free shows in Edinburgh is to sit with the hot beverage of your choice anywhere around the University area and watch those trying to distribute flyers for their own performances. Gimmicks abound. I've already mentioned the crisps. This couple had their own innovative way of catching attention!

For me, it was a hunt for a venue I'd not been in before. Venue 45 is in a church in Jeffrey Street, surrounded by lots of building work, just along from the south entrance to Waverley Station. I knew I had found the right place when I saw these young Japanese performers waiting to get access to the space for their show.

More drums! I had heard that UTO was an amateur group, but there was nothing 'amateur' about this performance. It was thrilling. Youthful energy and wonderful skill. The ten strong group are from Uto city in Kumamoto prefecture. A loud, exciting performance with flutes too, cymbals, the biggest gong I've ever seen on stage, and a strapping lad, clad only in a loin cloth, beating a sweat session on the biggest of the taiko. (You had to be there!) Wonderful stuff - a different type of performance than that on offer by Hibiki and Drum Ikki elsewhere on the Fringe.

Here's the group afterwards.

Right then, three from three. I had time for one more show before catching the train home.

This was special. Fourth Monkey's production of 'The Ark' was the great theatre I've been struggling to find this year. It is one of a series of shows by the company at Venue 9, theSpace@Niddry Street.

The show tackles the modern day refugee crisis with those fleeing Africa across the Mediterranean to Europe. The performance switches amongst three groups of actors, the people traffickers in Libya in this instance, the refugees themselves, and a group of EU commissioners. The performance does not hold back on satirical condemnation of these last. Very funny, and very well acted!

There are very moving scenes depicting the journey of those fleeing their homes, and their reasons for so doing. I'll not spoil it by giving details. You have to see it.

Great theatre should be memorable. This was. I certainly will not read newspaper stories or watch television reports of the refugee crisis again without thinking of 'The Ark'. A powerful theatre performance which was absolutely first class.

First Monkey Theatre Company's website is here, if you want to find out more about them, and an article about how 'The Ark' performance was put together is here. There's only a few more days to catch the show, 6.20pm until the 27th.

Four from four. Days at the Fringe don't get better than this!

Images from flyers, and photos © Skip Cottage

One of the best bits of advice to Fringe goers, see here, is to talk to people around you as you queue for various performances. Now, I've never been slow in coming forward in this regard anyway, but when the woman standing in front of me in a queue a few days ago had a big button on her rucksack which said, "Ask me about Ginger Creek," I did just that.

To cut a long story short, she was from New York and the director of a 'family show', called 'Mystery at Ginger Creek'. Good salesman too, of a performance suitable for 7 years of age and up, and I (big kid that I am) duly turned up at the show. Lots of interaction with the audience. Which was just great fun.

Personally I thought Sally Silver Gunz was the murderer, but it seems I'm not much of a detective!

Mystery at Ginger Creek is produced by the Panto-WHAT?! Theatre Company, see here, and was written by Michael Curtin and Ruthie Scarpino, who was also on the stage.

Here are the main protagonists. Left is Emilie Deschamps - the director and 'lighting guru'. Centre is Gabriel Spector who played Hank, the Colonel and Drusilla. Right is Ruthie Scarpino who played Sally, Ms Ketch and Igor (you had to be there!). Great talent, and the two actors were just wonderful with the kids, two of whom, sisters, in the audience were the stars of the show too!

The whole idea of family shows at the Fringe is something I had not considered before, but 'Mystery at Ginger Creek' shows that great family entertainment is available if you know where to look.

Serious drums today! Kensaku Satu is considered one of the greatest exponents of Japanese drumming, and his show was a solo masterclass. It was wonderful to experience - from Sakiwai (meaning felicity) played on the O'Daiko (the big drum) with a tree trunk (!), through a variety of different drums and styles, finishing again on the O'Daiko in a performance which, if you shut your eyes, you would think that there were rather more than one artist on stage!

Definitely an hour for the taiko fan, although I suspect that others might find a group show (such as Hibiki, my personal favourites) more accessible.

Kensaku Satou says, "The beat of Japanese drums unites the people in the world beyond the language communication." True, so true!

This all male a cappella group from Exeter University was my 'an hour to spare, what's on' pick, and was a brilliant choice. I sometimes miss my students - young people have such enthusiasm. And talent. Exeter doesn't do music degrees, so Semi-Toned are all students of different things - I talked to a student of archaeology, a biologist and a mathematician. The twelve guys provided great entertainment as they spanned the decades with their choice of music to sing.

Their version of Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' was a masterpiece! And what good ambassadors for the University.

I don't want this year's Fringe to finish!

More to come ......

I went up to Edinburgh yesterday for a final fling at the Fringe, and to say goodbye to my Japanese friends who are now heading home.

I had the opportunity yesterday to take some photos of Hibiki's final performance at the Fringe, flash not allowed of course. It was the first time I've ever tried to capture live performance, and it's a skill that will need to be honed! But here is one taiko moment in time.

Natsuko even gave me a lesson in handling the bat bachi - the drumstick that looks like a baseball bat. My wrist will never be the same again! Great fun.

Thanks everyone! Lovely people, and such talented performers. Safe travels and 'Haste ye back'!

Coming soon .... the Skip Cottage Edinburgh Fringe Awards!

Pics © Skip Cottage

The Garden in June

Classics at Moffat

On the beach

Bertie and the Flying Scotsman

To Another Place

A Tram Day

Manchester Transport

Nutkin and Twinkleberry

Wee Locos at Threlkeld

A Korean Treat at the Fringe

August in Wamphray

Hibiki's Vision

Fringe Variety

Shakespeare for Breakfast

Natalia Osipova

Two disappointments, but the day saved by Canada!

Edinburgh Days

Back in the Box

A Wild West Murder Mystery

Final Fling