Flodden Day

Just before the band heads off to St Etienne for a short trip, here are some images of a baking hot Flodden Day. Pics taken by Alex, who plays the big bass drum.

Civic Week

Sunday 5th saw the Installation of this years Coldstreamer, Andrew Tait.

While Edinburgh shivered through the Festival Cavalcade in 15c, the other side of Soutra basked in a very sunny afternoon, 23c. God smiling on the righteous!

A few pictures of the afternoon's parade from the band's perspective. Halt at the War Memorial and a picture of the 2007 edition of the band. David Guthrie, local photographer, kindly took some pics of the band too and with his skills we will have a very high quality image for the web site, etc.

More pictures of the week as it progresses.

Remaining engagements for 2007

Six months into the year it is worth recapping the diary for the remainder of the year:

1. 23rd June
Peebles. Leave at 9am. Henderson Park

2. 14th July
Wedding at Ford Castle – meet at Eildon at 1.30pm
Play in Henderson Park at 4.30pm

3. 21st July
Kelso Civic Week – leave at 5.45pm from Henderson Park. Parade at 7pm

4. 5th – 11th August Civic Week
· Sunday – Sashing ceremony: meet at 1pm at Eildon centre
· Monday – Return of the Norham rideout: 8.30pm at The Besom
· Thursday – Flodden rideout: 11am at Castle Car Park
· Friday – Torchlit procession: 9.30pm at Top Park Gates
· Saturday - Fancy Dress Parade: 4pm in the Park
· Saturday - Unsashing ceremony: 7pm prompt at Henderson Park

5. 19th August
Playing in Henderson Park/Gowanlea – meet at Eildon 2.30pm

6. 26th August
Borders Massed Pipe Bands: Floors Castle – leave Coldstream at 11.30am

7. 30th August – 3rd September
Trip to France

8. 22nd September
Coffee Morning: all members expected to attend and contribute to cake stall, raffle etc., 10am at The British Legion.

9. 11th November
Remembrance Sunday.

Coldstream by glider

Two pics of the town courtesy of the Borders Gliding Club http://www.bordersgliding.co.uk/. Very interesting site, if a bit technical! The weather page is worth a look though.

The Gliding Club runs from the former RAF Milfield, there's a history here http://www.milfield.org.uk/

Beating Retreat 2005

Two images borrowed from D Stock, a user of the FlickR image database site.

If you type 'Coldstream' into FlickR you get about a million images of the bridge. All the pictures seem to be taken by tourists passing through the town, which is fine and these seem the only ones of us.

North Bridge blues

Just round the corner from the Flodden Wall, the traffic was blocked up. Why? Check out the bridge.

One of those typical Edinbugh days.

Flodden: there's no escape

Pictures from the Canongate area of Edinburgh. Interesting that the effects of Flodden caused Edinburgh to have to build defensive walls.

Not Coldstream

Not the beach at Coldstream, but Portobello: 'Edinburgh's seaside'. 8.10am this morning. Nice.

Sandbag installation is preparation for Glasgow Fair holidaymakers.

Rain stops Play(ing)

In search of mendicantus bagpiperus this lunchtime. Clearly the rain keeps the roving pipers away. Will try again when rain stops - i.e. September.

Mendicantus Bagpiperus

Native caledonian, wild in origin but increasingly seen in urban and suburban settings.

Best seen: weekdays in city centres, weekends in hotel lobbies and banqueting suites. Thrives in tourist honeypots, laybyes, car parks, border posts, wedding receptions and corporate bashes.

Mates twice a season each January; 1st (Hogmanay) and 25th (Burns Night). Otherwise a loner. Tends to never leave the family nest, i.e. lives with mother.

Is approachable: mostly harmless.

Likes: cash.

Dislikes: stong winds and rain.

Is known to mate with sub-species: drummers, bass guitar players, singers. This is to be avoided.

Do say: How much for a photo?

Don't say: Hello, I'm from the Inland Revenue. (Also good advice when approaching farmers).

Mendicant musicians

Our great friend Huttonian (http://www.huttonian.blogspot.com/) makes frequent mention of Mendicant* Piper and his prodigous volume in the regions of Princes Street, Edinburgh. No photos yet, but we are working on it.

For those of you without the benefit of a classical education definitions are provided below.

Just to show that nowhere is immune from mendicant musicians we provide this sample from High Street, Inverness. Note passer-by studiously ignoring 'muso', obviouly a music lover/local. And is it/was it ever polo season in Inverness?

*Mendicant: a. begging (of friar) living solely on alms n. beggar: mendicant friar. From the Latin: mendicus: beggar. Oxford English Dictionary.

*Mendicant: pain in the a*se. From the Latin: getawaytaebuggeryustus. Scots Farmers Dictionary.

Google game

Ever needed to avoid working on a Monday morning but still need to look busy as perfected by cooncil workmen, polismen and comic singers the world over?

Our suggestion is to play the 'type Coldstream into Google' game.

Here are ten early results;

1. Booze
Just when you think Google has hit on a potential future sponsor, you realise ra-internet is a world wide thingy and not just a local thingy. http://www.coldstreambrewery.com.au/ Anyone spot the flaw in this potential new sponsor? Good tour though.

2. More booze
The Coldstream pub in Birmingham (England not Australia, but further away culturally) http://www.birminghamcamra.org.uk/Articles/Coldstream.htm

3. Dull history
A worthy-but-dull history of the town http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/gaztext_page.jsp?u_id=10090039&c_id=10107260 (mind it's probably the best history we're going to get).

4. Coldstream Ramblers
Like the French Foreign Legion, only harder http://www.lothian-borders-ramblers.org.uk/Coldstream.htm

5. Tourist stuff
Good piece here, placing us in the Jedburgh area, which is better than being in the Duns area http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/coldstream/coldstream/index.html

6. A good walk spoiled
A website with no shame. The Hirsel Golf Club 'the Augusta of the Borders', what!
http://www.hirselgc.co.uk/

7. Weather
For farmers: Pishing doon, freezing cald, f*ckn windy, ower hot, no hot enough, rain, no enough rain, no the right kind o' rain, it's all here...http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/dg/coldstream_forecast_weather.html

8. Avoiding mad muslims
Unless your Gran is the Queen this used to be the best way to be in the army, wear outlandish uniforms, but stay at home guarding Buckingham Palace and so avoid having to dodge the bullets fired at you by mad muslims. (Also known as 'working your ticket' or 'scarce as a Guardsman's **** east of Sueze'). However, in these times of equality for all and thanks to Tony Blair for fighting wars everywhere and anywhere this is no longer the case and our brave boys happily sweat it out in Iraq while polishing their trumpets. http://www.army.mod.uk/coldstreamguardsband/

9. Dressing up
Did you like dressing up and playing sodjers doon the woods? Maybe you would still like to! Maybe you like dressing up and playing with sodjers. These guys do both and seem quite happy about it. Who are we to argue: http://www.civilwardrobe.demon.co.uk/home.htm

10. Yet more booze
These Ozzies like their falling-doon water http://wineanorak.com/barossa/Yarra_Valley_part7_coldstreamhills.htm

So, that's ten sites, three of them about booze, one about history, one about golf, and one about dressing up, which sounds like an average Saturday night out in Coldstream.

Duns triomphe!

Many congratulations to Duns RBL pipe band for winning the Scottish G4 champs at Dumbarton.

Daredevil in sensible shoes

Is this how you felt on Saturday night?

A picture of Coldstream and one of nearby Heiton Mill. Pictures taken from 4,500ft from his paraglider by a Mr John Watson, the dare-devil in sensible footwear.

Heiton Mill, where the Scots army crossed the Till heading towards Flodden. James Bell to confirm/correct.

Both pictures from the excellent http://www.geograph.org.uk/ web site.

More images of our home area as we find them.

Sacre Bleu!

Can someone please explain?

Last night party

Kelso Square

Ooh La La!

The visit by the d'Origny-en-Thierache brass band was a great success. While the concert in Kelso square was the musical highlight there were many other great moments at various socials, dances and other gatherings.

Many congratulations to the organisers for putting on such a great week and all the bands involved for great fun.

The following posts contain some assorted memories courtesy of John Fulton; starting with the welcome party.

La France (2)

The d'Origny-en-Thierache brass band, from the Picardy region of France, will be in Coldstream from 23-30 of this month (April).

We are very pleased to host them after several years of pipers and drummers from Coldstream heading there for the annual cheese festival, which happens in September. See attached photo of church.

Dates for your diary are:

24 April @ 7pm: Concert in Coldstream Parish Church

28 April @ 1.30pm: Concert at the Guildhall in Berwick upon Tweed.

28 April @ 6pm: Concert at either the Besom or Gowanlea.

29 April @ 2pm: Concert in Kelso square.

Help, help, the French are coming!

We're such Francophiles at the Coldstream Pipe Band that we are hosting a French band at the end of the month. Expect more details tomorrow, when full details of gigs, etc will be announced.

But expect more French-type activities as demonstrated by Drum Major Bell, above and left.