Culture
Pitlochry Festival Theatre: Playwright Frances Poet on her adaptation of Sense and Sensibility
Award-winning Scottish playwright Frances Poet is bringing her new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved Sense and Sensibility to the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. We caught up with her amid rehearsals to hear what life’s been like working on the play and what audiences can expect from the show. When did you first read Sense and…
Read MoreEdinburgh International Film Festival: Saoirse Ronan to be on the red carpet as The Outrun is premiered
Hollywood star Saoirse Ronan will open this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival with the UK premiere of a new film based on Orcadian writer Amy Liptrot’s memoir The Outrun. The Brooklyn actress has already been praised for her performance in the film following previous premieres at the Sundance film festivals. The book describes Amy’s return…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Denzil Meyrick: ‘They say the purpose of fiction is to remove the reader to another place’
Denzil Meyrick on his memories of being read Treasure Island by his grandmother, his favourite three books of the year so far, and being inspired by the the late Angus MacVicar. The first book I remember reading: The first book I remember was Treasure Island, read to me by my grandmother, Margaret McMillan. I…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Caroline Eden: ‘My favourite place to read is on a quiet train, going anywhere’
Caroline Eden finds comfort away from the road in her basement Edinburgh kitchen. In her latest book she cooks recipes from her travels, reflects on past adventures and contemplates the kitchen’s ability to tell human stories. The first book I remember reading: As soon as I was old enough to read on my own…
Read MoreScottish Nature Photography Awards: Winner Charles Everitt on Scotland’s botanical landscape
From delicate wildflowers to dramatic landscapes, this year’s Scottish Nature Photography Awards create timeless portraits of our picturesque wee nation. For this year’s winner Charles Everitt, Scotland’s botanical landscape provides the ultimate inspiration. His picture Lily of the Valley, taken in Edinburgh, placed first in the Scottish Botanical category and was crowned the winner of…
Read MoreBlademaker using laughing gas canisters and beach litter to make top quality eco friendly knives
As a former professional chef, Tim Westley knows how important having the right knife is. So it’s not surprising his hand-forged knives – created from highly unusual, recycled materials – are highly prized by some top chefs in the UK. Tim makes his incredible eco blades at his workshop in Dumfries and Galloway using steel…
Read MoreThe 10 most important Scottish artists you should know about
Ahead of Bonhams Scottish Art auction on 15 May in Edinburgh, Specialist and Head of Sale, May Matthews, introduces ten of the most important Scottish artists from the last 250 years. Henry Raeburn Perhaps Scotland’s most well-known painter, Henry Raeburn (1756–1823) had a tremendously successful career as a portrait painter in the late 18th…
Read MoreReview: The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh
It was Coco Chanel who said ‘luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it’s not luxury.’ And I think it’s fair to say the purveyors of grandeur at Edinburgh’s famous The Caledonian Hotel have taken this motto to heart. An imposing block of red sandstone on Edinburgh’s premier Princes Street, The Caley, as it’s affectionately known, oozes…
Read MoreAmanda Hayler: ‘Art became a form of escapism from the real world after my cancer diagnosis’
Art has always been a part of Amanda Hayler’s life. She remembers loving to draw from a very young age, from cats and castles to trees and princesses. After high school she even considered training to become a medical illustrator. But it wasn’t until she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2012, aged 47,…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Marion Todd: ‘Wuthering Heights is entirely miserable, I just didn’t care what happened to the characters’
Marion Todd on being inspired to write crime fiction by Kate Atkinson, why she always recommends Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and her best three books of the year. The first book I remember reading: The Little Red Hen – a Ladybird book. I still have my dog-eared copy and it’s like an old friend.…
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