LOCAL HISTORY: LOCAL ENVIRONMENT:
LOCAL WALK:
PLUS: FOOD & DRINK, REAL LIFE, puzzles, CLUBS & CLASSES, and more FEATURES inside!
The walk feature this month takes us into the Heriot-Watt campus, thanks as ever to our knowledgeable guide William Weir who shares his highlights of the flora and fauna, see pages 8-9. It’s nice to be reminded that there is a lovely series of carefully thought-out trails to be enjoyed right here on our doorstep within the campus.
Loneliness Awareness Week takes place in June, run by The Marmalade Trust who say, “It’s all about creating supportive communities by having open, honest conversations. Loneliness is a natural human emotion - we are hardwired to need social connections. By talking about it, we can support ourselves and others.” That’s an attractive vision for our villages! There is plenty going on this month, for all ages and interests. Browse the What’s On and all the Clubs & Classes. This section is a core part of Konect every month. There is something for everyone and we know it has made a difference to a lot people over the years.
I spent a very pleasant afternoon at Hopetoun House one day last month. I’d not written about it before, so thought it was time to highlight it as a place of interest not too far away and well worth a visit, see pages 8-9.
As ever, thank you for reading Konect, I hope you enjoy the magazine this month!
The dawn chorus is still in full swing. A joyful, chaotic choir of birdsong emanates from the campus’ Central Woodland and lifts my spirits as I begin my walk, striding along a sun-streaked path beneath the clear blue of a pristine spring morning.
There’s a wonderful array of paths and routes on offer through Heriot Watt’s landscaped grounds – the Discovery Trail, the Tree Trail, the Bird Trail, the Heritage Trail - which to choose? Today, I’m doing a loop within a loop, to take in a selection of the best this local campus has to offer. Starting at Car Park K, I head south, soon coming to an old, whitewashed milestone (reclaimed from the A1 near Dunbar). Turning right here takes me through a grassy area of elegantly curved stone brochs. One of these sits atop a mound and I ascend to stand there a while, taking in the songs of chiff chaff, chaffinch and thrush, which echo from the woods through air thick with the heady scent of hawthorn.
At the halls of residence buildings, I bear left, entering the wood and passing beneath a
canopy of lime-green new leaves. Wild garlic is in abundance, each flowerhead an umbrella of delicate white star-like blooms. One clump is situated by some railings, a little way beyond which stand a neat array of gravestones. This peaceful spot is small burial ground once used by the Gibson-Craig family who, for centuries, owned the estate. The Heritage Trail and Tree Trail coincide here and lead me past a splendid array of specimens, from Mountain Hemlock of North America to Sawara Cypress of Japan. It’s a squirrel paradise; I watch one pair engaged in a spiral chase up a nearby trunk, the leader gripping a sprig of foliage between its teeth.
I emerge at the south-west corner of The Lawn, once overlooked by Riccarton House (now the site of the University Library). Here, a blackcap sings its twisting, turning song from the top of a large holly. Going past the library, I come to what was the fire pond for the old house, now home to an industrious moorhen who is busy adding material to its nest island. Enormous sequoiadendron, the giant redwoods - nature’s skyscrapers - stand sentinel here, their silent strength lending and air of calm as I pass beneath an elevated corridor to reach The Loch.
The centrepiece of the campus, The Loch is a beautifully landscaped oasis. Majestic trees and benevolent blue skies are reflected in its gently rippled surface. The sharp, high-pitched cry of a coot rings out from near a tree-topped island while a heron hunches on the far bank, watching as mallards dabble. Crossing the bridge at the eastern end, I stop by the
shore as a family of Canada geese paddle over. They are remarkably bold and even seem keen to show off their brood – two adorable golden, fluffy goslings.
From here I cut diagonally across the grass, down some steps, and back beneath the elevated walkway, following signs for the chaplaincy. I turn left, then right to bring me back to The Lawn and trace its north and western edge. I’m back at the library now, but this time turn with my back to it and head west. On the right are tall oaks and Scots pine, their tops a cacophony of caw-ing from the resident rookery. Turning left at another halls of residence building, I cross the road (The Freeway) and strike out towards West Gait and the edge of the campus.
Now a chance to really stretch the legs. Just before reaching Curriehill Road, I turn left and follow a wooded path uphill and round the perimeter of the campus. The cool shade of the trees is welcome as the sun arcs higher. It’s also a chance to savour the joys of the late spring wood. Fragrant carpets of bluebells nod demurely as I pass. Two young woodpigeons cause a commotion in the branches high overhead, testing their wings on their nest. After some effort one fledges successfully, making off through the trees, wind whistling in its wings. Shouts from a football match signal that I’m passing the Oriam. I round the back of the building and pass the car park which bustles with weekend sports club drop-offs. I cross the Avenue to walk alongside Boundary Road East, continuing on the verdant Hermiston Walk. To my right is woodland again, dense with Rhododenron, Holly, Laburnum and Oak. The gentle trickle of a small stream is my relaxing
soundtrack. I then turn left to walk the length of the campus on Research Avenue North, the way lined with young lime trees, as willow warblers’ laidback calls drift across the fields.
A university’s campus is in many ways a miniature community - a world within a world. In the way Heriot-Watt have woven the natural fabric of the estate into theirs, I feel I’ve found many little worlds here today. Why not see which of them you can uncover? GET THE ROUTE ON OS MAPS!
Just before a ‘Road closed’ sign, I turn onto a path which takes me to the north edge of the estate, following a wooded route parallel to the A71. In the shade, trunks of young rowan, beech and cherry are spotted with prettily patterned snails. Finally, the path turns parallel to Currhiehill Road again and, on reaching Boundary Road North, I turn left, back into the campus, following a pleasant, pine-lined forest path to arrive back at the brochs, and my starting point.
This article was contributed by William Weir. William is a scientist and amateur writer/ photographer who lives locally. In his spare time he enjoys exploring the trails and wild spaces of West Lothian and the Pentland Hills.
TONY HARPER’S HAIR STUDIO
46a Bavelaw Road, Balerno
To book an appointment please phone the salon on 0131 451 5133 and leave a message with your name, phone number and your stylist’s name and they will call you back within 48 hours
For updates please see our Facebook page and salon windows
Isn’t it interesting that we wish one another a “happy new year” long after singing Auld Lang Syne – for weeks after boxing up the Christmas decorations and returning them to the loft.
Regardless of what’s going on in our world and various concerns about issues in our own country, we hope that 2025 will be a good year. It would be wonderful to see peace achieved in at least one area where war is currently raging. And, on a personal level, we also hope to see growth and progress in our own life and in the lives of those we know and love, occasions to celebrate, good health and maybe even some fun surprises in the next 12 months.
I’m focusing on the “new” in “Happy New Year”. I’ve not exactly made any new year’s resolutions. This tradition seems to be becoming less popular - social media posts regularly tell us that we don’t need to strive to improve, we are “enough” as we are, we shouldn’t load ourselves up with goals and then feel guilty when we can’t achieve them. Although I agree that it’s good to
be realistic, I love the promise that a new year holds, the “clean slate” potential!
If you live in Balerno, you too may have been delighted to see snow falling early morning on New Year’s Day. I stood at our glass patio door and watched as sleet turned to big white snowflakes that quickly covered our garden and bedecked the trees. It was a wonderful illustration of the “it’s all fresh and new” theme.
Signing up for a Pilates class was a new thing for me at the beginning of 2024. And it has been a positive change. I may not be as proficient as many in the class, I struggle to do some of the stretches because of a knee issue, and I sometimes have a hard time resisting dancing to the background music when I should be listening to the instructor. But I know the exercise is doing me good. I’m not sure what new thing(s) I will do/ encounter this year, but I will keep my eyes and ears open for them.
When my eldest daughter was in primary school, she decided to try something new. I heard about it from another mum, who had been at the school to watch her daughter do Highland dancing in an assembly. “I didn’t know your girl did it too,” she said. So I explained that she didn’t, although she was in a ballet class. “That’s strange,” said my friend. “At the assembly the children who took Highland dance lessons were invited to go to the centre of the floor and perform. I thought your daughter did rather well.”
Later I asked my child why she had done this. “Oh,” she said. “I thought the teacher said, “Will all children who would like to do Highland dancing please come forward now? So I went.”
Do something new this new year.
real LIFE 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.
SUZANNE GREEN
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is powerful, vivid and distinctive. On the nose you find tropical fruit mixed with gooseberry and grapefruit, layered with floral honeysuckle.
The winemaker’s goal is to produce the best example of Sauvignon Blanc they can. They have explored every angle and produced a polished, precise expression of the grape variety. You’ll be forgiven for thinking this is the best example of Sauvignon Blanc available!
However, have you tried Sancerre?
Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc grown in the Loire region of France. The wine is named after the place it comes from, rather than the grape variety. Here, the winemaker invites you to not only experience their best expression of the grape variety, but to taste where the wine comes from. This is the idea of ‘terroir’.
Sancerre from the northern hemisphere is less tropical in character than that produced in NZ. When I taste Sancerre, I’m reminded of a summer herb garden after the rain. There’s petrichor, wet stone, green herbaceous notes of broken leaf. Sancerre has an incredible freshness and minerality that I haven’t found anywhere else. Generally, Sancerre and NZ Sauvignon Blanc are fermented in stainless steel tanks, rather than oak casks. The wine is dry, the acidity is racy and mouthwatering. Both styles can be enjoyed on their own or but also with food, I’d have either with shellfish, or a goat’s cheese salad. Why not experiment? If you usually buy Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, why not try Sancerre and visa versa?
The monthly wine tasting column is contributed by Joanne Frette. Joanne lives in Juniper Green with her husband and three children. For wine recommendations, reviews and details of future tasting events, please go to swirlsipsocialise.com
SMALL AD
WHEN THE KING ATE TURTLE SOUP AT HOPETOUN
Way back in the mists of time, the hamlet of Abercorn was briefly the seat of the Bishop of the Picts; then the location of a medieval castle which was destroyed by the crown during the infamous spat between James II and the Black Douglas; then, on the former castle lands, the magnificent Hopetoun House was built, where King George IV dined as a friend.
Such is the cycle of fortune, and Hopetoun House, commissioned by a widowed Lady Hope for her son, is today a Georgian time capsule, a family home, a spectacular events venue, a film location, and a wonderful place to while away a summer’s day exploring both indoors and out.
The historic Hope family’s rise to prominence dates to when Sir James Hope (1614-1661) acted as lawyer for a lead mining heiress, Anne Foulis. Anne was defending her right to inherit her father’s lead mining fortune at Leadhills in Lanarkshire. Esteemed legal talent was in the family - James’ father was King’s Advocate for Charles I. Sir James won the case for Anne, client and lawyer fell in love, and married. Thus the valuable lead mines came into possession of the Hope family, giving their fortune and status a huge boost.
James and Anne’s son, John Hope, purchased the lands of Abercorn in 1678, where he planned to build a magnificent house for himself and his family. He also purchased the Barony of Niddry Castle.
But tragedy struck before John managed to build his house.
At just 32 years of age, and
with two very young children, John was one of many passengers lost at sea when HMS Gloucester, carrying the Duke of York and an entourage of courtiers to Edinburgh in 1682, was wrecked off the English coast. Family tradition has it that John gave up his place in a rescue boat for the Duke of York, sacrificing his own life for that of the future King. (The wreck was identified just three years ago, in June 2022, and Royal Museums Greenwich website provides fascinating detail about the journey and the shipwreck, rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/ hms-gloucester-shipwreck-history-james-ii)
John’s widow Lady Margaret Hope took on management of the family businesses until their son Charles was of age. (He was just one year old when is father died). And, in 1699, on the occasion of Charles’ marriage, Margaret commissioned the building of Hopetoun House. Perhaps she and her husband had discussed the vision for it before he died, or perhaps the brief she gave the architect was entirely her own. In any case, she entrusted the work to the renowned Scottish architect William Bruce. Bruce’s work today remains in the central core of the original home. There were also formal gardens in French style behind the house.
Charles was created the first Earl of Hopetoun in 1703, just after he turned 21. The title was possibly granted in recognition of his father’s sacrifice for the Duke of York back in 1682. Charles decided to extend the house considerably, and in 1721 he commissioned William Adam to create a much grander, more palatial home. This is the house we see today. The work took a long time – so long in fact that Charles didn’t live to see it completed, neither did William Adam. William’s sons John and Robert, also renowned architects, finished the interiors. The house was completed in 1767. Many members of the Hope family had distinguished military and political careers. The 4th Earl (1765 - 1823) was described by Napoleon Bonaparte as one of the most formidable generals in the British Army - a compliment indeed from a brilliant military leader. There is a statue of the 4th Earl in the courtyard of Dundas House, the former headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland, of which he was Governor. He served as LordLieutenant of Linlithgowshire, as did several subsequent generations of the family. The 7th Earl was the first Governor General of Australia.
For a family with many close links to the royal family, Hopetoun has received only one royal visit. In 1822, George IV visited for lunch at the end of his state visit to Scotland. It was the first state visit to Scotland from a reigning British sovereign in 170 years. It was carefully stagemanaged by Sir Walter Scott and included a lot of tartan pageantry. Highland dress had been banned following the Jacobite rebellions, but the ban had been repealed some 40 years previously; the decision to dress the King in Highland outfits was seen as an act of reconciliation. On his last day in Edinburgh, the King arrived at Hopetoun House at 1:15pm where crowds were waiting (in the rain) to see
him and where a lavish, multi-course lunch had been prepared. But the King limited himself to some turtle soup and three glasses of wine. Using Lord Hopetoun’s sword, he then knighted Sir Henry Raeburn, the Scottish portraitist, and Captain Adam Ferguson, Keeper of the Regalia in Scotland, and within 2 hours he was off again, heading to Port Edgar where the Royal Yacht waited to take him back to London.
Uniquely, many of the rooms at Hopetoun remain unchanged from when they were built, so you get a peak into real Georgian style. Much of the furniture is original, along with artwork collected by the various earls. Fans of the time-travel fantasy TV series Outlander flock to Hopetoun House as it was used as a filming location, but just a visit is in itself a form of timetravel - as you wander through the rooms you may as well be in Georgian times.
A visit is highly recommended. The excellent guides at Hopetoun can provide much more detail – guided tours are available at specific times as part of the entry fee. Besides the fascinating interiors, furniture, art and family stories, the grounds provide serene walking trails through a variety of designed landscapes. There is of course an excellent tea room.
See www. hopetoun. co.uk. Open for the season until 28th September.
This article was written by Helen-Jane Gisbourne after a visit and guided tour of Hopetoun House. Helen-Jane is the editor of Konect magazines
FRIDAY 6TH & SATURDAY 7TH JUNE
Currie Beer and Curry Festival - 40 tasty real ales, lager, wines, cider, prosecco and alcohol-free offerings. Live music. Organised by Currie, Balerno and District Round Table and volunteers. All profits are given to local charities and good causes. Currie Community Centre, 6.00pm –midnight. Tickets in advance at cbdrt.com/events/beer-festival/2025/
SATURDAY 7TH JUNE
Great Big Green Week - A host of free activities, stalls and information at TheHub@531, from 10.00am – 2.30pm. Drop in to hear from Edinburgh Community Solar Cooperative. Book to attend our river adventures (sessions for children 8+ and adults) or to make your own beeswax food wraps.
FRIDAY 13TH JUNE
Rock Art - Paint pebbles or learn how to wrap stones using string (Japanese stone wrapping), our multi generational craft gives an opportunity for old and young to get together and enjoy some creative time. Free, donations welcome. 2.30pm – 4.00pm at The Hub@531, Juniper Green. Book via The Hub@531 online at hub531.appointedd.com
SATURDAY 14TH JUNE
Farmers Market - Main Street, Balerno, 9.00am to 1.00pm
WEDNESDAY 18TH JUNE
Macrame plant pot holders - Join us to have a go at creating your own plant pot holders using twine. Free, donations welcome. 7.30pm – 9.30pm at The Hub@531, Juniper Green. Book via The Hub@531 online at hub531.appointedd.com
CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS!
“Unearthed Edinburgh” photography competition, by Edinburgh Libraries Run by Edinburgh Libraries, the theme celebrates both the city’s wonderful green spaces and gardening as forces for creativity, resilience and connection. We welcome photos which celebrate any green space in the city, from the Meadows to your window box! The competition is free to enter and open to all. All entries must be submitted via Edinburgh Collected (edinburghcollected.org) where they will become part of a community archive of Edinburgh memories.
Tell us in the accompanying description what makes the picture special to you and remember to add the tag “unearthed”. Entries will be judged on both their photographic merit and on the accompanying text.
There are fantastic prizes to be won!
• 1ST PRIZE – £100 book token
• 2ND PRIZE – £50 book token
• 3RD PRIZE – £25 book token
The competition runs until 31 July 2025. Make sure to read the Unearthed Edinburgh competition guidelines and terms and conditions - zurl.co/BvAtt - or if you have any queries, contact informationdigital@edinburgh.gov.uk
SATURDAY 21ST JUNE
Make Music Day Festival - At Currie Library. Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion! If you are a local musician / group and would like to come and play please email your details at currie.library@ edinburgh.gov.uk. We will host live acts between 11.00am and 5.00pm.
WANT TO INCLUDE YOUR EVENT HERE? COMMUNITY AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT LISTINGS ARE FREE OF CHARGE.
EMAIL EDITOR@KONECT.SCOT BY 15TH OF THE MONTH FOR FOLLOWING MONTH’S ISSUE.
Drop In - Stalls
Edinburgh
Community Solar Co-op
Create Beeswax Wraps Sessions
SAT 7TH JUNE - 10.00-11.30. Info, tasters, products to buy from Fairtrade, P Edinburgh Tool Library, Hub Gardening Group, Eco table, Co-op plus vegan Snacks to try + Fairtrade tea / coffee & cake
SAT 7TH JUNE - 11.45-12.15. Meet Edinburgh Community Solar Co-operative and find out what’s happening with solar power in our area, how to get involved, maybe even how to invest. Drop in.
SAT 7TH JUNE - Start at 13.15 or 14.00. Free 30 minute sessions to create own beeswax wrap, a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic food wrapChild & parent session from 13.15-13.45 Adult (over 16) session from 14.00 - 14.30 Limited spaces, booking essential
Water of Leith (local) with Earth Calling
River Dipping (ages 8+)
Botanical Blether (16+)
SAT 7TH JUNE - Join Earth Calling who will lead fun and informative guided explorations along the local stretch of the Water of Leith, sessions for everybody! Booking essential.
SAT 7TH JUNE - 10.00 - 11.00 (meet at 9.45 at the Hub@531). Children age 8+, prepare to get wet! Not just a stroll along the riverbank, but a chance to get into the river and take an up close look at what lives there!
SAT 7TH JUNE - 11.30 - 12.00 (meet at 11.15 at the Hub@531). Adults all ages (16+), join Gus for a botanical blether as you take a stroll along the riverside to explore the diversity of plants and animals that live there.
SPORTS, HOBBIES, LEARNING, SUPPORT GROUPS & MORE...
LOTHIAN OVAL RACING CLUBCommunity Stockcar Radio Control Car Club. Monday nights. 6.00pm10.00pm. £6 per meeting. Douglas Hall, Dalmahoy, EH27 8EB. E: info@theracehall.co.uk or T: 07972 702642
BALERNO PARISH CHURCH GUILD - We meet on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from October to March. There are interesting talks, activities and fellowship. 7.30pm, The Ogston Hall, Balerno Parish Church.
ORIAM WALKING FOOTBALL CLUB - We run a local Walking Football Club, established in 2015, for women aged 40+ and men aged 50+. Our sessions, which are very much mixed ability, take place at Oriam Sports Centre, Heriot-Watt University, EH14 4AS, on a Mon and Fri 12:30-1:30pm, and Wed at 12-1pm We’d love to see new teammates coming along. Sessions are priced at £4.40 but we do have monthly membership schemes available. Please contact Deric Oliver on 07803 508401 or dericandjoan@ btinternet.com
RATHO LUNCH CLUB - Lunch club for older residents living in Ratho & Ratho Station. Pop in for great company, great food, great value. Run by Queensferry Care, Ratho Lunch Club is held the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month 12-2.00pm at Ratho Community Centre. The Ratho Ravers meet 10.00am-12noon and many enjoy light exercise and company before lunch is served.
PALM DEMENTIA CAFE - The PALM cafe is held on the last Tuesday of the month from 3.004.15pm in the St Joseph’s Centre, Balerno. The cafe serves the communities of Currie, Balerno and Juniper Green, providing a space for people with dementia and their carers to meet others for support and social contact. Activities include music, movement, reminiscence
and craft. A small voluntary donation is requested to cover the cost of refreshments. For more information please contact Clare Dow on claremdow@gmail.com
FLAGGY FRIDAYS - Does your child have an interest in flags of the world? Come and join us for Flaggy Fridays! Each week we will focus on a different flag of the world. In just 30 minutes we’ll learn a brief summary of the flag’s history, why a flag has its colours, layout, its old flag(s) then end with a fun quiz! First class FREE trial. Online Zoom club. Email flaggyfridays@gmail.com to join THE HUB@531 - Community space in the heart of Juniper Green village, offering regular groups and events and hireable meeting / small event space. Social activities and clubs for all ages, including Come for a Cuppa, Book Bug, Knitting, Yoga and much more. 531 Lanark Road, Juniper Green, EH14 5DE. See hub531.appointedd.com for information and to book activities. Facebook: “The Hub at 531”
BALERNO SWI - We meet on the first Tuesday each month from September to May in Balerno Community Centre at 7:30pm, when we have speakers or demonstrations followed by a cuppa and time to chat. Anyone interested can see more about us on our Facebook page, “Balerno SWI”
PENTLAND BRIDGE CLUBCome and play duplicate bridge in a friendly atmosphere. We meet in St Margaret’s Court, Juniper Green on Thursdays at 7pm. Table money £4. Less experienced players made very welcome. For further information see W: bridgewebs.com/pentland E: mthkjb@gmail.com
ST CUTHBERT’S BADMINTON CLUB - The Club was formed about 1946 and meets in the Church Hall in Westgarth Avenue, Colinton on Monday evenings at 8.00pm between September and Easter. It is non-competitive. For details, call Julia Roberts on 07904 813145
THE MEETING PLACE - A community cafe for those 65 and over and all unpaid carers. Every Monday 10.00am - 4.00pm. Lunch £5 if you wish and ALL
refreshments free. Free exercise classes, bingo, dominoes, crafting and much more. 99 Forthview Crescent, 42nd Pentland Scout Hall. For info contact: themeetingplacejcb@gmail.com
BALERNO RAMBLERS
WEEKEND GROUP - A busy walking group with a programme of interesting walks in a variety of locations. Some walks may be more challenging than the midweek programme.
W: www.ramblers.org.uk/balerno or, www.facebook.com/BalernoRamblers
E: enquiries@balernoramblers.org.uk
BALERNO RAMBLERS
MIDWEEK GROUP - Meet for walks in Lothians, Fife, Borders and further afield. For walk details contact M.Timmins on 07917878955. Follow Balerno Ramblers on Facebook.
JUNIPER GREEN NURSERY PLAYGROUP - Juniper Green Community Centre. We are a small friendly playgroup with very experienced staff. We take children who are from 2 to 3 years old for morning sessions (9.15-11.15) cost £13 which includes a snack. No parent duties required. For more information:
W: junipergreenplaygroup.vpweb. co.uk
E: junipergreenplaygroup@hotmail.co.uk
T: 07308 033386
PENTLAND SINGERS
COMMUNITY CHOIR - Rehearsals every Tuesday at 7.30pm in Balerno Parish Church. Singing a wide range of choral music, with local concerts twice a year, no previous experience required and new members always warmly welcomed. Actively seeking new members. Further information:
W: www.pentlandsingers.org.uk
E: pentland_singers@yahoo.co.uk
KNIT ‘N’ KNATTER - Ratho Library, Ratho Commuity Centre, Thursdays 2pm to 4pm. Tea & coffee provided. Bring along your wooly creations. Ratho Library 0131 333 5297
PENTLAND JUNIOR SINGERS
- Rehearsals every Tuesday 6-7pm, Balerno Parish Church. For young people aged 8 to 14. Come and sing a wide array of choral music in a fun and supportive environment.
More information: www.pentlandjuniors.org E: pentlandjuniors@gmail.com
SOLUTION TO MAY CROSSWORD
CURRIE 65TH BOYS BRIGADE - Anchor Boys (P2-3) and Junior Section (P4-6) Thurs 6.00-7.30pm. Company Section (P7-S6) Sun 6.30- 8.30pm
Knit and Natter Group Thurs from 2pm-4pm
Tel: Ratho Community Centre 0131 333 1055
ACROSS: 7. Scrape, 8. Lumbar, 9. Sofa, 10. Tadpoles, 11. Usually, 13. Shuts, 15. Light, 17. Ascends, 20. Umbrella, 21. Cafe, 23. Annoys, 24. Expire.
DOWN: 1. Echo, 2. Banana, 3. Reptile, 4. Clyde, 5. Smooth, 6. Talented, 12. Slimming, 14. Ashamed, 16. Horror, 18. Escape, 19. Floss, 22. Fire.
Pilates Studio & Gym - Our expert physios, Pilates & yoga instructors and personal trainers offer a programme of 22 classes per week to promote wellbeing, health, strength and fitness. We’re delighted to now offer a monthly class membership as well as individual class bookings. Visit: primesportsphysio.co.uk to book classes. E: hello@primesportsphysio.co.uk for more info.
BARREFusion - A Barre class with a twist! Elements of Ballet & Yoga. Includes signature Fuse moves, Cardio bursts & Strength work. Drop-in (contactless payments taken) or pre-book at www.bookwhen.com/ heidimacdonaldfitness. Fridays 9:15am, Ogston Hall, Balerno Parish Church. For further details: M: 07982205111 E: heidi.instructor@gmail.com
SOLUTION TO MAY CROSSWORD
ACROSS: 7. Scrape, 8. Lumbar, 9. Sofa, 10. Tadpoles, 11. Usually, 13. Shuts, 15. Light, 17. Ascends, 20. Umbrella, 21. Cafe, 23. Annoys, 24. Expire.
JUNIPER GREEN BOARDGAMERS - Family and kids friendly board-game group open to all. Come join us to play all sorts of board-games. Children are free with any adult (£3/adut) Meetings every 2nd Friday 6pm to 9pm see boardjg.co.uk for details of
SOLUTION TO SUDOKU ON PAGE XX
PARACISE - Gentle to moderate exercise to music you’ll love. Working on balance, mobility, flexibility & posture. All STANDING. Drop-in (contactless payments taken) or pre-book at bookwhen. com/heidimacdonaldfitness Wednesdays 10:45am Balerno Scout Hall - bring water. For further details call Heidi on 07982 205111
DOWN: 1. Echo, 2. Banana, 3. Reptile, 4. Clyde, 5. Smooth, 6. Talented, 12. Slimming, 14. Ashamed, 16. Horror, 18. Escape, 19. Floss, 22. Fire.
SOLUTION TO SUDOKU ON PAGE XX
SOLUTION TO SUDOKU PAGE 34
Disclaimer: The publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage caused by error in the printing of an advertisement. We do not endorse any advertisers in this publication. All material is accepted for publication on the understanding it is copyright free. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the publisher.
Publisher: Lothian Publications Ltd. Geddes House, Kirkton North, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6GU.
CLUB - This small friendly LTA affiliated club in the heart of Juniper Green is open to all to join. There’s an extensive junior coaching programme, as well as adult coaching and social sessions. For membership check out our website clubspark.lta.org.uk/ JuniperGreenTennisClub and follow us on Facebook.com/ junipergreentennis. We look forward to welcoming you!
ART CLUB - This club suits children who thrive by being creative and individual. Online learning will focus on technique, pencil work and colour. Outdoor classes will be a visual appreciation of colour, depth and nature through pencil and other mixed media like watercolours. We encourage individuality and celebrating being your own true artist. First class is a FREE trial. E: balernoartclub@gmail.com T: 07591990020 Insta: @everychildisanartist_
TO INCLUDE YOUR CLUB OR CLASS, PLEASE EMAIL DETAILS, UP TO 75 WORDS, TO EDITOR@KONECT.SCOT
Disclaimer: The publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage caused by error in the printing of an advertisement. We do not endorse any advertisers in this publication. All material is accepted for publication on the understanding it is copyright free. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the publisher.
Publisher: Lothian Publications Ltd. Geddes House, Kirkton North, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6GU.
Magazine Design: Alan Stewart Design T: 07729 911858
PILATES, YOGA, STRENGTH & FITNESS CLASSES - at Prime Sports Physio &
NOT-FOR-PROFIT GROUPS ARE FREE. THERE IS A SMALL CHARGE FOR BUSINESSES. SEE KONECT. SCOT FOR INFORMATION.
Magazine Design: Alan Stewart Design T: 07729 911858
