As you read this, advance copies of the July Spurtle are already popping up in odd spots across Broughton like lost tourists walking in circles on York Lane in search of Britannia.
Issue 319 begins with an unlikely marriage, a Scots vow, and a surprise half-quote from Macbeth few if any have remarked before. Scores of architectural changes follow, as do clouds of dust, a tactical victory, and the return of a local artist certified dead for roughly 125 years. He’s looking well.
On Page 2 we reflect on the long-term effects of short-termism and what to do about them. We talk about clutter and bubbling indifference and getting to grips with a dangerous snake. We have mews and a TARDIS and an egg and four places to avoid getting performed at this summer without paying whether you like it or not.
Questions, questions, questions. We ask them on Page 3. Plus there’s plastic – horrible, lifeless plastic fakery – and things that fall out of the sky and go CRASH when you least expect them. Look out here for bee tips and a potential mystery cake in the Spurtleshire New Town.
Fear not, for behold …
Fear not, for behold, on Page 4 we bring good news to you of great joy. Also toilet tidings, a call for fresh blood, and the vaguest suggestion of things you wouldn’t want caught in your bicycle spokes. All in the best possible taste.
To be clear: things that go moo, or can squawk, or keep tickling or banging on about stuff – there’s room for them all in the Spurtle as long as they’re present between Queen Street and Canonmills, between Howe Street and Pilrig Street, or anywhere else nearby that takes our interest as desperation sets in shortly before copy deadlines.
You can find Issue 319 in shops, services, bars, bakers, eateries and classy dispensers the length and breadth of the barony. And for those of you in the Old Town wanting to broaden your horizons, there are copies too in the Edinburgh Room of the Central Library. Colourful pdfs can be downloaded from HERE after midnight on 1 July.
Got a story? A tip? A pic? A leak or suggestion of local interest? Please tell us at spurtle@hotmail.co.uk. We always welcome fresh ideas and new voices.
