The Hunt

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The Edinburgh Tattoo is billed as "The Best Show on Earth!". I wouldn't know though as I haven't seen every show. Certainly of all the shows I have seen, it is the best. For an hour and a half act after act pours forth from the castle gates. As one group is leaving the stage the next act is already entering it. The massed pipe bands were frankly awe inspiring, however the act that stole the show was the New Zealand Military Brass Band. In the programme they are described as being renowned for their talent and diversity. How cringe worthy. I was not looking forward to having to cringe at how "diverse" the little country I came from was on stage. Watching as people boredly watched our turn and then politely clapped as we left. As it turns out though, the programme was being typically Scottish with it's use of words, ie thrifty. They were brilliant, and we heard other nationalities saying so - so it wasn't just the New Zealanders thinking it. An act that was cringe worthy though was the Chilean Concert Band, there as the anniversary of Scotland helping them win their freedom - or something, the programme doesn't go into it and at the time I stopped listening to the MC out of spite because of the sheer boredom of their act. They were followed up by Switzerland's Top Secret Drum Corps. Yes, top secret. On the one hand, the cats out of the bag now - they're no longer a secret. On the other hand, I'll bet you never heard of them before now - pretty secret. Imagine 20 guys dressed up as William Tell each sporting a drum. Then imagine them marching in formation as they play each other's drums and throw their drum sticks about. They came a close second to the New Zealand Act. All too soon the show was over, however since we had seen cannons and fireworks we didn't feel the need to find a vantage point to watch for the fireworks of the late show. Next year we'll be in the stands after all.
The next day we met Jim Allen (former tour guide and Leach family friend) at the national portrait gallery for the Jim tour of the city (he came out of retirement for us). We had a nice picnic on a hill that overlooks Edinburgh and gives you a good view of the land for miles around. Part of the view was watching the preparations of "The Cavalcade". Traditionally, the tattoo and the fringe festival do a street parade to mark the opening of the festival. Acts from the tattoo, the festival, local community groups and private companies are all entered. Jim dropped us off as close to the city as he could - which wasn't too easy with all the roads closed for the parade. We watched the parade from the window of our hostel which was right at the start of the route and eye height with double decker busses and other floats. It's an interesting thought to know that "The Ladyboys of Bangkok" can see right into your hostel room. That night we had dinner with Jim and Sadie Allen (proud inhabitants of Edinburgh). For those in the know, after dinner we competed for the silver fern trophy and I'm pleased to say that New Zealand triumphed.
We have since arrived in London to our flat in Golders Green. We now turn away from some of the holidaying and touring we have been enjoying and concentrate on getting ourselves jobs. Hunting for them. Our OE companion advises that it's a "dog eat dog" world. Other New Zealanders advise that the recruitment agents just don't care and you have to ring them for ever, pester them for ages and generally Hunt. So that is what we shall do. Some of the time, after all, why spoil a nice day with thoughts of work when you could be wandering about in London?

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