(I started this on Sunday night but didn't quite get finished!)
I was at work this morning at 7.00a.m for the newspapers arriving! Sunday is supplement day and between opening time and 7.30 I am to be found sitting on a pile of Sunday Times putting the extra magazines, financial pages, travel supplements etc. together with their respective newspapers. The Sunday Times waits till all the others are done as it has two huge supplements which in reality are about ten in total. You need a wheel barrow to carry the newspapers home these days!!!
It was fairly late when I got home last night, having been gallivanting off to the concerts in Edinburgh and North Berwick. The first one was in a small theatre with a tiny stage, at the back of the famous Edinburgh deli, Valvona and Crolla. 
This is THE most wonderful shop and I'm sure by looking at the photo you'll see what I mean! Shelves and shelves and shelves of wonderful foodie goodies, salamis, hams, peppers and cheeses hanging from the ceiling, a cold counter full of equally mouth-watering goodies, and wine - from one end to the other! We took ourselves into the restaurant for coffee and cake before the performance, which as I said before was in a small theatre at the back of the building. The "stage" was in the centre of one of the long walls and seating in front, and at right angles to the sides. We found good seats in the second row, plumb in the middle, and people-watched as the room got fuller and fuller. The lights went off; the buzz of conversation silenced and we waited..... and waited! Suddenly the door opened and a man in black entered complaining of the dark! He said he was the lighting engineer and he had been told to get some light on the stage! What was he supposed to do, with just the equipment he had been provided with? he grumbled. A tall candle on a tall candle stick stood on an occasional table on the stage with some other props, which he duly proceeded to light from a match from the box he took from his pocket. Acknowleding that it was better and would have to do, he exited again. From a distance we heard a woman singing, then 
the door opened to admit the owner of the voice, a young woman dressed in an 18th century costume - dark skirt with "panniers" out to the sides at the waist, a dark brocade bodice with red jacket, black lace trimmed sleeves, on top. This was Mistress Bowman, aka singer Gill Bowman, an Edinburgh lady in the year 1796, who had invited guests to a late summer evening's entertainment by Mr Robert Burns the poet. She was expecting his arrival in her home at any time! We became the guests! While we waited for the honoured guest's "arrival" Mistress Bowman treated us to a delightful, extremely funny and very clever monologue about the life of Mr Burns, his poems and songs, all in relation to the many young women Burns had courted (?!) throughout his short life, picking up her guitar frequently to sing the songs Burns had written for each of them. The end was poignant! She couldn't think what could have happened to Mr Burns! He was very late. A little last minute tidying up saw her move a news sheet from the occasional table. Glancing at it, she suddenly gasped then read aloud the notice that informed us of the death of Mr Burns in Dumfries on 21st inst. (It was July). Obviously overwhelmed she picked up the candle snuffer and snuffed out the flames of the candles on the table. and still looking unbelievingly at the news sheet she walked slowly towards the door quietly singing "Should auld acquaintance be forgot..... and auld lang syne", before disappearing through the door. What an excellent performance! Of course she returned to the stage to take her bow and went on to thank us and tell us of the CDs she had on sale. I bought the one of the songs from the play and asked her to sign it for me, which she was pleased to do. I have it playing in the background at this very moment!
This is THE most wonderful shop and I'm sure by looking at the photo you'll see what I mean! Shelves and shelves and shelves of wonderful foodie goodies, salamis, hams, peppers and cheeses hanging from the ceiling, a cold counter full of equally mouth-watering goodies, and wine - from one end to the other! We took ourselves into the restaurant for coffee and cake before the performance, which as I said before was in a small theatre at the back of the building. The "stage" was in the centre of one of the long walls and seating in front, and at right angles to the sides. We found good seats in the second row, plumb in the middle, and people-watched as the room got fuller and fuller. The lights went off; the buzz of conversation silenced and we waited..... and waited! Suddenly the door opened and a man in black entered complaining of the dark! He said he was the lighting engineer and he had been told to get some light on the stage! What was he supposed to do, with just the equipment he had been provided with? he grumbled. A tall candle on a tall candle stick stood on an occasional table on the stage with some other props, which he duly proceeded to light from a match from the box he took from his pocket. Acknowleding that it was better and would have to do, he exited again. From a distance we heard a woman singing, then 
the door opened to admit the owner of the voice, a young woman dressed in an 18th century costume - dark skirt with "panniers" out to the sides at the waist, a dark brocade bodice with red jacket, black lace trimmed sleeves, on top. This was Mistress Bowman, aka singer Gill Bowman, an Edinburgh lady in the year 1796, who had invited guests to a late summer evening's entertainment by Mr Robert Burns the poet. She was expecting his arrival in her home at any time! We became the guests! While we waited for the honoured guest's "arrival" Mistress Bowman treated us to a delightful, extremely funny and very clever monologue about the life of Mr Burns, his poems and songs, all in relation to the many young women Burns had courted (?!) throughout his short life, picking up her guitar frequently to sing the songs Burns had written for each of them. The end was poignant! She couldn't think what could have happened to Mr Burns! He was very late. A little last minute tidying up saw her move a news sheet from the occasional table. Glancing at it, she suddenly gasped then read aloud the notice that informed us of the death of Mr Burns in Dumfries on 21st inst. (It was July). Obviously overwhelmed she picked up the candle snuffer and snuffed out the flames of the candles on the table. and still looking unbelievingly at the news sheet she walked slowly towards the door quietly singing "Should auld acquaintance be forgot..... and auld lang syne", before disappearing through the door. What an excellent performance! Of course she returned to the stage to take her bow and went on to thank us and tell us of the CDs she had on sale. I bought the one of the songs from the play and asked her to sign it for me, which she was pleased to do. I have it playing in the background at this very moment!Cockenzie, East Lothian
We left Valvona & Crolla, returned to the car and drove through the city suburbs out into East Lothian and North Berwick right beside the sea. It was quite windy but very sunny and full of people! It was nice to see that children do still play on the beach there and paddle if not exactly swim in the sea itself! When I was a kid there were ice-cream shops, cafes, and shops where you could buy buckets and spades for building sandcastles or fishing nets to try and catch the little flat flounders that wriggled into the sand and tickled your feet when you almost stood on them! 
Now there is a wonderful birdlife visitor centre with CCTV from the gannet colony out on the great lump of volcanic rock out in the sea, called the Bass Rock. There are interactive things to do, as well as displays of birds and marine life, a model of the Bass, gift shop and tearoom . We had a late light lunch there before exploring one or two of the galleries in the main street. Ooh, there is some nice stuff about! Local artists and sculptors are producing beautiful paintings, glassware and models.
Berwick Law and North Berwick from outside the seabird centre
Later we had tea in a lovely local family-run Italian restaurant, then headed back to the venue for the concert we were in North Berwick for. When Linda and I were in our twenties, we were quite "into" the folk scene! The Folk Revival was at its height and folk clubs were to be found everywhere. As well as singers of traditional Scottish songs - many from the Jacobite era - there were some excellent contemporary musicians making there way into the music scene. There was the fabulous Incredible String Band, with their weird and wonderful songs about such things as amoebas - A Very Cellular Song - and hedgehogs - the Hedgehog's Song - and other groups like Rankin File and Town Choice who were all very popular in Edinburgh. A newcomer from Fife was Rab Noakes who was not only a talented singer songwriter but good-looking as well! We liked him! and it was him and Mike Heron from the Incredibles that we had come to hear on Saturday! (Writing this on Monday now!)
Berwick Law and North Berwick from outside the seabird centre
Later we had tea in a lovely local family-run Italian restaurant, then headed back to the venue for the concert we were in North Berwick for. When Linda and I were in our twenties, we were quite "into" the folk scene! The Folk Revival was at its height and folk clubs were to be found everywhere. As well as singers of traditional Scottish songs - many from the Jacobite era - there were some excellent contemporary musicians making there way into the music scene. There was the fabulous Incredible String Band, with their weird and wonderful songs about such things as amoebas - A Very Cellular Song - and hedgehogs - the Hedgehog's Song - and other groups like Rankin File and Town Choice who were all very popular in Edinburgh. A newcomer from Fife was Rab Noakes who was not only a talented singer songwriter but good-looking as well! We liked him! and it was him and Mike Heron from the Incredibles that we had come to hear on Saturday! (Writing this on Monday now!)
It was quite a concert! 
Mike and his daughter Georgi, and a friend called Frazer, started off with a set that almost recreated the ISB! We heard the Hedgehog's Song, Everything's Fine Right Now, and one or two others from their early days - nice to hear those - and several songs written by himself or Robin Williamson, his erstwhile ISB partner. Georgi sang a couple of her own songs - following in dad's footsteps, it seems! Nice voice! Good first half!
Mike and his daughter Georgi, and a friend called Frazer, started off with a set that almost recreated the ISB! We heard the Hedgehog's Song, Everything's Fine Right Now, and one or two others from their early days - nice to hear those - and several songs written by himself or Robin Williamson, his erstwhile ISB partner. Georgi sang a couple of her own songs - following in dad's footsteps, it seems! Nice voice! Good first half!
The second half was Rab's! Well, he's changed a lot! Where have those boyish good looks gone?
I couldn't quite equate the songs he was singing with the young Rab! Almost at the end of his set he sang one of his early songs, and that made all the difference! Wish he'd sung that one much earlier!
Anyway, it was a good night. We enjoyed the concert very much.
So, back to Edinburgh to drop Linda off and then back to Peebles for me, so you can see how I was quite late home and had no time to blog! Hope I've made up for it now!
Talk again soon.
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