www.list.co.uk/aroundtown
Edinburgh Activities & Events FREE Festival of Meditation and Prayer Until Sun 26 Sep, times vary. Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, 1a Mayfield Road, 667 1522. Probably the most peaceful festival around, this month- long event includes readings, hymns, lectures, a book launch, and even a pilgrimage. FREE Romans Go Home? Fri 10 Sep, 3pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 225 7534. Learn about the Celtic goddess Brigantia. Booking essential. Craft Tea Fri 10 Sep, 6.30–8pm. £20. The Spider & The Fly, 65 Bread Street, magpiemarket@gmail.com. Teapot cocktails, scrumptious cakes, crafty nonsense (materials provided) and vintage music. Twee enough to make you want to poke your eyes out with knitting needles. FREE Surviving Eidyn Sat 11 Sep, 9am–noon. Holyrood Park, Holyrood Lodge, 652 8150. Learn what life was like for Edinburgh’s prehistoric residents on a tough 3-hour guided walk with the Ranger Service. Booking essential. FREE Remembered Remedies Sat 11 Sep, 10am–noon. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. We all know dock leaves take the nip out of a nettle sting, but how else do we use plants as remedies? FREE Mushrooms: Poisons, Potions and Panacaeas Sat 11 Sep, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Looking at modern scientific versus traditional uses of fungi. Ladies Driving Challenge Sun 12 Sep, 9am. £20 advance sponsorship. Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, 0845 450 2000. Have a go behind the wheel of a fire engine, double-decker bus, articulated lorry and more. In aid of Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland. FREE RBGE Show and Tell: Plants of Afghanistan Wed 15 Sep, 1.30–3pm. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Jane Corrie discusses the work of RBGE staff on the plants of Afghanistan. FREE Autumnwatch with the RSPB Sat 18 Sep, 10am–4pm. John Hope Gateway Centre, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Arboretum Place, 552 7171. Fun and activities in honour of our avian friends with the RSPB. FREE Yeasts: Friends or Foes? Sun 19 Sep, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Learn about yeasts with the University of Aberdeen, from the harmful ones to the ones without which we couldn’t make essentials like bread and beer. FREE Glow in the Dark Fungi and The Secret Sounds of Spores Mon 20 Sep, 1–4pm. John Hope Gateway Centre, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Arboretum Place, 552 7171. A talk on bioluminescent fungi and with live experimental music created from the patterns of falling mushroom spores. Fashion Show Thu 23 Sep, 7pm. £20. Barcelo Carlton Hotel, 19 North Bridge, 0844 892 0212. Featuring ladies’ clothing from Chi Boutique and many more treats, in aid of the NSPCC’s ChildLine service. Otter Survival Fund Evening Thu 23 Sep, 7.30–9pm. £6. Edinburgh Zoo: Education Centre, Corstorphine Road, 314 0350 . An evening dedicated to the work of the International Otter Survival Fund, with footage of the rare hairy nose otter in the wild. Cue big ‘aaaahs’ all round. Fairs FREE Magpie Market Sun 12 Sep, noon–5pm. The Lot, 4–6 Grassmarket, 225 9922. A craft fair offering contemporary craft and design objects from Edinburgh and beyond. Fundraising Swap Shop Wed 15 Sep, 7pm. £4. Roxy Art House, 2 Roxburgh Place, 629 0039. A fundraising event for VSO including a swap shop, raffle and live set from the Black Diamond Express.
Around Town
Askasaurus: The Dinosaur Event for Grown-ups Kids tend to get all the good things: organised nap time, adventure
playgrounds, Babygros... and at some point, they seem to have called dibs on dinosaurs, too. To rectify that, the National Museum of Scotland have decided to put on an adults-only dinosaur talk. If you’ve been a secret stegosaurus fan since you were six, now’s the time to get any T-Rex-sized questions off your chest. ■ National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Sat 18 Sep, 3–4pm, free.
Food & Drink FREE The Village Store & Tinker Tailor Sat 11 & 18 Sep, 10am–2pm. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7100. Weekly local shop for Leithers in search of quality ethical goods or a friendly fixers to help you make do and mend. FREE Bruncheon! Featuring The Sound of Muesli Sat 11 Sep, 11.30am–3pm. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7100. Brunch and live music plus your choice of breakfast, traditional or continental. Dinner dances are so last year, darling: it’s all about twisting with your toast. Jolly Toper Whisky Tastings Thu 16 Sep, 7.30pm. £17 (approx). The Tolbooth Tavern, 167 Canongate, 556 5864. Whisky tasting sessions at one of the best- stocked bars in town. Booking essential.
Sport FREE Edinburgh Rugby vs Munster Fri 10 Sep, 7.05pm. Murrayfield Stadium, Riversdale Crescent, 346 5000. The locals take on the Irish winners of the 2010 Heineken Cup. Archery World Cup Final 2010 Sat 18 & Sun 19 Sep, times vary. Spectators free (small charge for grandstand seating). East Princes Street Gardens, Princes Street, The FITA Archery World Cup Final comes to the UK for the first time. ‘Come and try’ sessions are also available. Talks Seminar: Unmasking the Lewis Chessmen Sat 11 Sep, 10.45am–4.30pm. £20 (members £15). National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 225 7534. A day-long seminar highlighting recent research into the Lewis Chessmen. Lunch not included. Booking essential. Desperate Romantics: The True Story of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Mon 13 Sep, 10.30am. £8. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Learn the truth about these scandalous 19th-century arty boys. Booking essential. FREE Acquiring Cultural Capital: Contemporary Art in Denmark Tue 14 Sep, 12.45–1.30pm. National Gallery of Scotland: Hawthornden Lecture
Theatre, The Mound, 624 6200. Dr Jonathan Blackwood looks at developments in Danish art since the end of the Second World War. Carnivore Talk Thu 16 Sep, 7.30–9pm. £6. Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Catch up with what’s been happening over the last few months in the world of the Zoo’s big cats. FREE Among the Hollyhocks: Berthe Morisot’s Garden Pictures in Context Fri 17 Sep, 12.45–1.30pm. National Gallery of Scotland: Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, The Mound, 624 6200. The symbolism and social significance of impressionist garden scenes. Askasaurus: The Dinosaur Event for Grown-ups Sat 18 Sep, 10.45am–4.30pm. £20 (members £15). National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 225 7534. No-kids dino talk. See picture. Artists from the Highlands Mon 20 Sep, 10.30am. £8. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. A talk on key artists from the Highlands in the 19th century. Booking essential. FREE Monet at Giverny Tue 21 Sep, 12.45–1.30pm. National Gallery of Scotland: Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, The Mound, 624 6200. A talk on how the gardens at Monet’s village home shaped his art. Edinburgh in Arabia – Creation of the Oman Botanic Garden Thu 23 Sep, 7.30pm. £5 (£3). Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 5339. Leigh Morris, RBGE’s Head of Education, discusses this enterprise, with which he has been closely involved. Booking essential.
Workshops ✽✽ Napiers 150th Anniversary Workshops Wed 15 & 22 Sep,
6pm. £5 (redeemable against purchases). Stockbridge Parish Church, 7b Saxe Coburg Street, 332 0122. Seeing as they’re drawing on a century-and-a-half’s worth of accumulated knowledge, we’re assuming Edinburgh’s herbalists know their stuff when it comes to natural healthcare. See Hitlist. Stencilled Velvet Cards and Panels Sun 12 Sep, 10.30am–3.30pm. £15. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road
South, 529 3963. Learn the craft of stencilling on velvet. Booking essential. Paul Hill Day Sun 12 Sep, 10.30am–4.30pm. £30. Stills, 23 Cockburn Street, 01698 826414. See Glasgow. Life Drawing Classes Sun 12 Sep, 2–5pm. £7 for two hours; £10 for three hours. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, leigh.cho@hotmail.com. Drop-in life drawing classes. Enter via 36 Dalmeny St (buzzer 040). FREE Visually Impaired Tour and Workshop: Christen Kobke Wed 15 Sep, 10am–3.30pm. National Gallery Complex, The Mound, 624 6560. A descriptive tour and practical workshop based on the current exhibition. FREE Discovering Family History at NLS Wed 15 Sep, 6pm. National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. Delve into your family’s past as NLS reveals research techniques in this practical workshop. Booking essential. Cupcake Decorating Class Wed 15 Sep, 7pm. £20. Foodies at Holyrood, 67 Holyrood Road, 657 3858. Cake decoration demonstrations followed by practical application of what you’ve learnt and a free glass of bubbly. Best of all, you get to take your four beautifully iced cakes home at the end of the night (if you haven’t eaten them already, that is). FREE Easel Sketching in the Gallery Thu 16 & Fri 17 Sep, 2–4pm. National Gallery Complex, The Mound, 624 6200. A drawing session led by artist Damian Callan. Rhythm in Colour Workshops Thu 16 Sep & Thu 23 Sep, 7–9.15pm. £99 for five weeks. Art’s Complex, St. Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, A series of workshops for women exploring music, painting, movement and colour. Creative Writing Sat 18 Sep, 10.30am–1.30pm. £12 (£10). National Gallery of Scotland: Clore Education Centre, The Mound, 624 6200. Get your creative juices flowing and try putting pen to paper, inspired by the current exhibition. Folk Art Paper Sculpture Sat 18 Sep, 10.30am–3.30pm. £15. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Learn to make wreathes, bunting and pictures from handmade papers, ribbons, buttons and beads. Booking essential. 9–23 Sep 2010 THE LIST 39