Harvest Festival: Leith Community Crops in Pots, St James’ Episcopal Church and the Himalayan Centre for Arts and Culture invite you to their harvest festival afternoon, with workshops, pot luck lunch, talk, songs, storytelling and crafts. 12 noon-4pm, St James Scottish Episcopal Church, 11a John’s Place, Leith. Free but please bring a small contribution for lunch. For more information please contact 07949 740 030 or email harriet@himalayancentre.org.
French Family Saturdays: Meme Pas Peur! It’s Halloween, but no one is afraid of the ghosts! In this all-in-French workshop for children we will be making paper masks of Jack-O’Lanterns and cats. Come in your costumes – the best one will win a very special prize! And as usual, a French ’goûter’ will be served. All children aged from 4 to 10 and their parents are welcome. 1-3pm, Institut francais d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. Tickets cost £7 (£4 members) per child, accompanying adults free. Advance booking is highly recommended and may be made by emailing info@ifecosse.org.uk. The programme for the Family Saturdays season 2015/16 is available here. For details of membership of the Institute click here.
Photographic Competition: A Day in the Life of Morningside. Morningside Community Council invites you to capture the spirit of the area on one day (today!). Entry fee £5 (over 18s) £2 (under 18s) and great prizes for both age groups. For more information and to register, please visit the Community Council’s website here. If you have any difficulties or queries, please email morningsidephotocomp@gmail.com. Supported by Edinburgh Evening News (which is offering a 1-2 day work experience session in its Photography Department as one of the adult prizes).
The 2015 Scottish International Storytelling Festival continues today! A ten-day celebration of live storytelling, oral traditions and cultural diversity in which Scottish stories intertwine with those of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. Storytelling, family events, walking tours, talks, lectures and workshops at venues around Edinburgh. Today’s events include a fun-filled cruise with Macastory, Harvest Stories with Crops in Pots, An Evening with the Hakawati, Stories Without Borders: Nicosia, an Open Hearth session with David Campbell – and lots more. Read The Edinburgh Reporter’s article about the festival here, and for the full programme and booking details visit the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s website here. More events every day until 1st November 2015.
Juniper Green Farmers’ Market: stalls with an extensive range of products, including breads, cakes, cheeses, fish, meat, pies, preserves, coffee, Fair Trade goods, hot snacks and drinks. The market also offers local residents the chance to meet with their local councillors, community councillors, MP and MSP. 9am-1pm, Juniper Green Village Hall, 1A Juniper Park Road. Organised by Juniper Green Community Council.
St Bride’s Family Cinema: see your favourite films for free! Juice and choc ices available in the interval for 50p. Today’s film is Paddington (PG). Please note: all children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Subtitles are available on request. 10.30am-12.30pm, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. Next week’s film will be Shrek The Third (U). All welcome.
Stories and Songs with Mrs Mash. Come and meet Mrs Mash, the storytelling cook, as she brings her very own recipe for food fun to the Library. Enjoy stories, songs and joining-in for families, inspired by the fascinating ‘Lifting the lid‘ exhibition. Hear a tale about kale, a story about the princess who had to make her own sausages, and find out why Scottish children had to drink beer! 2pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required; please call 0131 623 3734 or book online here. This event forms part of the 2015 Scottish International Storytelling Festival.
Out of the Blue Flea Market: over 45 stalls full to bursting with clothes, jewellery, small furniture, music, books, bric-a-brac and much more. Delicious coffee, cake and light lunches available at the Drill Hall Arts Cafe. 10am-3pm, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street.
Storytime with BB and Hardy: 11am, The Book Bothy, Far From The Madding Crowd, 20 High Street, Linlithgow. Free.
Mission: Climate Science. Join the climate scientists who are keeping tabs on how greenhouse gases affect our climate. Discover the science of climate change through performance, activities and exhibits, or take on the role of ‘mission scientist’ on a research flight over the Arctic. For ages 12+. Mission: Climate Science shows (one hour duration) begin at 1.30 and 3pm; drop-in activities run from 10am-5pm, Real Life Science Studio, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Free. Arranged with The University of Edinburgh, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements. Also at same times on Sunday 25th October 2015.
Dark Age Jeweller: visit the new exhibition about Cramond during the Dark Ages and then have fun creating art works inspired by the period at this family workshop. Many amazing artefacts were made by crafts people during the Dark Ages; be inspired to make your own Pictish or Saxon style brooch to pin on your cloak. With Margaret Lowrey. 2.30-4pm, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate. Tickets cost £4 and must be booked in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here. Please note that these sessions are intended for families working together: at least one paying adult must accompany your child, and no child should be booked into a session alone.
Tiger Tales: stories and crafts for children aged 4-8. 3pm, Fountainbridge Library, 137 Dundee Street. For more information please ask at the counter or call the library on 0131 529 5616.
Frayed Edges: Guido’s Garden. A new exhibition by the Edinburgh/Fife-based textiles, paper, metal ++ group, with India Flint. Lindores Abbey is the inspiration for this work; the ruins visible today hold memories of the monks who founded it, times of greatness and subsequent decay. 12 noon-6pm daily except Monday 26th October, Patriothall Gallery, 1D Patriothall, off Hamilton Place, Stockbridge.
Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway Autumn Steam Gala: trains will run all day Saturday and Sunday, with evening trains on Saturday. All weekend there will be an on train buffet serving snacks and real ale; relax and enjoy a real ale on the move! For full details of timetables, ticket prices and engines – including the Guest Engine, Furness Railway No.20 – see the railway’s website here. You can also enjoy the site at Bo’ness via the new Visitor Trail, starting beside the Model Railway Display and ending at The Museum of Scottish Railways, Scotland’s largest railway museum. Take a journey into the past and explore three large buildings filled with locomotives, carriages, wagons and other railway artefacts; discover how railways transformed the lives of our ancestors, see Scotland’s only Royal Saloon coach, learn why the fish van has a sloping floor, come face to face with a mechanical horse and much more. The Station Buffet will be open on both days for breakfast (served until 11.30am) hot and cold drinks, snacks and full meals. Plenty of free on site parking. The Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, Bo’ness Station, Union St, Bo’ness, EH51 9AQ.
The Open Door Presents The Amazing Adventures of Fred and Rita Daniels: the second of Fred and Rita’s illustrated talks this month about their adventures in Tibet, Lebanon and Syria. Tonight: Lebanon and Syria. Take in the ancient civilisations that created the diverse history and culture of Lebanon, visiting Aanjar, Beirut, Byblos, the magnificent palace in Beiteddine, and one of the world’s largest hippodromes at Tyre. In Syria discover a country torn apart by civil war; visit the ancient cities of Aleppo, Baalbek and Ugarit and the crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers. Experience the country’s breath-taking landscapes, and see the ruins of Palmyra, following in the footsteps of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra. 7.30pm, Centenary Hall, Greenbank Church, Braidburn Terrace. Admission: £10 per person (price includes refreshments); early booking is advised. Tickets are available from The Open Door, 420 Morningside Road (tel: 0131 447 9757).
Edinburgh Society of Musicians: Andrew Lees (violin) and Nancy Crook (piano) perform works by Beethoven, Brahms, and, with Catriona Hetherington (cello), by J S Bach. 7.30pm, Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road. Free. The Edinburgh Society of Musicians has been promoting practical music-making in Edinburgh since 1887; chamber music recitals are given every Saturday evening from early October until the end of June. The Society attracts a variety of performers, from students in search of experience to accomplished amateurs and professionals, well known Scottish or international musicians; if you would like to perform, please contact John Bryden at jobryd2@aol.com and include your telephone number.
Inverleith House Autumn Screenings: Anne-Marie Copestake & Duncan Marquiss. Inverleith House presents two artist films that consider the natural world and scientific enquiry, as part of a new short season of screenings reflecting upon the gallery’s unique position as an artistic organisation within a scientific research institution and Botanic Garden. This first screening comprises Back As Front, Inside As Out, Part One, by Anne-Marie Copestake, and Search Film by Duncan Marquiss. The artists will be joined by invited speakers Dr Mick Marquiss, biologist and contributor to Search Film, Francis McKee, Director, CCA, and Isla Leaver-Yapp, Project Director, Lux Scotland, for a conversation after the screening. 6.30pm, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Tickets cost £3/£2 and may be purchased via eventbrite here. Image: Duncan Marquiss, Search Film, 2015 (Film Still). Courtesy of the artist.
Sustrans Scotland Ceilidh with Ceilidh Caleerie: a fundraiser and a celebration of 20 years of Sustrans’ National Cycle Network. Sustrans is a charity enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of the journeys made every day; its work makes it possible for people to choose healthier, cleaner and cheaper journeys, with better places and spaces to move through and live in. In addition to the music and dancing, there will be an introduction from National Director John Lauder and a raffle with a fantastic range of prizes. 7.30 (dancing from 8)-11.30pm, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. Tickets cost £10/£5 (children under 16) and are available from Nicola McNeill on 07890 562 082 or mnicola@lyars.demon.co.uk, or via eventbrite here.
Rocka Hillbillies + The Spooks: Rocka Hillibillies are devoted to recreating the authentic sounds of 50s rockabilly, and have been delighting audiences all over Scotland with their unique blend of roots, rockabilly and country music, which sounds as fresh and exciting today as it ever did back in the day. Edinburgh-based four piece band The Spooks are intent on playing music as it was played in the good old 1960s: with enthusiasm, dedication and a high degree of character and energy. All of the songs they perform are original compositions by band members, but authentically 1960s in their sound. For over 18s only. 8pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £5 and are available via eventbrite here (transaction fee applies).
Ded Rabbit: energetic animated stage action from Gaine brothers Donal (bass), Fergus (guitar), Eoin (drums) and Eugene (sax/voc), with influences from The Beatles to Queens of the Stone Age, and their own ‘maddeningly funky, indie-pop’ sound. Plus DJ Astrojazz. 12 midnight (entry from 11.30pm)-3am, The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door; please note this venue is strictly cash only.
