The thing you need to know today

The Edinburgh Reporter is having a wee holiday. We hope that perhaps you are too, and that you have a great time for the rest of December. We will be back, renewed and refreshed, at the beginning of January 2012…..we are sure that there will be more Tramadrama and Pandamonium for us to tell you about and photograph for you.

We are able to continue to bring you The Edinburgh Reporter because of the support of our sponsors and advertisers, and so we encourage all our readers to visit our Advent Calendar and perhaps buy something there!

And of course, if you should be in a position to advertise to our 25,000 monthly readers then we would be very glad to hear from you. Our rates are very reasonable.

We would also be glad to hear from you if you have any stories for us. We accept all submissions, ideas and constructive criticism. Please comment on our articles and keep us on our toes.

The thing you need to know today

The Edinburgh Reporter is having a wee holiday. We hope that perhaps you are too, and that you have a great time for the rest of December. We will be back, renewed and refreshed, at the beginning of January 2012…..we are sure that there will be more Tramadrama and Pandamonium for us to tell you about and photograph for you.

We are able to continue to bring you The Edinburgh Reporter because of the support of our sponsors and advertisers, and so we encourage all our readers to visit our Advent Calendar and perhaps buy something there!

And of course, if you should be in a position to advertise to our 25,000 monthly readers then we would be very glad to hear from you. Our rates are very reasonable.

We would also be glad to hear from you if you have any stories for us. We accept all submissions, ideas and constructive criticism. Please comment on our articles and keep us on our toes.

The thing you need to know today

The Edinburgh Reporter is having a wee holiday. We hope that perhaps you are too, and that you have a great time for the rest of December. We will be back, renewed and refreshed, at the beginning of January 2012…..we are sure that there will be more Tramadrama and Pandamonium for us to tell you about and photograph for you.

We are able to continue to bring you The Edinburgh Reporter because of the support of our sponsors and advertisers, and so we encourage all our readers to visit our Advent Calendar and perhaps buy something there!

And of course, if you should be in a position to advertise to our 25,000 monthly readers then we would be very glad to hear from you. Our rates are very reasonable.

We would also be glad to hear from you if you have any stories for us. We accept all submissions, ideas and constructive criticism. Please comment on our articles and keep us on our toes.

Our photograph today shows you the Santa Express…or is it Edinburgh’s new tram?

The thing you need to know today

The Edinburgh Reporter is having a wee holiday. We hope that perhaps you are too, and that you have a great time for the rest of December. We will be back, renewed and refreshed, at the beginning of January 2012…..we are sure that there will be more Tramadrama and Pandamonium for us to tell you about and photograph for you.

We are able to continue to bring you The Edinburgh Reporter because of the support of our sponsors and advertisers, and so we encourage all our readers to visit our Advent Calendar and perhaps buy something there!

And of course, if you should be in a position to advertise to our 25,000 monthly readers then we would be very glad to hear from you. Our rates are very reasonable.

We would also be glad to hear from you if you have any stories for us. We accept all submissions, ideas and constructive criticism. Please comment on our articles and keep us on our toes.

Our photo shows Tian Tian in her den at Edinburgh Zoo. Have you been to see the pandas yet? what do you think?

The thing you need to know today

The Edinburgh Reporter is having a wee holiday. We hope that perhaps you are too, and that you have a great time for the rest of December. We will be back, renewed and refreshed, at the beginning of January 2012…..we are sure that there will be more Tramadrama and Pandamonium for us to tell you about and photograph for you.

We are able to continue to bring you The Edinburgh Reporter because of the support of our sponsors and advertisers, and so we encourage all our readers to visit our Advent Calendar and perhaps buy something there!

And of course, if you should be in a position to advertise to our 25,000 monthly readers then we would be very glad to hear from you. Our rates are very reasonable.

We would also be glad to hear from you if you have any stories for us. We accept all submissions, ideas and constructive criticism. Please comment on our articles and keep us on our toes.

Our photograph today shows one of the Jungle City elephants in Princes Street Gardens in the summer. Our YouTube video  tells you more…

AUDIO – Some of the highlights at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery reopened at the beginning of December 2011 after two years of extensive renovations. The whole project has incorporated both internal and external works, and the public floorspace has been increased by about 60 per cent. The building dates from the 1880s and was designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson to show off the nation’s people. There is a huge array of portraits, but curiously the new exhibitions include some landscapes too where the curators have thought it necessary to portray Scotland and the Scots relationship to it. Photography has a firm place in the gallery now and you will no doubt love the Hot Scots exhibition which is on the left as you enter the main door, featuring photographs of David Tennant and Robert Carlyle, as well as artist John Byrne, a well-kent face about Edinburgh.

One of the most striking features is that the top floor interlinking galleries are now lit by skylights and form a wonderfully inviting airy space. An innovative plan has been to put screens in front of windows where daylight might otherwise damage some of the works displayed, but these can be easily removed for future exhibitions.

Another is the 48 person lift which will whisk you to the top floor. The cafe on the ground floor is busy, even at 10 o’clock in the morning when the gallery first opens. The whole atmosphere is one of renewed interest in all things Scottish, and the renovation has done much to make the space much more inviting to the public.

Just before the gallery reopened, The Reporter spoke with two of the curators, David Taylor and Imogen Booth to bring you just a small flavour of what is there waiting for you on your visit.

 

 

Scottish National Portrait Gallery 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JD 

pginfo@nationalgalleries.org

Open daily 10am to 5pm and until 7pm on Thursdays

The thing you need to know today

The Edinburgh Reporter is having a wee holiday. We hope that perhaps you are too, and that you have a great time for the rest of December. We will be back, renewed and refreshed, at the beginning of January 2012…..we are sure that there will be more Tramadrama and Pandamonium for us to tell you about and photograph for you.

We are able to continue to bring you The Edinburgh Reporter because of the support of our sponsors and advertisers, and so we encourage all our readers to visit our Advent Calendar and perhaps buy something there!

And of course, if you should be in a position to advertise to our 25,000 monthly readers then we would be very glad to hear from you. Our rates are very reasonable.

We would also be glad to hear from you if you have any stories for us. We accept all submissions, ideas and constructive criticism. Please comment on our articles and keep us on our toes.

Our photograph today shows Edinburgh’s Dean Owens. If by any chance you did not get the presents you wanted for Christmas you could do worse than buy his CD….which will help raise funds for the charity Mind.

The thing you need to know today

Happy Christmas!! In case you didn’t see him last night here is Santa…hope he brought you some goodies this morning.

The Edinburgh Reporter is having a wee holiday. We hope that perhaps you are too, and that you have a great time for the rest of December. We will be back, renewed and refreshed, at the beginning of January 2012…..we are sure that there will be more Tramadrama and Pandamonium for us to tell you about and photograph for you.

We are able to continue to bring you The Edinburgh Reporter because of the support of our sponsors and advertisers, and so we encourage all our readers to visit our Advent Calendar and perhaps buy something there!

And of course, if you should be in a position to advertise to our 25,000 monthly readers then we would be very glad to hear from you. Our rates are very reasonable.

We would also be glad to hear from you if you have any stories for us. We accept all submissions, ideas and constructive criticism. Please comment on our articles and keep us on our toes.

The Edinburgh Reporter Advent Calendar – Gift idea for cooks – ‘A Taste of Mey’

The affection that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother felt for Caithness and The Castle of Mey was well understood and appreciated, not only by those closest to Her, but also by the people in the far North of Scotland. In a new book, compiled and edited by Christina Murray, and published by The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, this enduring affection is reciprocated through a fascinating series of anecdotes and recipes dedicated to the memory of the much loved owner of The Castle of Mey who, over a period of fifty years, bought it back to life.

We attended the press launch of the book earlier in the year, where we got to try out some of the food and had the opportunity to chat with Mrs Murray about her project:-  

A Taste of Mey takes the reader to this special place on the northernmost shores of Scotland, through the Castle’s venerable oak front doors and into a world of personal stories, previously uncirculated photographs and well guarded recipes, published here for the first time.

This beautifully illustrated hardback book, gives a rare insight into the life of The Queen Mother, her time at the Castle of Mey, anecdotes of favourite picnics taken whatever the weather, Her fantastic sense of fun and humour, alongside stories of the Castle itself and the Caithness region.  

With recipes for a range of starters, meat, vegetables, poultry, game and fish dishes, pudding, savouries, baking and hoosh-mi* the book reads like an Aladdin’s Cave of gastronomic treats.  This is not however a book which you will give away easily as it has many little stories in it which make for interesting reading while you wait for your dish to cook!

Contributors include, amongst others, The Queen Mother’s former head chef, Micheal Sealey; Chairman of The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, Equerry to Queen Elizabeth and Extra Equerry to HRH The Prince of Wales, Ashe Windham; and the niece of HM The Queen, Lady Elizabeth Anson.  

All proceeds from the book will be donated to The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, which will ensure that this historic building continues to welcome visitors for years to come.   * Hoosh-mi was a word coined by HRH Princess Margaret, which became part of the schoolroom vocabulary to describe a mix of any kind.  

Published by The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust   Hardback Original, price £20.00 from www.castleofmey.org.uk ISBN 978-0-9569604-0-5

The thing you need to know today

The Edinburgh Reporter is having a wee holiday. We hope that perhaps you are too, and that you have a great time for the rest of December. We will be back, renewed and refreshed, at the beginning of January 2012…..we are sure that there will be more Tramadrama and Pandamonium for us to tell you about and photograph for you.

We are able to continue to bring you The Edinburgh Reporter because of the support of our sponsors and advertisers, and so we encourage all our readers to visit our Advent Calendar and perhaps buy something there!

And of course, if you should be in a position to advertise to our 25,000 monthly readers then we would be very glad to hear from you. Our rates are very reasonable.

We would also be glad to hear from you if you have any stories for us. We accept all submissions, ideas and constructive criticism. Please comment on our articles and keep us on our toes.

Our photograph today is meant to bring you some calm amid the madness of last minute Christmas shopping!

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