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Published: April 4th 2017
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We had a bit of time to kill. The appointment at the Palace of Nicola was not until 11 am. The events of the week in London suggested security would be tight, so we decided to give ourselves plenty of time. Check out complete and bags stored at the hotel, we set off for a stroll round the New Town. The city centre of Edinburgh is in two distinct sections, Old and New. The Old Town is dominated by the imposing Castle, perched high on the crag. The Royal Mile runs from the Castle to the Palace of Holyrood lower down the hill. A series of lanes and alleys runs off the main drag in a cluttered, unplanned system. The New Town is the complete opposite - planned on a grid. The masterpiece of town planning was actually built in 3 phases between 1767 and 1850. The splendid Georgian buildings largely remain intact, once you wander a few streets north beyond Princes Street. Princes Street is largely devoted to retail and many buildings have been changed to reflect their demands. The main exception is the Edinburgh institution, Jenners Department Store. The shopping area has expanded to the far side of St
Andrews Square these days with the arrival of Harvey Nics and other high end stores anchoring around the redeveloped transport hub. The concrete block around the John Lewis store is now being flattened and with modern planning is probably going to be redeveloped with more sympathetic construction to blend into the original structures. The New Town falls away below Queen Street towards Stockbridge and the Water of Leith. The gardens off Queen Street remain a private seclusion for privileged dogs and their owners only. Charlotte Square houses part of the National Archives of Scotland, as well as Bute House - the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland. There was no sign of Nicola. We headed back towards Hanover Street to catch a Number 6 to Holyrood.
Security was still tight at the new Scottish Parliament building. I waltzed through unmolested. The Other Half had the contents of her handbag emptied. A nail file was deemed a risk and duly confiscated. However, a receipt was carefully written so that she could collect it on departure. She doesn't have a good record where security is tight - her track record includes losing water at a Croatian futsal
match, scissors in Brisbane etc. I think the porcupine quill from Namibia was a fair cop mind. It actually was potentially dangerous. The Scottish Parliament building provokes mixed emotions.It was designed by Catalan architect, Eric Miralles and opened in 2004. The snag was that it should have opened in 2001 and the final bill came in at £400 million plus, as opposed to the original estimates of £40 million. A bit of a difference. If we disregard the costs and the miscalculation, it is without doubt a fantastic building. Modern, but with tradition incorporated. The clever incorporation of Queensbury House within the design, so that a 17th century Edinburgh townhouse is part of the complex. The use of contrasting materials - concrete, oak and how it blends into the scenery of Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crag etc. The walls are covered with sculpture and paintings. The Scottish Saltire flag is incorporated throughout, but with unusual twists. The actual chamber doesn't lend itself to the Westminster situation of confrontation, which is probably a whole lot more use for actually getting something achieved. As you can probably tell, I like it. I am particularly taken with the so called think pods -
window seats in the offices of the MSPs designed for reflection and thought. I can understand the financial issues and frustration that it caused, but then we'll have to get around to a refurbishment of Westminster some time soon and how much is that going to cost? If Scotland does go it alone in the future, at least they will have a building to be proud of for their Government seat.
The nail file was successfully retrieved and we set off back down the hill to deposit a jacket at the hotel. The weather was still remarkably good. Blue skies and temperatures heading into the high teens. I wasn't planning on getting a suntan. The majority of visitors seemed to be overdressed, although it has to be said that some southern Europeans have no concept of really cold weather. Was this the start of another Summer of '76? Bus 27 proceeded very slowly out of the city centre towards Pilton. The weekday bus lanes were not in force, so random and indiscriminate parking slowed our progress. I noted one wing mirror ripped off and twisted by a passing vehicle. It was always going to happen. An expensive way to
spend your Saturday afternoon. The Botanic Gardens seemed a popular destination with the weather. We pressed on passing the Heriot Watt Rugby Club ground. The traffic on Ferry Road was equally heavy. There was little activity at the ground of Stewart Melville FP Rugby Club. We alighted by a Morrisons supermarket, that I had established as a landmark and a drop in point for a cheeky sandwich. Ainslie Park - home of Spartans Football Club - was directly behind beyond the disused railway line. The Lowland League club were tucked in behind the leisure centre. A smart cantilever stand with 300 red seats and a brand new clubhouse behind the goal, Spartans were clearly proud of their facility. As with last night, this was Lowland League fayre. However our groundhopping friends were elsewhere today. They had 3 games on their circuit and were currently basking in the sunshine at Coldstream via Eyemouth United. There would be no tales of journeys to nowhere today. It was gratifying to see that all visible had both shoelaces tied. I recognised a couple from the bus back from Preston last night. It was fairly easy in the unhealthy crowd of 94. My own headcount.
Sad, I know. The rest of Edinburgh was probably doing the sensible thing and having a pint or two down Portobello.
Spartans opposition today were Gala Fairydean Rovers. They had a sizeable group of 30 or so in the crowd number. We were indeed away with the fairies. I had seen Gala in August - see my Others Sleep, We Dream Blog - but the team seemed to have changed since then. The kit man appeared to have underestimated the sheer size of the left back and he looked like a teenager squeezed into a shirt big enough for a 10 year old. The pitch was an artificial 4G crumb surface. Gala also play on the same surface, so neither team could have any real excuses for the poor play on offer. It was probably too hot for both teams. 1-1 at half time - both keepers could have done better on the goals. The guide in the Scottish Parliament talked of the great and the good in arts, engineering and medicine who had lived in Edinburgh over the years. There was a saying apparently. ...... you were never more than a few yards from a genius. I looked
at the crowd .... There was certainly no genius on the pitch! We ventured into the impressive clubhouse. Free wifi. A large photograph of Rod Stewart with a Spartans player dominated the entrance. Haggis was not on the menu. The Other Half chose Scotch Pie instead. The game fizzled out in the sunshine.
The Cross Country train south from Waverley was ontime. There were no seniors on the liquor on our return. Teesside however had diverted attention from York today and decided Durham needed relieving of alcohol. The train became a little boisterous for the final leg home.
Appendix 1 Scotland Lowland League Spartans FC 1 Gala Fairydean Rovers FC 1 Date: 25 March 2017 @ 1500 Hours Venue: Ainslie Park, Pilton Drive, Edinburgh
Attendance: Est 94 + 0 Non League Dogs
Goals: 1-0 J Beesley (31'), 1-1 Brown (45')
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Rainyb
Lorraine Brecht
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