Little Surprises

How things in life can surprise you...  We recently did a great bike ride on some of Edinburgh's disused railways and through Barnton and then Dalmeny Estate to the Forth Bridges.  Near the Dalmeny House we had a brilliant view of Inchmickery Island.

During WW2 some of the islands in the Forth Estuary were disguised as battleships.  They had large gun emplacements on them and the idea was that they worked as decoys, so the bombers would head for them rather than the submarines which were travelling along the Estuary.

I think this shot is incredible and shows exactly how the plot worked.  Surprising and very clever.

Making the Move

Yesterday I had a rare midweek day off and decided to be a tourist in my own city.  With a friend, we decided to do the Fringe like "normal" people and wandered around to see what we could find.  What we came across in the middle of the day was a play called Making the Move.

It was remarkable in that it was only 20 minutes long!  The concept was simple but clever.  Four actors sat on a sofa and between them there were three dialogues going on all about how the middle couple would achieve their first kiss.  As the dialogue moved back and forwards in time and location (all in the space of 20 minutes, you understand!), the teenage worries about The First Kiss were discussed and tried and debated.

It was a very clever little piece - like a snapshot into a teenage mind, but with some funny one liners and some good acting.  Surprisingly good and if you want to do a quick Fringe lunchtime show, you could get a bus/taxi/walk from town, see it and still be back at the office within the hour!

It is only on until 17 August and costs just £2

Just the Tonic at the Caves: Aug 4-17 (not 12) at 12.15 (20 mins) Space: Just the Big Room

Edinburgh New Town Cookery School and Orange Posset

This is a lovely pudding I had the other day at the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School.  The school trains professional chefs - and does it really well.  Many of them go onto jobs in amazing places including Ottolenghi, Fat Duck at Bray and the very nice Edinburgh based Cafe St Honore.  I was invited to a student lunch.  This is where the students have to budget and organise a lunch for a group of invited guests.  The food was really tasty and this orange posset, was particularly so.  It was served with honey roasted rhubarb and ginger crumb. 

I made a pathetic attempt to emulate it and while it looked lovely, it tasted nowhere near as good.  Perhaps I need to enroll?!