An item of "Breaking News". Will appear on the Breaking News page and the front page.
Union Gallery's new exhibition – Landmarks II – has opened, featuring work by (among others) Hazel Cashmore, Dorothy Bruce, Martyn McKenzie and (new to Union) Beth Robertson Fiddes.
Gallery co-owner Alison Auldjo is captivated by Scotland's natural beauty, and welcomes this opportunity to celebrate and embrace it.
'Landmarks II is meant to be uplifting and inspiring,' she says. 'We want it to give people a boost, something to be happy about.'
Do you use King George V Park? Do your kids play there? Do you cycle or walk through it? Do you play football on the grass or basketball on the tarmac? Have you ever been there and thought: This place could do with a tidy?
Your lucky day may have come.
On Sunday 10 September, locals with an interest in the area will meet at 3pm and spend an hour or so pushing their nearest and dearest into bushes in search of rubbish.
Spurtle is bored by unimaginative tagging and mural abuse, annoyed when attractive architecture gets spoiled by scribbles.
But Spurtle enjoys and applauds graffiti which is well executed, thoughtful or amusing, and sensitive to its setting.
Reader Scott Reed agrees and, following recent coverage of stencilled work on Broughton and Forth Streets and the North Bridge (Issues 185, 187, Breaking news 1.10.10), sent us this photograph of 'I think I'll pack it up and buy a pick-up'.
Lottery – described as a short, comic and poignant play – will be performed at McDonald Road Library on 4 November, 6:30pm.
It tells the story of former school sweethearts Fizz and Alan who, in a chance encounter whilst hunting for a lost lottery ticket, find their affection rekindled as they reveal to each other the differing ways dyslexia has changed their lives.
In Issue 187 we reported the mystifying non-delivery of polling cards to local addresses in May, or possibly the mystifying non-non-delivery of polling cards.
Thankfully, Bellevue resident David Sterratt has now stepped forward with some concrete assertions, and has sent us a copy of his recent email to Tom Aitchison, Chief Executive at City of Edinburgh Council. We urge other readers to do likewise.
As discussed in Issue 187, Broughton's 'Our future ... our city ... help us decide' budget consultation took place in Drummond Community High School last night.
So far, we've heard only critical reactions to the process. One attendee described it as 'a depressing and disappointing meeting [at which] the city officials from a variety of departments gave very little away as to be honest they didn't know the answers to most of the questions that were asked!
Nine senior students and two members of staff at Drummond Community High School are busy planning, organising, fundraising for and delivering activities in two Edinburgh care homes for older people: Porthaven and Marionville.
Scheduled between now and December are 'Scottish Extravaganzas', Halloween Parties, Keep Fit sessions, and Christmas Parties. The students are raising the money for all this themselves, having so far collected over £500 through a range of baking sales, 'dress-down day' sponsorship and supermarket bag-packing.
The words 'Broughton Street' and 'rock legends' don't immediately spring to mind at the same time. However, today is an exception.
This morning we stumbled across this webpage in which Radio Forth DJ Jay Crawford remembers some of the many famous guests he took round to Mather's Bar for a drink after recording his 'Edinburgh Rock Show' during the 1980s.
It may surprise some readers to know that grapes can be grown in Edinburgh. It certainly came as an eye-opener to this correspondent when I ate some yesterday.
John Ross Maclean – a Spurtle team member – has been growing them under cover in sheltered spots around Drummond Place.
Some clusters are large and sweet. The ones pictured right he correctly predicted, with some understatement, would be 'a little tart'. However, they were later excellent with custard.
Another quiet week on the Planning Front.