CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh

Is Edinburgh open today?

(61 posts)
  • Started 11 years ago by wee folding bike
  • Latest reply from Tulyar

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  1. gembo
    Member

    Like all those suggestions, except coffee flavoured yoghurt.

    I mentioned up thread that I had amazingly quiet ride into work today but canal path was hoaching on way home. Many He Men single oar paddlers in the canal t moment, very impressive. One guy kneels in the boat then rips along using just the one paddle. He was heading east this morning at same time as me but then he was still there and still heading east when I was heading west. Training for Native American canoe championship?

    The walker with the big feet, big bunnet and big staff was on the path again tonight. He nearly forgot his amazing staff last night in Balerno Scotmid.

    Festival traffic will be bad but I like Edinburgh during the festival. The first sign is spotting someone who is too trendy for Edinburgh, they will have super trendy hair and glasses and clothes and exceptionally trendy shoes. They will be the advanced party sent up from Camden to sort the venue/flat out. If you go to previews in the first few days or to official festival things after the English bank holiday, it is not too bad. If the weather holds, go to beach in between?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  2. SRD
    Moderator

    @gembo 'first nations' !

    I can show you how to do it, if you like. easy peasy once you've got the knack.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  3. gembo
    Member

    My favourite Plains Indians - Lakota Sioux. If still called that. It is true that most of my knowledge came from good channel 4 book about them. Oh and John Wayne movies which I am the first to admit doesn't count. Think I know the difference between a teepee and a wigwam (if still called that).

    The canoeing looked fun but I have terrible back at the moment from using hand scythe down in jungle at bottom of my garden. Obviously, just big weeds, not implying Balerno has tropical rain forest or anything like that :-)

    Posted 11 years ago #
  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @CC I demand you reveal the secrets of coffee flavoured yoghurt!

    Posted 11 years ago #
  5. wee folding bike
    Member

    You can also learn a lot about native north Americans from Star Trek Voyager and both The Original Series and The Next Generation had native north American episodes.

    In Voyager Commander Chakotay goes on vision quests and his dad is Manolito Montoya who worked on the High Chaparral ranch. Strangely Manolito was a Vulcan at one time.

    No jungle here but after more than a week away in England and Wales the grass was a bit mad and the potato plants had wilted. Memsahib sorted out the grass. Potato plants pending. Some wee tomato fruit appearing but mostly still just flowering so I'll need to hit them with the paint brush.

    Memshib is likely to insist that I fettle big car so we can take boys away camping in a week or two so I'll need to get some radiator hose from a motor factor.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  6. cc
    Member

    @kaputnik I'm still working on the recipe. The first attempt involved a couple of dollops (precise metric dollops) of Greek yoghurt, a teaspoon of Percol instant espresso powder, strength 6 out of 5, and some sweetening. Mixed together beautifully, bitter as anything hence the sweetening, almost blew my head off. Strong stuff, but I smelled victory so this morning I tried for a less assertive blend but achieved bland bland bland.
    It seems popular in places where the dairy produce comes from the Tyrol - I've seen it in Milan and Venice and Innsbruck. I love giving oddness a go and took to it like the proverbial duck.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  7. Darkerside
    Member

    I have no idea what this thread is doing.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  8. chdot
    Admin

    Drifting westward...

    Posted 11 years ago #
  9. cb
    Member

    Canadian canoe. Definitely Canadian canoe. Or just 'canoe'.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  10. wee folding bike
    Member

    Go Outdoors have inflatable canoes but they're still in the £200 range which would pose some issues for the management.

    To carry a real one I'd need to take off the roof box which has been in place for 8 years and the nuts look like they would require some persuasion.

    On the "just canoe" thing, when does a digital camera become just a camera? For me it is, I haven't used film in 12 -13 years.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  11. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    I think the point of this thread is to just say what randomly comes into your head.

    I'm reading Kafka on the Shore and World War Z. The Murakami is wonderful - why have I not read this before? WWZ is trashy and horrible but I keep reading because I want to know what contemporary mores are going to be skewered next.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  12. SRD
    Moderator

    Inflatable canoes not recommended. You may mean inflatable kayak? I still wouldn't recommend, but slightly more plausible.

    I did see a collapsible canoe on the canal recently, which looked reasonable.

    Most of the canoes that I see in use are heavy and poorly designed. more like floating bathtubs.

    I recommend oldstyle wood and canvas if you can get it. If not, kevlar.

    If you ever get taken out in one do NOT let your kids/yourselves sit on seats that are above the rims of the boat. Sit on the floor. even if it means your bottom gets wet. You need weight as low as possible for stability/ease of movement.

    I have seen too many 'qualified' instructors here putting kids up on seats in the middle, with total novices paddling. Simply asking for them to fall in.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  13. wee folding bike
    Member

    I was out with some instructors and kids in Loch Tay a few years ago. I sat as low as possible because the kids thought it was fun to rock the boat.

    The urinals in the Kenmore hotel are quite odd… and I just found out why they are designed the way they are.

    http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3AVictorian%20style%20urinals%20-%20geograph.org.uk%20-%201358877.jpg/-/en

    Posted 11 years ago #
  14. kaputnik
    Moderator

    We stopped in at the Kenmore Hotel in May for coffee and a ginger beer and I too wondered why they had such odd urinals. Now I know.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  15. cb
    Member

    Don't remember those urinals. Obviously didn't stand out for me.
    Only other interesting thing I can think of re. the Kenmore Hotel is Burns's scrawled verse by the chimney in the bar.

    I've Canadian canoed and kayaked in Loch Tay many times. Can get quite fierce.

    There's a man made island in Kenmore bay created for Queen Vics visit. I think so anyway. Sounds a bit dubious now that I come to type it.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  16. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @cc wonder if Camp coffee would work, as it's pre-sweetened?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  17. cc
    Member

    @kaputnik Hmm there's a thought. Although the extra liquid would dilute the thick creaminess. I shall keep you informed of progress.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  18. gembo
    Member

    on spud front I harvested a kilo of wee purple beauties from three seed potatoes on return from hols, wilting had not occurred as they were earlies and were just flowering when I went away for ten days. Had I been there and watering them and maybe giving some tomato feed may have increased yield but still happy. Taste lovely. Are purple, only cook for ten mins as more tender than those that have sat around a while.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  19. sallyhinch
    Member

    Do you not find your new potatoes explode if you boil them? Mine just turn into mush. Although we hardly ever simply boil potatoes these days

    Posted 11 years ago #
  20. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Sallyhinch, what would you recommend in lieu of boiled new potatoes?

    Pommes de terre fricassé or Pommes de terre au vin?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  21. sallyhinch
    Member

    - curried with kale or spinach (Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe, much more delicious than it sounds)
    - cut up into wedges and shaken in oil, garlic and herbs and then roasted in the oven (basically oven chips!)
    - cubed and used in 'random veg frittata' along with anything else the garden is producing
    - added to Caldo Verde
    - Janssen's Temptation

    I would like to boil them and be able to use them in potato salad though.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  22. cc
    Member

    Wow those sound great. Maybe you could steam them rather than boiling?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  23. sallyhinch
    Member

    I've tried everything http://cityexile.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/those-exploding-potatoes-in-full/ (the joys of having a blog...)

    Posted 11 years ago #
  24. gembo
    Member

    The purple ones are like new potatoes except purple. 10 mins til just tender, good on own or with spring onion in salad. No explosions. Very gentle boil, cook with cold water and salt, lid on? Once up to temp switch off gas and leave them standing for a long time?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  25. wee folding bike
    Member

    Memsahib is suggesting a trip to Dynamic Earth. Is there much Festival nonsense round there?

    Will be in a car but I'll stick a bike in the trunk in case we need to park the car far away (not small, far away). Will Dynamic Earth be OK with a bike in the left luggage?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  26. wingpig
    Member

    Not much Fringe down the east end of Holyrood Road but the Fringe-mobbed Pleasance and Cowgate abut the western end at St Mary's Street and the tourist-laden Canongate runs parallel to it. The grassy bits around the Parliament round to Dynamic Earth seem quite popular with sunglasses-wearing camera-wielders and Abbeyhill/Horse Wynd are plagued with buses.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  27. wee folding bike
    Member

    I'll probably skite round the by pass and in along Willowbrae.

    No sun glasses for me. Number 2 son threw my RayBans in the bin 9 years ago and I haven't been able to afford a new pair.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  28. gembo
    Member

    Dynamic earth has underground parking nearby which certainly used to be linked to going into the place. Coming in your way then abbey hill down past parliament into the park then immediately right back out of the park and I think the underground car park is on that street. If that works, tho I only go on the bike so my directions not always great for cars.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  29. wingpig
    Member

    Dynamic Earth parking access on Holyrood Gait. Slope at the north end for cars and steps nearer the south end for pedestrian egress/ingress.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  30. wee folding bike
    Member

    Thanks. I've left the car in Holyrood's car park. Might nip into the house too.

    Boys having fun with dinos and the big chunk of ice.

    No obvious signs of festival nonsense.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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