West End Doubles

Holga double exposures from the West End...

A road runs through it...

Not actually a double - just some kind of lazy sunflower lying on a bench

Litter flowers

Seahorse tenement

Walk this way...

Plain Bob Major

St. Andrew's and St. George's, where the Swing Sensation gig was, had an excellent spire reflected wavily in a bank window opposite. There was also a wee, winding staircase going up into it past the bell ropes outside the balcony of the church. I was very tempted to go and have a look, but we were already cutting it fine to catch the train and getting locked into bell-towers rarely ends well...

That Swing Sensation

A few shots from That Swing Sensation's Fringe show in Edinburgh on Friday...

Led by the inimitable Jon Ritchie

And featuring the Kennedy Cupcakes

and realistic scenery...

Edwin Morgan Competition 2010

I was through in Edinburgh yesterday, photographing the prizegiving ceremony of this year's Edwin Morgan Poetry Competition, only to hear that Edwin himself died this morning at the age of 90...

David Kinloch introducing the proceedings

Robert Crawford, who had judged the competition...

...along with Kathleen Jamie.

A.B. Jackson, who won first prize

Second prizewinner Nick MacKinnon

Richard Lambert who was Highly Commended...

...as was Susan Grindley.

Line-up at the reception afterwards - held in a very fancy building in Charlotte Square. The room itself had a number of feather boas and red roses strewn about decoratively. We managed to avoid anyone getting up and dancing on the table wearing them, though (or at least they hadn't by the time I left).

Badly lit pic of Sandy Hutchison chatting to Nick MacKinnon and his wife.

Equally horribly lit photo of Susan Grindley and Richard Lambert having a discussion involving complex poetical hand gestures (as a trainee poet I have only learn a few of the more straightforward ones so far...)

Afterwards, Gilly and I went to have coffee and pudding with her visiting American friends Sharon and Ernie in Browns nearby. Sharon and I both had an "Eton Mess" but it wasn't really anything like I'd imagined (i.e. something like this:

pic from here) as there were a whole lot of wee, mad bits of white chocolate and no discernable pieces of meringue. Gilly and I did consider complaining, but weren't sure we'd be convincing as Old Etonians... However, the conversation and real, live jazz pianist in the corner made up for this. If you're off to the Book Festival yourself though, remember - Browns: good with pianos; unclear on puddings...

Lit up building on the way back to the train

The world's shortest fireworks display (as seen through lots of trees)

The Castle and stuff (but without fireworks)

Dancing Shoes

Step We Gaily

It was Morag and Colin's wedding ceilidh on Saturday at the Piping Centre with The Jiggers ceilidh band (who were really good).

Yellow dress

Dancing the little-known "Zombie Reel"

Morag with assembled Men in Kilts

Colin dancing the "Dashing White Sergeant" with Morag's mum

Well-coordinated waltzing

"Hooligan's Jig"
"The Swedish Masquerade" led by Colin's parents (following the instructions of the band - they didn't just decide to make everyone walk around like this themselves out of sheer devilry...)

Morag's mum had compelled Stuart to stop taking photos and dance with Morag...

...so I was on main photo-duty for a dance. Didn't really do much dancing myself, although Julie and I did have a go at the Military Two-step (which is my favourite one - though sometimes it's called the Boston Polka) and only went a wee bit Steptoe and Son when we couldn't keep track of who was dancing what part...

Umpteen more photos for keen ceilidh watchers over here.

Shadow City

Vestige

Vestige #1
Originally uploaded by sully_glasgow

I have been mostly having an ear infection for the last few days and haven't taken any photos :-( However, Morag has some very cunning ones of "Vestige" by Rob Mulholland. More pics of the sculptures and surrounding scenery over here.

Tower View

University Rooftops 7
Originally uploaded by Ben Cooper

For all you tower fans out there here's a set of daring shots from the roof of the University at night, taken by Ben Cooper on Flickr (not me - I used to get to the top of the climbing frame as a child, freeze and have to picked off by my father - once he'd managed to prise my fingers from the bars...)

Cirrus

EP Launch

I was at the launch of 32 Miles to Breakfast's new EP on Friday at The Ferry on Saturday. It was a really good night and also featured Any Colour Black and a guy whose name I didn't catch but who was doing a cunning sort of KT Tunstall thing with a tape loop...