Breaking news

In the run-up to World AIDS Day, Broughton-based charity Waverley Care has launched its Tartan Ribbon Online Auction. 

It now seeks bids on everything from appearing as a character in a Christopher Brookmyre novel to a signed copy of the autobiographical story of Garbage, from sport and theatre tickets to ‘high-speed thrills’ (not cycling round Picardy Place at 5.15pm on a Friday). You can bid for jewellery, dinner for two, spa treatments, artworks, and even a ‘“money can’t buy” chance to meet Grant Stott’. 

 FIRST LOOK INSIDE EDINBURGH’S INSPIRING NEW GALLERY COMPLEX 

On a morning of scudding sunshine and showers, Collective Gallery today admitted Press and friends to its new home on Calton Hill, ahead of an official opening to the public on Saturday. 

Typewronger Books – the typewriter repair service, micro-bookshop, events space, and now independent publisher – is one year old today. 

Spurtle congratulated proprietor and human dynamo Tom Hodges outside the Croall Place police box this afternoon, where he had been entertaining well-wishers with fizz, unusual reading and general bonhomie since 11am and will continue until 6pm. 

The Lord Provost, Frank Ross, unveiled a commemorative flagstone this morning to honour the bravery of a First World hero. 

Sapper Adam Archibald, was born at 24 Shaw's Street in 1879, and later lived at Balfour and Hillhouse Streets. He was awarded the Victoria Cross by King George V in May 1919.

His citation read: 

As you read this, the latest Spurtle has been written, printed, folded, and carefully counted into piles ready for wind-powered distribution across Broughton and beyond.

Issue 279 kicks off with some bad good news for first-time home-buyers, some good bad news for car parkers, and mixed tidings for those following the hypothetical progress of inevitable trams.

Page 2, like everywhere else at the moment, is dominated by Planning issues, with a sprinkling of wobbly parapet, airy art, and disappearing police box.

Removal of 52 trees from East Princes Street Gardens has prompted outrage on social media. 

The ensuing argument centres around the National Galleries of Scotland, which received consent for the felling in June in order to improve disabled access to its forthcoming extension on the Mound (Ref. 17/05842/LBC).

If you’re craving a dash of colour and outdoor drama at the moment, you’ll find them locally in what’s perhaps a rather unexpected setting.

Bond Chartered Accountants stands discreetly at the western end of East London Street. If you weren’t looking for it, you might not notice it. But over recent years, Caroline Bond here has been championing the cause of favoured artists by hosting occasional exhibitions for no fee and without charging commission on sales. 

In Issue 275 we reported the imminent arrival at 2 Dundas Street of L’escapade – a bistro bar in premises formerly occupied by the café Glass & Thompson. 

That ‘exciting new journey’ piloted by ‘awesome people’ back in July now shows signs of trouble..

According to its own publicity, L’escapade was to offer ‘a modern, comfortable, cool bar, fit for all. Supplying awesome wine, cocktails, beer and mediocre banter!’

Few things are more expressive, persuasive, or satisfying to pronounce than a well-chosen Scots word, and for the 1.5M people who can speak the tongue the definitive record of their vocabulary is The Dictionar o the Scots Leid.

The latest drop-in consultation took place on Wednesday evening to discuss the development potential of the Powderhall site on Broughton Road. 

The aim was to summarise the results of two previous rounds of consultation (describing broad trends of local aspiration and singling out a few ‘inspirational’ thoughts), and to outline next steps.