Posts by Peter Ranscombe
Tattoo performers head for ball pit
FOUR of the performers from the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo have taken time out to enjoy the capital’s biggest ball pit. The perforners have been playing in the Electro Pipes section of the tattoo, which “fuses together traditional bagpipe melodies with contemporary electronic beats to craft a lively and vibrant experience”. “The tattoo performers taking…
Read MoreFestival Review: Phaedra/Minotaur
Madeleine Sutton reviews Phaedra/Minotaur at the Edinburgh International Festival. IN THIS production of Phaedra/Minotaur – which pairs Benjamin Britten’s final poignant cantata Phaedra, with the moving new dance piece Minotaur – opera and theatre director Deborah Warner and choreographer Kim Brandstrup take us through themes of passion, female desire, and devastation. Phaedra, based on Robert…
Read MoreGreat Glen Challenge begins for RSABI
TWENTY-SIX teams are taking part in the Great Glen Challenge today to raise money for the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI). Teams of four people will run, kayak, ride, and hike from Fort Augustus to Fort William. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland has three teams taking part. Colin Ferguson, NFU Scotland’s Dumfries and…
Read MoreEarly departure for Loch of the Lowes ospreys
THE ospreys nesting at the Scottish Wildlife Trust nature reserve at Loch of the Lowes in Perthshire have made their earliest departure. Female NC0 hasn’t been spotted at the loch since 15 July, while male LM12 was last seen on 12 August. Both birds arrived back at the reserve after wintering in Africa on the…
Read MoreCal Major becomes National Trust for Scotland ambassador
VET and adventurer Dr Cal Major has been named as a new ambassador for the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). Major recently visited the Treshnish Isles, the NTS’s newest site, to film a video. In her new voluntary role, Major will raise awareness of and support for the trust’s conservation work. Major – who has…
Read MoreFamous penguin Sir Nils Olav gets promoted
ARGUABLY the world’s most famous penguin, Sir Nils Olav, has been promoted once more. Olav was raised from the rank of brigadier to major-general during a ceremony at Edinburgh Zoo. More than 160 members of the King’s Guard Band & Drill Team of Norway attended the event and bestowed Olav with his latest honour. The…
Read MoreBiggest search for Nessie – from home
THIS weekend will mark the largest search for the Loch Ness Monster – with Nessie hunters taking part from their homes around the world. The search on 26 and 27 August is billed as the largest for more than 50 years. A global audience is taking part thanks to video cameras set up along the…
Read MoreFringe Review: Trash Test Dummies
Alister Tenneb reviews Trash Test Dummies at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. THIS acrobatic/circus/slapstick performance essentially revolves around three wheelie bins – doesn’t fill you with delight? The show is geared towards kids ten years and under and judging by the near constant shouts, shrieks, squeals of laughter from their younger attendees they certainly know their…
Read MoreArt news round-up: Great Tapestry of Scotland, chainsaws, and more
THE tenth anniversary of the unveiling of the Great Tapestry of Scotland will be marked on 1-3 September at the community arts project’s purpose-built visitors’ centre in Galashiels. King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the tapestry last month. Sandy Maxwell-Forbes, the centre’s director, said: “As well as placing our new royal panel in its permanent…
Read MoreRespite centre renamed after Doddie Weir
A HOLIDAY cottage that provides respite for people with conditions including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and motor neuron disease (MND) has been renamed in honour of rugby legend Doddie Weir. The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation donated ÂŁ25,000 to neurological charity Leuchie to refurbish the holiday home at Dirleton in East Lothian. Leuchie has renamed the…
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