Birds Eye view - pre trams - one to watch

I have had a few pictures in the system, firstly taken from high up looking westwards along Shandwick Place, into West Maitland Street (home of the Mercat Bar) and Haymarket Station - this is the route of the proposed tram line into the City, already been dug up and the scene of much chaos during the past four years.

The metal giraffes are erected on the pavement outside the Omni Centre, Glasshouse Hotel, and Playhouse Theatre, at York Place, much admired.

The plaque I spotted above the door of the Abbey Inn, Newtongrange, dating the building to 1874 and the previous building owned by the Laird of Newtongrange to 1664 - however I have not delved into that story yet.

On the other hand, a few days ago I visited and showed photographs of West Linton, ( with its plaques dating back to 1660) - one of the streets shown is known as "Mowbrays Slap" and I was at a loss as to why it should be called this - had someone called Mowbray been slapped or given someone a slap ?? However, a "slap" is also an old Scottish word for a gap in a fence, hedge, wall, etc, so it could be that a local called Mowbray used this as a shortcut and it eventually through usage became a narrow lane - maybe !!

There is a re-run of the Susan Boyle documentary- "An Unlikely Superstar" on the TV at the moment, and as I stated previously, a really remarkable person indeed - There is one wee bit where she is squeezing between a van and a motorcycle to get into the London recording studio - Question - can you see some of today's Diva's putting up with that wihout taking a petulant tantrum - ( I use the word "petulant" as it was also used today in the Sunday Mail following Greg Wylde of Rangers kick at Willo Flood getting him a red card - ((eejit)).

Back to SuBo - there is a far greater chance of me buying her next Album - "Someone to Watch Over Me" which is due for release this coming Monday, than some of the other rubbish being punted out into the X-mas market place. Nearly as big a waste of our hard earned pennies as last nights fireworks - money up in smoke.