Winterval

it's all very well having celebrations in winter, but it can be downright perishing standing around outside waiting for things to happen. Last night, for instance...

I had a terrific time; I got off the bus and walked up the Mound till I could get a good view standing on the wall overlooking Princes Street Gardens. Radio Forth were playing musak of a vaguely xmassy flavour and some big(ish) wigs were spouting. The Norwegian bigwig mentioned that the 25th November was International Day of Protest Against VAW, so heaps of blessings on him.

Then a troop of drummers wended their way through the throngs. They were dressed how I imagine French soldiers were around at the time of Napoleon, or perhaps they merely looked like a Carry On version of French soldiers. Most likely I'd missed an announcement of who/what they were.

   

They drummed all the way to the top of the Mound and round the corner to were someone had (I assumed) carelessly left a muckle crane lying around.

Mais Non! They got on what turned out to be a death defying and bonemarrow freezing human mobile. Drumming somewhat relentlessly as they were suspended over the hill and swung about the place. The person at the top appeared to shed her hat and clothes, to reveal a trapeze outfit and then gyrate in the sub zero temperature many feet above the tree, the crowd and the sharp pointy railings.

They finished by sprinkling fairy dust over the tree and voila! It was lit. Winterval officially commenced.

Then came a goodly quantity of fireworks.

My feet were nearly numb with cold, but the rest of me was warm, so I hirpled up to que outside St Giles Cathedral for a while, then got trampled in a peculiarly fast moving glacier of christians(?) mobbing the Royal Norwegian Carol concert therein.

It was warm enough inside to thaw my feet but I was too cold to unlock rigid muscles even during the hour and a bit of Norwegian carolling. The concert was excellent, especially the Edinburgh University Chamber Choir. I happily rose to the challenge of trying to sing unfamiliar carols in Norwegian as well as one or two carols I sort of remembered from long ago.

The Norwegian connection needs an explanation.  In thanks for the help and support given to Norway by Scotland during WW2, the Norwegians have gifted the city of Edinburgh a Christmas tree for the past 25 years, hence the Norwegian presence and their Advent Concert.

Costume Exhibition

The Heroes and Heroines exhibition at Leeds City Museum was a diverting way to spend about 45 minutes looking at a variety of costumes from TV and film. There were also some examples of clothes from earlier periods too.

I took a few pictures of the costumes which I found particularly beautiful. The way in which the work involved creating the clothes was well explained on the cards beside the exhibits and this added to my enjoyment. 

Not being any kind of seamstress, I learned a fair amount just reading through the descriptions of techniques for ageing some of the outfits and the level of quality that differs depending on whether the costume is for TV or film.  I wondered if the advent of HD TV will mean everything that is produced will need to be of a higher standard to cope with the detail HD TV can pick up.

Miss Matty's costume from Cranford.

My favourite of the 'real' clothes, a 1950's coral pink cocktail dress.

I didn't take note of where all of the outfits were used, but I've chosen those which seemed most sumptuous, and those photographs which turned out best.

The exhibition is on till the new year, but I doubt I'll return to find out who wore what and in what context.

Day in Leeds

I went on my first visit to Leeds recently. What a lovely place, full of varied architecture and interesting arty things to go see. Not to mention very nice cafes and restaurants; but why so many shops?

Taking the bus tour around and about helped make sense of the layout before I set off again on foot. I also learned a lot of the history and development of the area.


I've been on a few of these city tours and this was probably the most comprehensive commentary so far, although the ancient gossip about some football team and some referee decision was irrelevant.

 

I took lots of pictures on foot and on the bus.

A curious structure, at the edge of Millennium Square.

The Royal Armories museum.

Statue at City Square.

There is still a lot of Leeds I'd like to see more of, so I hope to return sometime. And while I was there, I went to see a couple of exhibitions and the Henry Moore Institute, but I'll cover those in another post.