Breaking news

A new residents association has been set up for Claremont Court on East Claremont Street. It fills a void after the last association was disbanded a few years ago.

‘We want to let everybody know that we're back and passionate about our building and the Broughton area!’ says Secretary Marie Renwick.

Representing 64 households, the group has so far discussed the (flat) roof, local antisocial behaviour, new waste disposal arrangements, and the possibility of organising events.

It is not very many months ago that residents associations, community councils and other civic observers complained of being swamped by the volume of applications over which they had to maintain scrutiny.

This week, however, in those Broughton areas of interest to the Spurtle in 4 City wards (Inverleith, City Centre, Leith Walk, Leith Central), there were no planning applications and no planning decisions made.

It's quiet out there ... too quiet.

AXO Gallery (Axolotyl Gallery's edgy and experimental Siamese twin) will host a fleeting exhibition this weekend.

Scottish and international artists – working in a variety of forms – have been invited to tackle the subject of Domestic Bliss in whatever way they see fit. The result promises to be eclectic and stimulating, particularly since the supposedly festive season remains an open wound in many people's recent memories.

Organisers claim the works on show will be 'stunning but affordable'.

When the Edinburgh Evening News rehashed a Manchester newspaper's account of the new transport system there, little of today's pessimism concerning the Edinburgh tram project was evident.

It welcomed innovative methods for sticking to timetables, applauded the trams as 'highly successful', and noted that income had already exceeded expectations.

However, it could not resist repeating fears that police and barriers would be required to control unruly passengers. Britons, it seems, have long feared that if orderly queues break down, civilisation will soon follow.

Leith Festival organisers seek participants and volunteers for various projects this summer (Festival runs from 10–19 June).

First, actors, performers, backstage crew and front-of-house staff are wanted to help with two one-act comedies.

Second, five 18–24-year-old students are sought to act as photographers at gigs and events before and during the Festival. They must have their own digital SLR cameras, but will be instructed by a 'very well established' local expert. Work may be displayed in the Vollytographers exhibition which runs throughout.

Touched by Tokarczuk? Wit tickled by Witkowski? Well pleased by Huele or enthralled by Krall?

If your answer to any of these questions is yes (or would like to be), get yourself to McDonald Road Library where a new Polish book group will start soon. The main aim is to share a love of Polish authors, and to share that enthusiasm with a new readership.

Books in Polish or translation into English will be considered for future discussion at the group's first planning meeting on Monday 24 January, 6:00–7:00pm.

Very little to report this week, presumably because many developers remain immobilised by surfeits of figgy pudding.

Of local interest, though, are plans for 12 Gayfield Square where McDonald Road-based Ironside Farrar seek listed building consent for internal alterations to a 3-storey office building (Ref. 10/03645/LBC).

Michael Wildman's extraordinary photographs of nudes and landscapes have featured regularly at Axolotl Gallery on Dundas Street. Now that he is leaving Scotland for South American travels, staff there are holding a farewell exhibition of his most recent work.

'I am interested in the story of each individual that I photograph,' writes Wildman. 'I encourage them to explore their memories, feelings and sense of self and express these thoughts at that "decisive moment", hopefully discovering something new, something unknown.'

Juggling children, child care and earning a living can be a nightmare, but help is at hand. Edinburgh City Libraries today announced the launch of a Drop-in Job Clinics for Parents at McDonald Road Library.

Advice will be offered on CV writing, completing application forms, and finding the right job.

The clinic will run on Thursdays from 20 January–24th February 2011, 10:00am–12:30pm.

In Issue 190 we drew attention to the National Library of Scotland's fascinating collection of Ordnance Survey maps which appear online overlaid upon today's Google satellite images.

Thanks to reader Simon James who points out that the correct address at which to access these and other similar resources is: http://geo.nls.uk/maps/#edinburgh