Snap fringe fun

A collection of people doing their thing and having fun at the Fringe this week

what surprises to do you have for me this week with your snap collections - always fun to visit you all

6 word story - eye

Using another image from the fun that is the Fringe for Miriam's lovely meme

Monday memorandum at the book festival

Big wave to you all after another busy weekend enjoying all the bustle of Edinburgh in August.  As you will have seen here I am a big fan of the Fringe festival that takes over the city every summer. But I have not sampled the other festivals that take place at the same time and thought I should rectify this omission. 

So this year I went to the book festival for the first time - it is so different from the Fringe which is big and noisy and takes over every conceivable performance space.  The book festival is contained within one big grassy square in town - it is flat, has plenty of seats - including in the queue, the atmosphere is quietly excited.  There is even a cafe inside the big bookshop that is erected on site

I arrived in plenty of time for the talk so that I could have a nosey around and enjoy a coffee and read a bit.  I was rather hesitant in pulling out my kindle when so many people were reading actual paper books but I spotted a couple reading theirs so I sat near them and then another lady came over and sat nearby and took out hers.

I thoroughly enjoyed the talk and reading from Ken McLeod whose scifi books I thoroughly enjoy too.  He explained how he came up with the key concepts in his latest trilogy and read extracts from the 1st book and, as a special treat, a piece from the 3rd which he is currently writing.  I have a ticket for another local author who I enjoy reading - Chris Brookmyre - for next weekend.  I will definitely be adding the book festival to my August programme in the future.

And my tasting adventures continue.  Outside one of the popular venues we had spotted a stall offering 'adult ice-cream' so had to investigate.  Each flavour contains alcohol

I chose Oreos over Dublin and it was delicious.

Wishing you all a good week.

Snap up in the air

I like to wander around the entertainers and crowds that are part of the Fringe festival but the crowds are often so big that seeing what is happening can be hard - except when the action is up above the crowds.  So here is a collection of fun things up in the air

the balloon creations seem to get more intricate each year - those octopus look scary

these living statues continue to entertain and there are several this year which look as if they are levitating

I was walking up some stairs and saw red legs in the air - it was an acrobat balancing on her hands on a table

I like to watch jugglers and this one was throwing his balls particularly high

Looking forward to seeing what caught your eye this week

Snap at the food festival

Festival organisers in Edinburgh were clearly concerned that there was a 5 day gap between the end of the jazz festival and the start of the fringe and tattoo so last year they introduced a food festival using the venues from the jazz festival.

I took advantage on a sunny lunchtime

I enjoyed a nicely balanced lunch - starting with a slice of vegan aubergine kuku - which I have discovered is a traditional Persian dish somewhat like a frittata but baked and packed full of vegetables and herbs.  I'm not sure what they used instead of eggs to make it vegan but it was delicious.
Then I had a decadent piece of coffee and hazelnut brownie - seemed a good balance to the virtuous savoury.  Very rich and tasty but a smaller portion would have been enough.

 Looking forward to your snaps be they tasty, balanced or something else entirely

6 word colour

joining Miriam in her lovely weekly meme

Jazzy snap

a collection of images from the free jazz that I enjoyed on Saturday

There were 4 performance areas with different styles of jazz in each - unfortunately the amplification on the big stage meant their beat became a background for all other performers - must be very annoying for artists who have a softer sound.  I particularly enjoyed the energy of the guys in kilts.  Plenty of toe tapping and swinging to the music and I had a particularly delicious peach melba icecream.

Clearly some of the neighbours are not so delighted by the regular events that take place here - that yellow notice in the window reads 'no to noise' - really I think that anyone buying a property there should be aware of how the market space is used during the year - I noticed that in most other residences they had the window open and some were leaning out for a good view.

Thank you to everyone sharing their snap sets

Pair of pyrotechnics

The last event of Edinburgh's festival summer is a big firework concert - a band plays in the park below the castle and there are accompanying fireworks over the castle.  The music is transmitted live on the local radio station.  As the castle is on top of a hill it is visible from many places around the city and lots of people congregate in them to enjoy the pyrotechnics spectacle - including us.

I do enjoy fireworks and always try for some photos - always a matter of take a lot and hope for a few good ones whilst remembering to enjoy the spectacle too.

more fringe fun

as requested, some more snippets of creative fun from the fringe

another human statue – hard to see but there is a pole from the bottom man’s hand up to the top man’s platform – I could see several groups of spectators discussing how they thought it was done / where the support structure was hidden

I passed 2 performers with a clear ball but didn’t stop to find out how it was used – I was more interested in the reflection of the street within the ball

possibly having a nap?  possibly relating to plot of a play?

lady with the tablet was interviewing people on her pink inflatable sofa – other person was advertising a show

this week’s image for 2 or more people wearing the same thing – from a Japanese dance epic – the tassels are from the head dress of another person from the troupe – and I love the bemused look on the face of the spectator

and to finish a fun monster with massive feet

5 in 5 at the Fringe

During August Edinburgh is full of festivals and festival performers and festival goers which all creates a lovely buzz and lots of interesting sights.  As well as seeing plenty of shows I like to wander through the section of the Royal Mile which is shut off to cars and used as a promotion place for shows – lots of performers come here to hand out leaflets and show off their costumes and sometimes perform a bit – there are also street entertainers.  A perfect location for a 5 in 5

the people who entertain by keeping still seem to have reached a whole new level of props and unlikely poses – I spend all my time trying to work out where the supports are

the balloon artists always do well too – this would work for item one in the scavenger hunt

I love bubbles so was as fascinated as all the kids at the giant bubbles – this is not on his head even though it looks like an amazing hat

these little puppets are so cute – part of a children's fairy tale troupe

and my favourite sight of the day, and my entry for the scavenger hunt – 2 or more people dressed the same.  These are two different groups – having just taken a photo together – the ones in pink are Korean and the others are from New Zealand

Thanks to Sandie for her monthly suggestion to take photos for 5 minutes and share the best 5.

me on Monday

a big wave to everyone whether you are at home or on holiday (or indeed somewhere else).

The summer festival season in Edinburgh started with flare this weekend. 

On Saturday I enjoyed some free toe-tapping as jazz musicians entertained on 4 stages.  A great array of jazz styles and a chance to see some more unusual musical instruments

Then on Sunday a carnival parade along the main street with masses of drummers and fabulous head dresses (and a very cute little girl) – I collaged some together

great to see so many people enjoying the music and the spectacle – which continued with performances in the park until rain sent us under trees for shelter and then home. 

At home a satisfying fruit picking session in my back garden means I wont need to buy any fruit this week – I also have a nice stash of raspberry conserve after going to a fruit picking farm during the week.

Wishing you all a good week with some toe tapping

all the fun of carnival

the public fun in Edinburgh continues with a free carnival in the centre of town (roads closed, buses diverted) and plenty of music and dance bands.  I took the same photo approach that I did with the Jazz and focussed on capturing some details rather than trying to photograph whole groups when I could rarely see them through the crowds anyway.

I focussed on feet a lot because of the dancers and also I was noticing some nifty footwear. And of course there were gorgeous big headgear too.

I like the overall riot of colour and movement with nice details when you look at each piece close up.

Hope you all have some carnival in your life this week.

enjoying some jazz

The festival season in Edinburgh started this weekend with the jazz festival and free music on Saturday.  Knowing there would be crowds and that at my height I would not get great shots of the bands I decided to concentrate on capturing some details of the event. 
Even then it was not easy as taking photos through gaps in the crowd meant I often had shots like these


as people moved into my shot.

But I did manage to capture some musical instruments and details within the crowd of dancing and other photographers and drinks and applause. 

I’m pleased with the result and plan to repeat this for other aspects of the festival season.