Breaking news

The Scottish Chamber Choir will hold a festive concert in Broughton on 17 December. 

Directed by Iain McLarty, the event at Broughton St Mary’s Parish Church will feature seasonal music, readings and carols, and is being staged as a fundraiser for locally based charity Waverley  Care and The Soko Fund. 

Full details at foot of page. 

Normally, tickets cost £10, but we have two to give away to the winners of our new irritating competition.

Each clue refers to a different publicly visible spot or area somewhere in Edinburgh.

The December/January Spurtle is out from today, jingling like Santa’s sleigh and stuffed to the gunwales with newsworthy parcels. 

A lot of them are to do with Planning – this year’s must-have Christmas gift whether you want it or not. 

We have a beard and a bow on page 1, plus a hat, a bear and peculiar plug on page 2, not to mention film excitements, violence, seasonal stuff, Cockburny visions and radical redecoration not to everybody’s taste. 

Objects for an Uncertain World, Jenny Pope at Patriothall Gallery, 19-27 November 2016. 

Jenny Pope’s recent solo exhibition at Patriothall Gallery flowed through two rooms. The front gallery displayed recent drawings and sculptures exploring the dynamics between safety, comfort, and restriction, in personal space. The rear gallery displayed four installations of porcelain sculptures from recent years. 

NEW EXHIBITION AT EDINBURGH PRINTMAKERS 

There is a great deal to admire in this varied and wide-ranging show, with the artists tackling themes which include life, death, hope, redemption, tragedy and beauty. 

Many of them have been working closely with staff and patients at St Columba’s Hospice, and their stories subtly influence the work on display. 

Here are some of my favourites.

This local resident has gone missing from Annandale Street just as the weather has turned really cold. 

His owners are understandably concerned. 

Last spotted on East Claremont Street yesterday, he’s described as a small, short-haired puss ‘who answers to the name Ziggy’. 

If you see him, please phone: 07429 454220.

Beaverhall Art Studios are welcoming visitors today with masses of original works to be seen and many pre-Christmas bargains on sale. 

Since 2012, the first and second floors of the former Duncan’s Chocolate Factory (the red brick building with the distinctive Egyptian-themed fresco) on Beaverhall Road have housed a a vibrant blend of painters, ceramicists, sculptors, photographers, illustrators, textile and fashion designers, jewellers and small charitable organisations. 

It’s a heady and thoroughly enjoyable mix. 

The Scottish Chamber Choir will hold a festive concert in Broughton on 17 December. 

Directed by Iain McLarty, the event at Broughton St Mary’s Parish Church will feature seasonal music, readings and carols, and is being staged as a fundraiser for locally based charity Waverley  Care and The Soko Fund. 

Full details at foot of page. 

Normally, tickets cost £10, but we have two to give away to the winners of our new irritating competition.

A second pre-application consultation on plans for ‘new sustainable housing’ at the former B&Q site on Warriston Road will take place early next month. 

Artisan Canonmills Ltd will exhibit proposals by architects Sheppard Robson at the Nelson Hall in McDonald Road Library on Saturday 3 December (noon–4pm) and Monday 5 December (2pm–8pm).

Plans will be available to view online here from Tuesday 6 December. (Have a look there now for a fly-by view of the Beaverland.)

The Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) has applied for Listed Building Consent to make important changes to the main Meeting Hall of the Glasite Meeting House at 33 Barony Street (Ref. 16/05648/LBC). 

ACT NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT  

David Sterratt writes: There are a couple of consultations Spurtle readers may be interested in responding to - but be quick as the deadline is TODAY.