FRINGE REVIEW: “Nyctophilia”

Nyctophilia – Venue 236 – Greenside @ Infirmary Street – Olive Studio – 22.10pm AS SOMEONE who is both afraid and intrigued by the night, I went into this vaguely described show with slight apprehension. Was I about to be spooked? Were there going to be campfire tales told in stage whispers? Was there going…

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FRINGE REVIEW: “Sam See: Government Approved Sex”

Sam See: Government Approved Sex – Venue 170: Laughing Horse @ Counting House – The Attic – 7.30pm STOOD in front of a small, cramped, and oppressively-warm room in the Counting House’s Attic was Singaporean comedian Sam See with a half-delighted, half-apologetic smile on his face as he warned people to grab drinks before he…

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FRINGE REVIEW: “Afghanistan is Not Funny”

Afghanistan is Not Funny – Venue 14: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Dining Room – 4pm I CAN’T think of any occasion that, in this case, the sole actor of a production has left the stage at the end of a performance as the lights dim and there is a total silence in the auditorium.  Not…

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FRINGE REVIEW: “Hiya Dolly!”

Hiya Dolly! – Venue 53: theSpace @ Surgeons Hall – Grand Theatre – 8pm ONE of my abiding memories of work experience with The Scotsman newspaper was visiting the Roslin Institute, the research centre that created Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell. There’s something magic about the place,…

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FRINGE REVIEW: “Thor and Freya: Norse as F*ck”

Thor and Freya: Norse as F*ck – Venue 85: Laughing Horse @ City Cafe – Nineties – 9.55pm SUDDENLY, I feel very old. Not only because I’m about to qualify to do stand-up at “Ageing Folks Telling Jokes: The Best Comics over 40” (Ageing? Forty!) but because I’ve glimpsed the future – and that future…

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Three wines to toast International Prosecco Day

Drinks blogger James Robertson selects three sparklers to celebrate tomorrow’s International Prosecco Day. IN LIGHT of the fact that 13 August is International Prosecco Day, here are three excellent examples of this delightful sparkling wine from Northern Italy. Prosecco – so often ridiculed – should be taken far more seriously. Named after the village of…

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Loch Insh hosts Green Space Dark Skies

A LIGHT show was held at Loch Insh in Strathspey last night as part of the Green Space Dark Skies project. The loch is the first of four Scottish sites to host the torch-lit displays as part of the “Unboxed: Creativity in the UK” festival. Keep an eye on the project’s website for a short…

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First Edinburgh Deaf Festival opens today

THE maiden Edinburgh Deaf Festival is getting underway today. More than 100 performances will be staged over the next ten days. The festival is designed to appeal to both deaf and hearing audiences. Award-winning mime artist DeafMimo, Mae Al-Kalamchi from the children’s magic show Once Upon A Raindrop, and comedian Gavin Lilley helped to launch…

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Hebrides soundtrack for hotel’s ‘wellness room’

SOUNDS recorded in the Hebrides are helping guests to relax at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh. Music producer Brian D’Souza travelled to locations including the Hebrides, Cape Verde, Lake Geneva, and Lofoten in the Article to make his recordings. He then mixed sounds from fields, the sea, and wildlife with noises from gongs,…

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Restoring Cairngorms forests – one burger at a time

VENISON from red deer shot in the Cairngorms is being sold to fund tree planting. Deer are culled in the Cairngorms National Park to stop them from eating the growing tips off tree saplings. The venison has gone on sale in the shop at the RSPB’s Loch Garten nature reserve. Previously, Lynbreck Croft – which…

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