VICKERS vow. It was Independence Day Eve in the Playhouse. Lisa Vickers, when she took over in Edinburgh as American Consul, vowed she'd strive to build even closer ties with the local community and, by jiminy, she has, witness the throng at her pre-Fourth of July party in the theatre's Overtures lounge. "Tomorrow will be my country's 232nd birthday and Britain's gone from being our first foe to best friend," she told us, hand on heart. We drank to that.
Anne Irons, wife of former Lord Provost Norman, lit up the room in a blazing yellow outfit ("the material's Danish but I had it made up in Edinburgh".
She'd made an effort. More than can be said for the scruffs, the louts, who had ignored the lou
nge suit dress code and turned up in tatty jeans.
Next time, have the Marine Corps on the door Lisa, and don't let them in.
Get on yer bike Join the club. The transformation of The Bombay Bicycle Club on Brougham Place, Tollcross, is remarkable. Close to astounding. Closed for four months, it's back in business, bringing a touch of much-need class to an Edinburgh street long associated with eateries of various cuisines.
It's been Bangla-born Aftab Uddin's place for 25 years and, he admits, it was looking a bit tired. "It was an-all-or-nothing decision. To do a costly total refurb, knock the restaurant about a bit, I had to think mortgages. I have responsibilities. A wife and three daughters. But the response to our re-launch last month has exceeded expectations."
Why the Bicycle Club? "Everybody travels by bicycle or rickshaw in Bombay, before it became Mumbai, and people around here are more comfortable with bikes than rickshaws. You'll never see me on a bike. I always use the car or walk."
Afterwords . .Introducing Miss Moneypenny. Blink and you'd have missed the proclamation that our city council has installed a new Head of Culture and Sport. A department crucial to our quality of life. Previously Head of Museums and Arts, Lynne Halfpenny will be influential on major projects too numerous to mention.
No idea what they'll be paying her but she must be in the money. A pretty penny, one imagines.
The full article contains 381 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
