Workshops

Art Classes liastwood Park Theatre. liastwood Park. Rouken (ilen Road. (iiffnock. 577 4970. Times and prices vary. Life drawing. craft. acrylic. sculpture and modelling workshops at the newly refurbished theatre. All week.

Big Knit Out! North Star. I08 Queen Margaret Drive. 576 ()I I3. 7pm. l‘ree. Knitting. tea and cakes - like a Stitch and Bitch. but less malicious. livery Wednesday

Capoeira Various ventres. 0795i 7 l 6 540. lixperience this fantastic. acrobatic Bra/ilian martial art form. as seen on that BBC ident with the people on the roof. Beginners welcome: visit wwvv'.sen/alascotland.co.uk for more information.

Dance House Classes Various venues. Times vary. Learn a new way of moving. from boogie vvoogie to flamenco. taking in rhythm. tap and more. For more information visit www.dancehouse.org. Knitting for Beginners North Star Cafe. I08 Queen Margaret Drive.

2 3.30pm. £32 for two classes. Learn to knit and felt yourself a handbag. Absolutely N() knitting experience required! Book at wwwklyarnscom. livery Monday.

The Essentials of Buddhism (ilasgow Buddhist Centre. 329 Sauchiehall Street. 333 0524. 7.30pm. £54 (£27). A series of classes exploring Buddhist teachings and how to apply them to everyday life. livery Wednesday The Wee Singing Thing Reulield St Stephen’s Church. 260 Bath Street. 332 2826. 7.30 9.30pm. l’ree. Lalalalalaaal Six-week course to discover and exercise your talent for congregational song. livery Wednesday

Voicebeat Multicultural Singing Group The Annexe. 9a Stewartville Street. Partick. 357 6747. 7.l5 9pm. £3.50. l-‘ind your voice and lift your spirits. No experience necessary. livery 'l'hursday.

Edinburgh W

Activities & Events

Urban Elegance ligo. l4 Picardy Place. 478 7434. 8pm 3am. £5: VlP ticket £l0 (£4). Fashion/DJ event in aid of Maggie's Centre all hosted by ex-B/ue Peter and Wheel o/‘l-in'rrme hepcat John Leslie. l‘ashions come from a host of local boutiques with music for dancing from the likes of'l‘ermite. Dan Bland. Meldrurn and Wolfia/x.

Kagyu Samye Dzong Edinburgh Various venues in lidinburgh and around. Donation. Kagyu Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery celebrates its 40th anniversary with a visit from founder Akong Tulku Rinpoche and a programme of events and talks all over the city. See vvvvw.edinburgh.samye.org for full listings and contact information. l'ntil Sat l7 Mar.

Food & Drink

Jolly Toper Tastings The Tolhooth Tavern. 167 Canongate. 556 5348. 7.30pm. £20. Long-running bi—rr‘ronthly whisky tasting session at one of the best- stocked bars in town. typically including live malt whiskies at cask strength. Tickets rntrst be booked in advance: call 0l3l 556 58M or email

chw s(u vv mcadenheadctrm to reserve.

Workshops

Life Drawing Weston Link. llawthornden Lecture Theatre. National (iallery. the Mound. 624 6560. 5 7pm. £l2 (£l0). lixplore the human form in monthly sessions led by artist Damian Callan. Suitable for beginners and the more experienced. All materials supplied.

Activities & Events Tall Tales Oscar 2007 Scottish Storytelling Centre. 4345 High Street.

556 9579. 7pm. £6 (£4). A night to remember as some of Scotland’s finest storytellers compete to see who can tell the best fable. with the audience deciding the winner.

Fairs

Antique 8: Collectors Fair Royal Highland Centre. lngliston. 0l764 654555. 9am 5pm. Browse stalls laden with jewellery. coins. linen. medals and antiques. Try not to break anything: it‘ll only lead to tears.

Workshops

Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School Counting llouse. West Nicolson Street. 667 0876. 3.30 5.30pm. £7.50 (£5). This month. get your pencils round the contours of the Little Red l’airy' at the burlesque life drawing class.

Sunday 18

Activities & Events

Green Houses: Climate Change, Community X-Change Dynamic liarth. lloly'rood Road. 550 7800. (rprrt. l‘rec. Can you really save the planet by producing your own energy '.’ A panel of risers. researchers and advisors discuss domestic power generation. Part of the (ireen llouses exhibition at ()ur Dynamic liarth. Pre-booking necessary. call 0l3l 451 3072.

Workshops

Watercolours in the Museum Royal Mrrsetrru Main Hall. 2 Chambers Street. 247 42l9. l.30pm. £20 (£16). Karen Clrrlow leads a course of four workshops to develop your skills in watercolour Using the museums‘ collections and architecture to inspire you. Booking advisable and please take your own materials.

Monday 1 9

Food & Drink

Charity Whisky Tasting Caledonian Hilton Hotel. Princes Street. 7.30pm. £15 suggested donation. A tutored tasting of five distinctive and top quality Scottish whiskies. All money from ticket sales to go to World Vision‘s ‘Sponsor a Child' appeal. Contact 0l3| 556 5864 to reserve a place.

Politics

* Election Question Time Mcliwau llall. Bristo Square. 650 438i. noon. Free. See llitlist.

Tuesday 20

Talks

A Madman, a Mountain, and a Monastery Royal Lyceum 'l‘heatre. (irindlay Street. 248 4848. 7.30 9pm. £5. An informal look at Des Dillon's .trlonkv. vv ith the author himself.

Wednesday 21

Activities & Events

Making Applications and Proposals for Musicians l’ruitmarket (lallery. 45 Market Street. 225 2383. 6.30 8.30pm. Free. A free. practical workshop on making applications and proposals for funding. with representatives from the Musicians' t'nion. the Scottish Ja// l-‘ederation and Cultural linterprise ()ftice. Places are limited so please book in advance at

glasgovv (0 musiciansuuion.org.uk or 0l4l 34l 296l.

Food & Drink

Union 300: Common Ground, 26 and La Provenance Scottish Storytelling Centre. 43 45 High Street. 556 9579. 6.30pm. £l5. Thirty writers revisit authors who shaped the literary landscapes of Scotland and lingland. followed by stories and wine tasting led by Valerie Blanc.

Introduction to Wine: The Classic Grape Varieties Henderson‘s. 94 Hanover Street. 01236 829920. 7pm. £28. Case Studies Wine Schoool offer simple introductions to wine tasting. focusing on one popular grape variety a session. liach tasting culminates in a ruain course dinner specially selected to complement the grape.

Talks

Louisa Waugh Word Power Bookshop. 43 \Vest Nicholson Street. ()62 9| l2. 7pm. Free. The author of Selling (New: Stories of Human 'Il‘ttfllt'klllg’ and Resislunee talks about international human trafficking.

Activities and Events

Big Word Performance Poetry The Jan Bar. l Chambers Street. 220 4290. 9 l l.30pm. £4 (£3). High energy poetry cabaret in a new home. with quick tire comedy and word play from Jenny Lindsay. Bram (iieben. Dominic Waxing Lyrical and lilv is .\1c(ionagall.

Workshops

Varieties Fit for Purpose Royal Botanic (iardens (Lecture Theatre). Royal Botanic (iardens. lnverleith Row. 552 7l7l. 7.30pm. £7 (£5 members). Dr Bill Spoor describes how crops are developed for certain enviromnents. and explains some newer techniques.

Theatre Mining North lidinburgh Arts Centre. l5a Pennyw ell Court. 3l5 2l5l. 6.30 8pm. £30 for frrll course (£8 £20). 'l'raining session for those who've caught the acting bug. focusing on all aspects of performance. Led by theatre director and physical theatre specialist Denis Agnew.

Politics

Union 300: Rebel Songs and Union Blues Scottish Storytelling Centre. 4345 High Street. 556 9579. 7.30pm. £8 (£6). Stuart Mcllardy and liwan .\lc\'icar perform radical songs and political raps. celebrating a proud tradition of Scottish protest.

Talks

Café Philo lnstiltlt l‘rancais d'licossc. l3 Randolph Crescent. 225 5366. 4 6pm. £8. Discussion en fraucais autour d’un sujet philosophique. If you didn’t understand that. there's probably not much point in you going.

Saturday 24

Activities & Events

Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society’s Spring Flower Show Royal Botanic (iarden (Caledonian llall ). lnverleith Row. 0l506 844 I07.

I lam 5.30pm. £tbc. 'l‘hrow off any lingering winter blues by exposing yourself to thousands of varieties of lovely spring flowers. all in the one room. EngineerAid: Innovation Challenge lidinburgh Training Centre. l6 St Marys Street. 538 8333 . noon 5pm. Free (sponsored). See llitlist.

Fairs

DADA/ Miso Funky Market The Caves. Niddry Street South. 557 8989. l lam 4pm. See preview. page 26.

Activities & Events

* Slavery walk in the footsteps of Robert Wedderburn Var‘iotrs venues around Musselburgh. 2.30pm. tree. A commemorative walk following in the footsteps of Robert Wedderburn. the son of a black Jaruaican slave and her Scottish master. Wedderburn becarrre an anti-slavery activist when his father refused to acknowledge him. limail tommoyesm acts- scotland.or'g to take part. See llitlist.

Politics * Breaking the Chains St John's Church. Princes Street. 229 7565. 6pm.

Around Town

Free. (‘ommemoration and thanksgiving to mark the Bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade. See llitlist.

Talks

Telling Stories Royal Museum Lecture Theatre. 2 Chambers Street. 247 4219. 2.30- 4pm. £5 (£4). Discover just why the death of Bambi‘s mother will u/tr‘uy's yank your heartstrings. as ()scar winning animator Michael Dudock de Wit and director of lnk Animations (iili l)olcv. discuss the importance of story in animation.

Politics

* Trading People: then and now St John's Church. Princes Street. 229 7565. 7.l5pm. £6 (£4). John Watson (director of Amnesty International Scotland). author Lousia Waugh and historians ()wen Dudley lidwards and Bob Akroyd discuss the history of the slave trade. and highlight areas where it still exists today. See llitlist.

Wednesday 28

Politics

Election 2007: The priorities of the Liberal Democrats Open Door. 420 Morningside Road. 447 9757. 10.30am.

£ l. The Morningside Jrrstice and Peace (iroup. with guest speaker Cllr lired .‘ylackintosh. Parliamentary Candidate. lidinburgh South.

Ongoing Edinburgh Exhibitions

Amazing Rare Things: The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery The Queen‘s (iallery. Palace of lloly‘roodlrotrsc. 556 5 l0(). l'trtil Sun l6 Sep. Daily 9.30am 6pm; 9.30am 2pm (Closed ). £5 (free £4.50; family ticket £l3). Curated by the Royal Collection in collaboration with Sir David Attenborough. this exhibition brings together the work of four artists Leonardo da Vinci. Cassiano dal Pox/o. Alexander Marshal. Maria Sibylla Meriarr and Mark Catesby who have helped shape contemporary understanding of the natural world. Green Houses: Carbon-free living? Dynamic liarth. lloly'rood Road. 550 7800. Sat l7 & Srrn 18 Mar. l0am 5pm. lixhibition on renewable energy in the home. with hands-on experiments.

Pixar: 20 Years of Animation Mrrseum of Scotland. Chambers Street. 247 42l9. l'ntil Mon 28 May. .Mon & Wed Sat l0am 5pm: Tue 10am 8pm: Srrn noon: 5pm. £6 (£3 £5). The Claw! The Claaawl Drawings. paintings. sculpture and ctrmputer-gener'ated multimedia artwork demonstrate the creativity and skill of the company behind some of the best- loved animated tilms of recent times. Like i/irv Story. ()oooohl

* Witness lidinburgh City Chamber's. High Street. 529 4003. Sun 25 Mar. 4 6pm. l’ree. lixhibition of photographs. artefacts and narrative texts cornmernorating the Atlantic Slave 'l'rade. See llitlist.

Food & Drink

Edinburgh Farmers’ Market (‘astle Terrace. 652 5940. 9am 2pm. Pick up organic sausages. spuds with the dirt still on ‘em. or some pungent Scottiin cheeses.

Workshops

Dance Base Classes Dance Base.

l4 l6 (irassmar'ket. 225 5525. Drop in and hip hop. get your friends belly dancing. or rediscover your inner pretty ballerina. Nina. Info on a huge range of classes at wvv w.dancebase.ctr.uk.

Shoe Swing Cotrntiug llouse. West Nicolson Street. 667 0876. 7pm. £4.50 or' £8 for couples (£3.50 or £6 for' couples). The gents behind \"egas? control the mrrsic at the weekly swing dance workshop that you don't even need a partner for. 'l’utored classes from 7pm and social dancing from 9. Swing dancers. lindy-hoppers and jivers of all persuasious very welcome. livery Wednesday.

15429 Mar 2007 THE LIST 27