Konect Balerno September 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020

COMMUNITY:

THE SEASONAL TOUCH:

Your Vision for a Post-Pandemic Future

PLUS: MONEY MATTERS, HEALTH, NOTES FROM A SMALL VILLAGE, and MUCH more inside!

THIS ISSUE

T

he Pentlands Book Festival is going ahead with a difference this year. As a member of the local community you’re invited to submit a piece of writing to express your vision of the post-pandemic future and have your piece published – see pages 8-9 for details.

The country-wide Doors Open Day is also going ahead with many tours in the city being virtual. Heriot-Watt University are doing a virtual campus tour this year, and the campus will be open too. There is plenty to discover about this historic location – see page 42 for their Doors Open Day information.

A scramble along the waterfront at Bo’ness, followed by ice cream and coffee from McMoos, was an afternoon very well spent last month. It’s a 20 – 30-minute drive to Bo’ness, and worth it for a change of scenery, the different historical and industrial heritage information, and a choice of cafes for a treat afterwards. The walk is very accessible and is part of the John Muir Way. Health, money, interiors and Suzanne’s Notes from a Small Village – our local contributors are all on top form. I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine. u can know yo Did you be to receive subscri issue of The w each ne ectory online?

Dell Dir cribe here Subs bscribe scot/su konect.

COVER IMAGE: Let there be light! Get your home hibernation-ready. See P18. @KonectMagazines

P42 Pentlands Book Festival..........................................8 Health..........................................................................12 The Seasonal Touch .............................................18 Money Matters.........................................................27 Walk: The Bo’ness Waterfront...................32 Puzzles.......................................................................34 Notes from a Small Village...................................38 Local Environment..................................................40 Film Review: Hamilton...........................................41 Local Lab...................................................................42

Konect is delivered to homes in Balerno, Currie, Juniper Green, Baberton and Ratho.

Copies are also left at the library, community centres, convenience stores and various other locations within the area.

HELEN-JANE SHEARER Editor

E: editor@konect.scot

CHARLENE GAFFNEY Account Manager

M: 07772 941899 E: charlene@konect.scot BALERNO | 3

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P R O P E R T Y

2020 Community Writing Project

Pentlands Book Festival invites residents of Colinton, Juniper Green/ Baberton Mains, Currie, Balerno and Wester Hailes to express their vision of the post-pandemic future of our area by contributing to a community writing project.

We have appointed three Thread Leaders, Reta MacLennan, Panashe Nyadundu and Helen Boden, each of whom summarises her own approach to the task below.

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Setting the inspirational ball rolling in late August, PBF will publish a piece from each Thread Leader on its website, www.pentlandsbookfestival.org and its Facebook page. Thread Leaders have dedicated email addresses (see below); contributors will email entries to their own choice of Leader.

Thread Leaders will pull the public’s contributions together into a coherent whole. While Thread Leaders need not incorporate a contribution that does not fit the narrative or topic, or is inappropriate for the intended audience, an effort will be made to use all.

Community contributions should be Word texts (30-300 words

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suggested), and any drawings, cartoons or pictures must be sent as jpeg files with, but separately from, the text. The PBF programme will feature a celebration of our writing project during Book Week Scotland, 16-20 November.

the US. The fight for racial equality saw a global reignition by the current ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement. In light of this, the annual Pentlands Book Festival has chosen the theme “changing the future today” to include the recognition and understanding of the racism which occurs in our local communities. As a young black woman who endured racism growing up in Currie, I believe that through education, we can raise awareness to dismantle commonly held beliefs that incite racism.

BIPOCFuturesMatterPBF@gmail.com

Reta MacLennan ^^^

I’d like to hear from the upper Water of Leith village communities or those who wish to add their voice to this project.

Thinking about lifestyles, environment or anything which affects you, what would be your desired vision of our future? I invite you to tell me your hopes, dreams and even magical wishes. From seedling ideas, the imaginable could flourish and perhaps even influence the wider world.

Brainstorming and creativity know no boundaries. So, close your eyes, or put your thinking cap on and imagine. Tell me about it on the PBF website and help make the magic happen. pbfretamaclennan@gmail.com

<<< Panashe Nyadundu

2020 has been a year of uncomfortable, yet necessary, change, following the tragic murder of George Floyd in police custody in @KonectMagazines

>>> Helen Boden

Despite the restrictions, I found myself in A Good Place during the pandemic. I’ll be starting a ‘thread’ about the unfamiliarity of well-kent territory, when seen in lockdown light. This will weave together responses to a time in this place, your poetry (and stories and artwork) of the pandemic. What did you find on localised daily exercise and how could you take this forward to help shape our future? As the season shifted, and visibility increased in unpolluted air, I found magic in a slowed-down, quietened opportunity to really encounter the local, and look forward to reading about your experiences. pbfperspectives@gmail.com

This article was contributed by Richard Watt on behalf of Pentlands Book Festival 2020 BALERNO | 9

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HEALTH

FALLS,

what to do and how to avoid them

At a recent family gathering my Aunt asked me about falls. She was concerned that more people may be falling as we all have not had our usual exercise due to lockdown, particularly for those of her friends who were shielding.

Her questions to me were good ones – how should she best get up if she were to fall at home and what can be done to prevent falls in the first place?

Statistics show that my Aunt was quite right to be concerned. Falls are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion per year as one third of over 65s fall at least once per year and this rises to half of those over 80. Fear of falling is also an issue and can cause older people to become isolated as they lack the confidence to go out.

If the worst should happen and you find yourself on the floor at home after a fall, do lie still for a minute and then check for injuries.

If you are hurt, try to attract attention – use a falls alarm if you have one, try to get to a telephone or simply shout for help to attract a family member or neighbour. If you are unhurt and think you can get up, a sensible way to do so is to roll onto your side and get onto your hands and knees if you can. From here you can crawl to a stable item of furniture such as a chair. Hold onto the chair, put one foot flat on the floor, lean forwards on the chair and push up through your arms and front foot.

You should then be able to turn around and sit on the chair. Do rest for a moment before trying to stand up – falls give us quite a fright, even if we are not physically injured.

Our strength is determined by our muscle mass and our bone density and both can be improved with exercise. This may be in the form of exercises done in classes or at home to specifically improve balance or may be in the form of sport or activity which you do anyway. We know that ball or racquet sports, aerobics and circuit training, resistance training and Nordic walking all have good effects on improving muscle function and balance reactions. Resistance training may involve exercise bands or weights but can also include gardening or carrying shopping.

If you are worried about falling, or are concerned that your balance and strength are not as they should be, do contact your GP or Physiotherapist for advice. Prevention is much better than injury!

The health column is contributed by McNaughton Physiogrange, Edinburgh www.physiogrange.co.uk

The good news is that we know that falling is not an inevitable part of ageing as exercise can help. As the World Health Organisation points out, physical activity is a key protective factor in supporting healthy ageing. We naturally lose muscle mass after the age of 50 and we also lose bone mass as we get older, having reached a peak in our late 20s.

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EYE HEALTH

Computer Vision Syndrome Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is an umbrella term describing various symptoms of discomfort caused by using computers, also known as Digital Eye Strain. According to the European Eye Fatigue 2016 report, around 80% of millenials experience symptoms of CVS. It is something that affects adults and children alike with increased use of screens.

What are the symptoms? Symptoms are commonly felt by those using a computer for more than 2 hours a day. They include headaches, burning irritable eyes, red eyes, intermittent blurring, fatigued eyes, twitching, double vision and loss of focus. Back and shoulder pain are also common. The College of Optometrists has found lockdown increased the incidence of these symptoms.

What causes these symptoms? When using a computer, your eyes continually focus and refocus on print of differing size, contrast and distance away. This constantly uses the accommodation system and extra-ocular muscles of the eyes. Text and images made from pixels differ from printed versions. The nature of pixels where light intensity varies within it, provides a difficult image to focus on for long. Increase in age exacerbates this, as our ability to accommodate decreases. Images relayed to the brain vary greatly as a result causing fatigue. Blinking less will also dry the eyes out.

What can help with CVS? Adjusting the level of glare from surrounding lighting, workstation set-up, regular breaks and changing computer settings all help. Prescription glasses with specific coatings commonly give clarity and relief of symptoms.

This article was contributed by Jonathan Jennett of Clearvue Opticians, 60 Bryce Road, Currie, EH14 5LD.

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Ensure you include

September has a transitional feel to it. As summer wanes and autumn approaches, we instinctively start to baton down the hatches.

September has a transitional feel to it. As summer wanes and autumn approaches, we instinctively start to baton down the hatches.

With everything we’ve been through this year it’s worth taking some time now to plan ahead. What mood do you want to create in your home as you hunker down this winter?

One of the biggest impacts on this is the lighting. Creating a warm, nurturing space, that cocoons you right through to spring, needs some careful thought. The Danes have this down with their hygge concept.

Pronounced “hue-guh”, the word has no direct translation in the English language but it’s used to describe either a moment or feeling of cosiness and kinship. I don’t know about you but that’s a mood I’d happily strive for in my nest this year.

Think of a place with lighting you love.

Somewhere you feel relaxed, comfy and safe.

The spa maybe? A favourite hotel? Use that as your inspiration.

Harsh overhead lights can instantly kill your vibe. Dress your ceiling pendant with a pretty shade but only use it sparingly and never let it be your only source of light. Designers talk about ‘layering’ your room’s textiles and accessories with different patterns, colour, materials, textures etc. Layering your lighting is also key. Include a variety of light sources at different heights for the best effect.

Establish a basic light level with a few wellplaced lamps, some downlighting to gently ‘wash’ your walls or uplighting to create a feeling of space. Add some accent lights, to 18 | BALERNO

sufficient task lighting, such as a floor lamp in a reading nook, and finish off with a candle or some twinkle lights in a vase.

Aim for a room with several warm pools of light and a real contrast between light and shade.

This will create definition and interest, a world away from just flicking ‘the big light’ on.

Light bulbs have changed dramatically in the last few years and buying the right colour temperature will be critical to your plan. ‘Warm’ white works for a cosy, relaxing mood and leave anything labelled ‘classic’ or ‘neutral’ white for a more utilitarian space.

Finally, add some timers. Nothing beats that soft glow radiating from your nest as you approach it, like a beacon to welcome you home.

The Seasonal Touch column is contributed by Lynn McMurray, Balerno resident and enthusiast of all things ‘home,’ serving the local community and beyond with her home & gift business The Seasonal Touch. www.theseasonaltouch.co.uk @KonectMagazines

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MONEY MATTERS

WHEN DOING NOTHING IS BEST From time to time stock markets go through periods of uncertainty. Political crises or poor economic news can cause sharp falls, and such times are understandably unsettling for investors.

Coronavirus - The onset of the coronavirus and the resulting lockdown - closure of restaurants, health clubs and many other sectors of the economy - means the stock markets have experienced their largest fall since the financial crisis of 2008 and the Twin Towers catastrophe in 2001.

At that time experts predicted that the markets would recover, and in the case of the Twin Towers this happened in a matter of months. In the case of the financial crisis of 2008 it took considerably longer, but the markets DID recover.

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Future - Unfortunately, we are in uncharted waters as the world has never before been faced with a universal crisis such as the coronavirus.

No-one can predict the long-term effect of this virus and most experts agree that investors are probably better off sitting tight through these unnerving times.

Our advice is that unless you desperately need the money and do not have any emergency funds then you should batten down the hatches and weather the storm, rather than cash in your investments when the markets are at a low.

If you desperately need the money and do not have any savings, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unfortunate but you will need to bite the bullet and withdraw the money.

Before doing this, you should take professional advice as to which of your investments to cash and in the most tax efficient way.

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The Bo’ness Buoy

a

along the bo’ness

waterfront

The Bo’ness Foreshore

Packed with features of historic and industrial interest, this pushchair and wheelchair-friendly walk starts and finishes at the historic Bo’ness harbour and makes for an easy walk along the paved John Muir way - or a scramble along the rocky foreshore if you time it for low tide.

With scope for beach combing and a choice of eateries before you get back in the car, it ticks all the boxes.

For over 350 years Bo’ness was a bustling centre for trade and industry and most of the features of historical interest around the harbour, town centre and waterfront date to its industrial heyday.

Park in the Union Street Car Park (free parking).

The size of the customs house on Union Street opposite the car park is indicative of the scale of the trade formerly carried out here. Take a moment to stand back and look at it, with its Victorian crest over the central door.

From the car park, cross the railway line and head across the park.

The first thing you see is the big yellow Bo’ness buoy. Renovated in 2017 and made into a time capsule, it was one of three original iron-plate moorings buoys used in Bo’ness dock, which opened in 1881.

Tunnel Commemoration

Beside this, a tunnel sculpture commemorates the 5km long tunnel that ran under the Forth in the 1960s, linking the Valleyfield Colliery in Fife with the processing facilities of Kinneil Colliery.

(The tunnel is subject of another article).

You can walk out on the harbour piers. The harbour is about half its original size, as much was filled in after it finished its working life in the 1960s, but the granite capstones that fringe the harbour and neighbouring dock point to the wealth once generated here. At the end of the East pier you’ll notice the very rusty remains of a lamp. Its lion and unicorn crest is an example of the fine quality ironwork

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produced in Bo’ness. The town has a long tradition of iron founding, and Bo’ness manhole covers can be seen all over the country. The scale of this municipal iron work production has tended to eclipse their top-end work - beautiful ornamental ironwork, from railings for Saudi palaces to boot scrapers.

From here, it’s an easy flat walk along the waymarked John Muir way. We’re on the Linlithgow to South Queensferry section of the John Muir way, so you can go in either direction as far as you like, but for our walk we headed east along the Bo’ness waterfront. The path is suitable for bikes, wheelchairs and prams. We didn’t stay on the path all the way, but hopped on and off, scrambling along the rocky foreshore for much of our walk.

At low tide there is plenty of scope for beach combing or scrambling on the rocks. For decades, the shore here was one long disposal site for artisanal, domestic and industrial waste, and while it has been cleaned up and is now a pleasant walk with great views across to Fife, there is loads of evidence of past industry, and treasures to be found. If you know what you’re looking for, colourful pottery sherds from Bo’ness’s pottery days are amongst the most attractive remnants to be found, mostly between the Upper Forth Boat Club Pier and the waste water treatment works at Carriden.

After about 20 minutes you get to Bridgeness, where one of the remains of industry is the pierhead. It was a north-south stone pier dating back to 1770s. By the mid 1800s it carried a narrow gauge railway track to transport coal direct from the pits to the harbour and onto ships for export.

Bridgeness harbour was filled in during the 1950s, various craft being buried in the process, among them a wooden Baltic Trader, the Nellie Duff, and according to local legend, a U-boat engine room that had been used as a power plant.

Shipbreaking

- In the post war years the upper Forth became a huge park for ships awaiting the cutting torch.

At the end of a vessel’s last voyage, she was taken over to the far side of the Forth, then on a high tide was steamed across at maximum speed to drive her as far as possible up the beach. Anchors were lowered as soon as she came to rest to stop her sliding back into the river. The bows of the huge ships would come almost up to Bridgeness Road.

Much domestic furnishing for local households came off the ships which often arrived equipped right down to cutlery, table linen and bed clothes - manna from heaven in the austerity years after the war.

The early days of iron and steel shipbreaking was tough and dangerous. The ship’s plates had to be removed by chiselling off the rivets one at a time. A chisel with a loose-fitting wire handle, known as a tomahawk, was held against a rivet head by one man and hit with a sledgehammer by another. Punches and wedges drove out the rivets and separated the plates. It was a very risky business for the men involved, with the threat of lead poisoning from the fumes of burning lead paint, danger of falls from high structures, crushing injuries, asbestos lagging and rats in old ships carrying disease.

At Bo’ness the main breaker was W&P McLelland behind Cuthell’s Undertakers in Bridgeness.

The site has been cleared but not redeveloped and sections of ships used as crane bases can be seen. Holdfasts for ship mooring are also evident.

Bridgeness Pierhead

A little further past Bridgeness pierhead are the remains of a staith. Staithes were short piers that enabled coal to be tipped from railway wagons down chutes into ships’ holds. Coal was loaded in Bo’ness harbour but this was bunkers for steamers. The weight of coal and draft of colliers meant they had to be loaded out of @KonectMagazines

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PUZZLES

CROSSWORD

Bridgeness Tower is a B-listed stone building

the harbour on river berths. At both Bridgeness and Kinneil you can still see mines relics, pieces of hutch running gear, rolled steel joist, wire rope and scraps of conveyor belt.

Bridgeness Tower is a B-listed stone building just a few hundred yards up Harbour Road, directly up from the pier. It is now a private home. The earliest record of it goes back to 1749. It was originally built as a windmill to grind corn and pump water from the mines. The top floor and contrasting brick battlements were added in 1895. The narrower tower attached to it houses a spiral staircase supported by three lengths of ship’s mast joined together with a rope hand rail providing access.

Head back to Bo’ness Harbour the way you came on the John Muir Way. Bo’ness offers a few options for refreshments – we went to McMoo’s Ice Cream Parlour, which I can highly recommend, and there are other cafes and restaurants to choose from in town. Or get a fish and chip takeaway and take it down to the harbour to enjoy.

This walk feature was written by Helen-Jane Shearer, with many thanks to Paul Shave, resident of Bo’ness, for permission to reproduce extracts here of his detailed research on the industrial history of the Bo’ness waterfont.

Helen-Jane is the editor of Konect magazines.

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Solution in the October edition of Konect ACROSS: 1. Hairy and unkempt (6), 4. Detector (6), 9. Make comprehensible (7), 10. Vagabond (5), 11. Fear greatly (5), 12. Empowered (7), 13. Sections (11), 18. Replicating (7), 20. Ransack (5), 22. Presses (5), 23. Where plays are performed (7), 24. Required (6), 25. Remained (6).

DOWN: 1. Firm (6), 2. Round fleshy fruit (5), 3. Your parent’s mother (7), 5. Surplus (5), 6. Type of onion (7), 7. Fast running waterways (6), 8. Make inquiries (11), 14. Detonate (7), 15. Sincere (7), 16. Activity (6), 17. Rely upon (6), 19. Publication (5), 21. Not lean (5).

SUDOKU Solution in the October edition of Konect

The staith at Bridgeness was the end of our walk. We turned back, and opposite Bridgeness Pierhead we headed up Pier Road into Bridgeness for a quick look at the Tower.

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I’ve lived in Balerno since 1991. It’s home. But Illinois, the American state where I grew up, is also home. I think of myself as a transplant – uprooted from the rich, dark farmland in the Midwest, and replanted in harder, rockier UK soil. Though I feel quite at home here, growing up in a place with different customs means that I don’t always see things in the same way as my neighbour.

WAS THAT SUMMER? I’ve lived in this country long enough to know that “summer” doesn’t have quite the same meaning here as it does in the USA. Yes it may be summertime according to the calendar, but this does not mean it will feel like summer. In fact, it could be July and, instead of cranking up the air conditioning, I’m tempted to turn on the heating!

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In my early days in the UK I complained about the chilly, drizzly summers. And there was always someone around to tell me, “We used to get good summers. If only you’d been here for the heatwave of 1976! Now that was a cracking summer!” Alas, I missed it.

That said, I did manage to get badly sunburned during my first year here. I was wearing a bright green sundress and, with the sun’s help, I was bright red. Sort of like traffic lights. It was the same day that I met the man who would later become my husband. Amazingly, he was still attracted to me!

But most years I feel that I get cheated out of a summer. It seems I am just warming to the idea of sunbathing, Pimms in

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hand, when all of a sudden it’s autumn!

Does anyone agree with me that it’s much easier to accept the return to cooler weather when we’ve enjoyed a good number of warm or hot days?

In Illinois we frequently cooked outdoors in the summer. It wasn’t just because it tasted better.

In fact, I think the main reason my family’s default was barbecue was because it was just too hot to cook in the kitchen! Speaking of BBQ, that is not what we called it back then.

I recall referring to it as a cook-out. Recently an American friend told me that when Brits say they’re going to have a BBQ, what they’re actually doing is grilling, not barbecuing. I didn’t argue with him, but I pondered it, finally deciding that “grilling” just didn’t have the same ring to it: “Why not come over on Saturday and join us for some grilling?” Socially distanced grilling, of course.

While on this subject, can I just say that I really resent the fact that the weather dictates to me when I should have a BBQ (or a grilling). Back home summer days are usually sunny. So we decide when we will cook outside. We had a BBQ whenever we wanted to, and when we didn’t want to bother, we didn’t! Here in the UK, if the weather is glorious I feel I have to drop everything and run out to buy charcoal, meat, salads and more. I may not want to. I may have planned to cook something else that needed using. But because we don’t know when we will next be blessed with such a sunny day, I have no choice.

Of course, summery summers back in Illinois included flies. But that didn’t mean we let hordes of them come in through open windows and doors! We used air conditioning and fans, and employed that ingenious invention called screens. Pieces of fine metal mesh are cut and incorporated in our doors and windows so that cool air can come in, but flies and other insects cannot. Simples. Why do we not have these in the UK? Is it because we don’t have that many hot days and therefore do not need the screens because flies are not such a problem? (This reminds me of the argument about why UK roads are not cleared when it snows: it doesn’t happen that often, so it would be silly to invest in snowploughs!)

Because I grew up swatting flies, I am the @KonectMagazines

champion swatter in our house (if I do say so myself).

However, I don’t see any point in dealing with them when the un-screened windows and doors are open! My view is similar to one I saw on a plaque about not cleaning house when children are still growing, but I would rewrite it: swatting flies when the doors are still open is like shovelling snow when it’s still snowing!

If you’re a member of a younger generation, you may be shocked that I kill flies rather than trying to shoo them out the window. My daughters have often challenged me about how insects have a right to life. So, you will be happy to know, I no longer squash spiders.

Instead I manoeuvre them into a plastic cup or box and politely escort them outside.

Not so with flies. If they come into our house, I will not deal with them lovingly. They’re goners.

I am sorry to have to reveal this less than charitable side of my nature.

To be continued next issue …

Notes from a small village is contributed by Suzanne Green. Suzanne, a freelance writer/ editor, lives in Balerno and writes regularly for Konect. She is married to Andy and they have two adult daughters.

BALERNO | 39

LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

Little Boghead’s Blue Jewels At this time of year many of our wetland areas are alive with insects and what may stand out most is the dainty blue of the azure damselfly buzzing about the grass. At Little Boghead Nature Reserve in Bathgate, there are hundreds of them, plus common and large red damselflies.

The little brother to the larger dragonflies, they’ve become somewhat of an addictive species to watch and photograph. As we come into the time of year when both can commonly be seen you might wonder how to tell the difference between the two species.

There are a couple of things to look for: • Dragonflies have larger, broader bodies with eyes that face forwards. Their flight pattern can best be described as jerky as they zip back and forth making sharp turns as if they’ve just hit a forcefield • Damselflies however have a very small, thin body plus a large gap between their eyes. They tend to flutter or hover in flight and are much less erratic than dragonflies Damselflies also hunt in cold weather, which is why they can be found much earlier in the year but will be around until September 40 | BALERNO

meaning, there’s still time to see them. Whilst they’re easily disturbed, we’d suggest just waiting a few minutes because they’ll normally come back to land at the same perch.

Little Boghead Nature Reserve is an excellent place to visit, with boardwalks surrounding the ponds giving a perfect viewing platform to watch the huge variety of wildlife.

This column is contributed by Clare Harte and Kate Stevenson, who grew up in Edinburgh and now live in West Lothian. Together they run Scottish Sisters Photography and travel around the country to watch and photograph amazing wildlife and scenic landscapes. www.scottishsistersphotography.com @KonectMagazines

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Saying Hamilton took the theatre world by storm is a bit of an understatement. The success of Hamilton honestly blew us all away as hip hop and theatre haven’t really meshed well.

But for almost five years the majority of people have not had the opportunity to be in the room where the show happens as tickets cost an arm and leg. This changed on July 3rd, when Disney released a recording of Hamilton onto Disney+. This contained the original Broadway cast, providing viewers with the ultimate dream performance that money can no longer buy. So, when I clicked play, I finally discovered what I have been missing out on by not seeing the show in person. >> >> Skip 2 hours and 40 minutes.

I was more than just satisfied with Hamilton; I was absolutely blown away. Hamilton is one of the best musicals I have ever seen, and this recording is one of the best filmed stage shows ever produced. The camera work is incredible and the only time it feels like you are watching a stage show is when you hear the crowd reacting to scenes.

All of the acting is fantastic with Leslie Odom Jr. being the true standout but surprisingly creator Lin-Manual Miranda is the weakest of this extraordinary cast.

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The songs are incredible and easily get stuck in your head, I have honestly been listening to the soundtrack non-stop since finishing the show and I can’t wait to re-watch it and experience it again.

The Film Review is contributed by Robert Ewing. Robert is passionate about film as an art form, and shining a light on films that may not be on people’s radar.

BALERNO | 41

LOCAL LAB

Riccarton Estate

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Every year I look forward to Doors Open Day and the opportunities to explore hidden spaces and indulge my natural nosiness! This year, Doors Open Day will still take place in Edinburgh over the weekend of the 26th and 27th September but the doors will largely stay closed and access will be mostly virtual.

For me, this will be my first Doors Open Day working as Heriot-Watt’s Curator and as I’ve been working at home since I started in April, a virtual tour feels like a logical extension.

The tour of the campus focuses on the old buildings that remain from the Riccarton Estate and the various pieces of sculpture around the campus that can be seen outdoors. We’ve included clips from Google maps as well as an actual map to allow you to place each item in its location on the campus. The tour will be accessible through the Doors Open Day website, www.doorsopendays.org.uk.

If a virtual tour just doesn’t cut it for you, however, all of the elements in the tour can 42 | BALERNO

also be viewed in person as Heriot-Watt’s Riccarton campus is open for visitors to discover. The map in the presentation will help you find your way around and discover our lovely campus.

Find out who Leonard Horner was and what his connection to the University was. Did you know that old country houses often had fire ponds for use in fighting fires and that there’s still one on the campus? And you’ll be amazed by how many gardeners there used to be on the estate. If the tour piques your curiosity there’s lots to discover about the University’s history and heritage collection on the website, www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/ is/heritage/our-heritage

A virtual Doors Open Day still has plenty for you to discover and think how many more places you’ll be able to visit virtually, not just in Edinburgh, but each weekend throughout September in different spots around Scotland, all from the comfort of your own home!

Julia Stephen is the Curator at Heriot-Watt University.

The Local Lab column is contributed monthly by Heriot-Watt University to engage the public in a range of their research projects.

The Local Lab column is contributed by Heriot-Watt University to engage the public in a range of their research projects. @KonectMagazines