The Bruntsfield Links Sept 20

The

Bruntsfield

Links

Sept 2020

Issue 28

2 Sept 2020 To advertise call Leigh on 0131 447 7891 email: leigh@themeadowsdirectory.com

The Meadows Pottery

Distinctive craftsmanship and quality for over 25 years

Potters Junko Shibe and Paul Tebble

produce contemporary ceramics and

traditional pottery using the highest

quality stoneware and porcelain.

Visit us for beautiful handmade gifts!

Plenty under £20. For example - Wee Cups

just £6 each, Bowls from £16, Mugs from £12

Our colourful shop is packed with a great

range of wares, all made on the premises by

us on the potter’s wheel.

Aside from our lovely Mugs, Bowls, Jugs,

Dishes, Vases you will find great Teapots,

Colanders/Berry bowls, Garlic Pots, Butter

Dishes and Salt Crocks, as well as tiny pots,

boxes and special display pieces.

Please enquire about

Gift Vouchers

11a Summerhall Place, Edinburgh, EH9 1QE (at the top of Causewayside)

Opening hours:

Mon - Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-4.30pm

Tel: 0131 662 4064

www.themeadowspottery.com

The Bruntsfield Links view online: www.themeadowsdirectory.com Sept 2020 3

Editor

Leigh McCarney

leigh@themeadowsdirectory.com

Advertising

Leigh

0131 4477891

Online

Read me online:

www.themeadowsdirectory.com

Like me on facebook:

The Meadows Directory

& The Bruntsfield Links

Printer:

www.newmanthomson.com

Distributor:

www.jdsdoor2door.co.uk

Front cover:

www.www.photoxp.co.uk

The Bruntsfield Links is your free

magazine with local events, information

and advertising… distributed

to 3000 homes and businesses in

Bruntsfield, Churchill and Grange

areas. Copies can be picked up at

Eric Liddell Centre, and read online!

Welcome back to the Bruntsfield Links Magazine for

September… after a few months of closure, it feels like a

little bit of normal to produce a magazine again ...

Most importantly I hope that you are all staying safe and

well in this very difficult time. Nobody could have predicted

how life would change in a matter of months… and with this

in mind I have included 2 stories from local small business

owners… and how they coped during lockdown and moving

forward… Judith of rosypenguin (p14) and Reese of Hummus

café (p18) …

Community centre Eric Liddell urgently needs your help and

support to open their doors and stay active (see p16-17)…

and The Meadows Community Garden and Friends of the

Meadows and Bruntsfield Links (FOMBL) have worked hard

during lockdown to look after the beautiful meadows area -

see how you can get involved (p28-29).

Maddie & Mark’s shoes have a £5 off offer in Sept/Oct

(p11, 23)… Real Foods (p32) deliver fresh, organic fruit and

veg to your door!

Happy reading and stay safe… look out for the Meadows

Directory in Oct/Nov #SupportSmallBusiness

features

10 The Style Edit: fashion

Leigh

14 Local people: Judith, rosypenguin

welcome

16-17 Eric Liddell Centre

18 Local People: Reese, Hummus café

26 Book extract: ‘To the Cry of the Sand’ling’

27-29 Community pages

front cover photo: Toby Long, PHOTOexpress,

www.photoxp.co.uk







Fashion

THE STYLE

EDIT...

We have everything you need to

make that effortless transition from

summer to the latest autumn

trends.

SUPERSIZED

Think volume, boxy, longer and

looser. The supersized look is here

to stay so we had better go big or

go home. Easiest way to do it is be

bolder with your proportions but

keep colour palette neutral and

prints easy. We love our Sophie

schnoor long length shirts.

WARM UP

The colour of the season is anything

bronze, golden and gives you a

warm glow. The way to wear it if

you are not sure it suits your skin

tone is to mix with pastel sweetie

colours or throw over black basics.

We love Numph bronze trouser and

the Inwear culotte.

SPORTY SPICE

Since lockdown we have all been enjoying

the comfier sporty relaxed look. Leggings

joggers and trainers are the wardrobe

essentials for the season ahead. We

love wodens fun chilly red sneakers and sofie

schnoor tie dye leggings.

Pop in and see us in person or visit our online shop. Don’t forget to follow us on

Instagram #rosypenguin to watch all our styling videos and new collections.

Judith Campbell, Rosypenguin, 406 Morningside Road Edinburgh EH10 5HY





Local People

Here is the story from Judith of rosypenguin written during lockdown… a reminder of what we

have been through, and are still going through… this story was on my meadows directory Facebook

page in May. Rosypenguin has now reopened and selling online!!

Judith Campbell owner of clothing shop: rosypenguin in Morningside...

The story so far… We decided to temporarily shut our doors at rosypenguin on 17th March. It’s

was so weird and sad but it happened so quickly, from having a booming thriving business on the

Saturday to shut by the Tuesday. As we felt we had to move quickly and prepare for something

new and different, myself and co-worker Ruth spent very long hours logging , photographing &

cataloguing stock and setting up rosypenguin online, with the help of a super IT guy.

We launched our online deliveries locally, on a Saturday night (well 1am I think I finished) and it

was thrilling to see orders coming in on Sunday morning. I was so appreciative of our lovely loyal

customers flood of support.

The shop became a messy warehouse and I became a delivery driver. Sadly Ruth has been furloughed.

It was a tricky start as ladies clothing is seen as a ‘non essential’ item and I was supposed

to be staying at home. I was so stressed with knowing what was the right thing to do but so many

customers reached out to say they wanted to support our small business. And we now have an

online shop, delivering everywhere in the UK!!

New skills and family time... My job has changed in terms of I work alone in the shop/

warehouse—I am missing Ruth and my customers, and have had to learn the art of packing and

wrapping and had to get to grips with igtv videos and ‘insta’ stories. The business has become a

real family affair. My husband does deliveries twice a week on his motorbike and my son comes

with me on a Saturday afternoon delivering, whilst staying the in the car listening to David Walliams

audio books. During the week I’m home schooling, stock is coming to the house now. Then in

the evening I am back at shop making style videos and sorting out all the orders. I don’t really have

a day off anymore!

Highs and Lows… The highs have been building something different and spending more time with

my family. The lows, missing Ruth and our customers... and the stress and strain of all the financial

worries that come within the retail sector of having pre-ordered stock for the rest of the year.

Yikes even thinking about it makes me sweat!

Local shopping… Supporting small business at this time is key and something I feel strongly about.

We got our art supplies and a new paddling pool from Toys Galore click and collect. Our Saturday

night pizza got delivered by East Pizza. My essential wine is from L’Art du Vin and I topped up on

my skin care products all delivered by the lovely Moi Beauty.

Top tip: I found Holly Tucker (SME SOS - small business ambassador) advice and guidance on Instagram

an absolute god send during this difficult time.

Instagram @rosypenguin www.rosypenguin.com





Local People

This is the story from Reese Mehanna of Hummus Cafe in Morningside during

lockdown and moving forward now that his café is open again…

Reese Mehanna, Hummus Café, Morningside

The lockdown story so far...

We are a small Lebanese cafe serving home made Lebanese food based in Morningside.

We have the whole family committed full time to the running of Hummus and it’s therefore

safe to say that lockdown shook us. We closed our doors towards the end of March

for what felt like a very long two months as we weighed up the risks versus benefits of

staying open for takeaway only and decided that we did not want to put any of our customers

and friends at risk.

We spent lockdown doing lots of DIY in the cafe such as painting and re-shuffling everything

around in order to create more space for social distancing. We also installed

sneeze guards on the counters to keep ourselves and the customers safe.

It was a bit of a tough time as we were still a relatively new business having been open

for just over a year and suddenly we were closed with no other form of income but we

got through it and came back with even more enthusiasm for what we do.

Highs…

We made as much use of our time during lockdown as possible. It was a rare opportunity

for us to spend lots of time together as a family outside of a working environment

and we did not take it for granted.

It was also very heart warming to see all of the support from our regulars and the locals

in Morningside when we reopened and it made us realise how much people appreciate

our hard work.

Lows…

There was a lot of financial pressure when we were closed as the future looked uncertain.

We feel very lucky to have survived and glad we made a comeback.

We sorely missed our regulars and the bustling atmosphere of our cafe and are

therefore very grateful that we are able to continue running our cafe.

Facebook: HummusEdinburgh



DRY ROT PROPERTY PRESERVATION RISING DAMP

YOUR LOCAL FIRM SINCE 1964

TIMBERGUARD

0131 4475327

FOR GUARANTEED REMEDIAL WORK

BY EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONSALS

ALL TRADES CONTRACTORS

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ASSOCIATE FIRM GEORGE HARDIE & SON (JOINERS) LTD est 1882



Advertising in

The Bruntsfield Links &

The Meadows Directory

is easy and incredibly

good value!

BOOK NOW FOR

OCT/NOV 2020

Ph: 0131 4477891

leigh@themeadowsdirectory.com

www.themeadowsdirectory.com



Malleny – your local broker

for all your Mortgage &

Protection Needs...

Firstly and most importantly, we hope that everyone and their family has stayed safe

and well throughout the current COVID pandemic.

Here at Malleny, whilst our Bruntsfield office has been closed due to COVID, we have

continued to work throughout lockdown assisting clients with their new purchases and

remortgages.

The housing market is going to be very different to how it was previously. No more open

viewings to start with. Many estate agents require you to have a Decision in Principle

before being accepted to do a viewing – we can help with this. These new measures are

not putting off prospective buyers – far from it! The market is currently very active. So if

you are thinking of buying or selling – don’t be put off by COVID.

Lenders are beginning to ease their mortgage lending constrictions due to COVID. Yes, it

is true that it is more challenging if you have a smaller deposit of 5%-10% - but, as Independent

Whole of Market brokers we are best placed to source the right deal for your

own personal situation. Lenders are asking more questions and requiring more supporting

evidence but we will guide you through this and make it as stress free as possible.

The pandemic has also made people think more about their finances and how they

would manage if they were unable to work due to sickness or if the main income earner

was to pass away. We have seen an increase in people wanting to protect their incomes

and their families. Call now to chat about your situation.

We will re-open our office shortly. In the meantime we are still here and working to

meet your mortgage & protection needs. Please contact us – see our contact details

on the main ad – to chat through your requirements.


Finalists in the 2019 & 2020 Scottish Mortgage Awards for both

Best Mortgage Broker Edinburgh and Scotland categories.

New purchase mortgages

Re-mortgaging for the best deal

Buy To Let (including portfolio landlords & limited companies)

Equity Release/ Lifetime Mortgages (over 55 years)

Retirement Interest Only (RIO) Mortgages

Capital raising

Bridging Finance

Commercial Finance

Insurance

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority


‘To the Cry of the Sand’ling’

Extract from the novel by local author Tom Binnie (2020)

David (aged 11) is attending a school for ‘faitherless bairns’ in Edinburgh in 1710.

It is his first Christmas break and he hopes to go home but he has heard nothing from his family during

the autumn term.

David asked Molly, the maid, for his small satchel

and he put two books in it along with his own

clothes and asked for permission to leave

George Heriot’s Hofpital for the seasonal break.

This was not quite as easy as he thought as he

had no written note from his guardian nor had

anyone come to fetch him. As he was barely

going a half mile, his tutor, Dr Hardie, sought to

send one of the older boys with him to ensure

he got home and that there was someone there

to receive him. A suitable boy could not be

found so Dr Hardie asked the housekeeper if

Molly could be used for the purpose. It was

agreed. Molly was delighted to escape her duties

for an hour or so during her long working

day.

David it found it strange walking through the

pend and leaving the school gate with Molly.

They chatted as they walked along the flat path

to the West Port rather than going down and

over Heriot bridge. The West Port was, unusually,

busy with queues; soldiers were checking the

carts entering the town. Molly asked about his

family, but David did not have much to say except

that he was not sure if he was expected.

They then turned east and walked the length of

the Grafe Mercate, up the West Bow and on to

the Land Mercate, past St Giles toward the

Nether Bow. The High Street was full of hand

barrows, makeshift stalls and trays of goods, as

hawkers plied their trade. It seemed to David,

you could buy the whole world here: candies,

pears, apples, potatoes, salt, shoe ties, coal,

sand, peat, combs, bonnets, pottery, glass,

plates, tankards, and mirrors. There were knifegrinders,

tailors, saddlers, candle makers, cobblers,

pin and news-sheet sellers. He saw penny

shows, fortune tellers, preachers, poets and

balladeers. Men, tankards in hand, stood outside

the overflowing inns. Inside the vennels,

painted ladies pulled up their skirts for likely

customers.

As David and Molly pushed and jostled their

way through the throng to continue down the

street, they stilled with the crowd at the familiar

sound of horse hooves on the stone setts

coming down at a trot from the castle; from the

noise, there were many. A squadron of mounted

cavalry headed down the Royal Mile. The

crowds hurried to make way for the horses

leaving them struggling for space, tightly confined

by the close buildings. David had never

seen such fine horses.

Forty or so smartly crimson-uniformed, mounted

dragoons, straight-backed and towering over

the crushed crowd, distracted him from his

troubled thoughts. As the crowd parted, there

was both cheering and jeering.

‘Long live the Queen!’ shouted one. ‘Aye, the

witch!’ shouted another. Just as they passed

someone from behind David and Molly threw a

missile. Probably an apple from a nearby barrow.

The rear dragoon moved his steed quickly

forward up the side, crushing the crowd more.

On reaching the front and the Captain, the

troop was brought to a shuddering stop which

quieted the crowd. After a pause, the Captain

shouted an order and, to David’s astonishment,

the troop, as one man, unbuckled the leather

handle-guards on their scabbards. You could

have heard a button drop on the cobbles. The

troop stayed, and the crowd were transfixed

with only a few moving away quietly down the

nearest close. ‘Long live Queen Anne,’ another

voice rose.

Paperback & Kindle editions

available on amazon.co.uk


community


Local News

Friends of Meadows

& Bruntsfield Links (Fombl) ...

Fombl volunteers meet every last Saturday of the

month at 10am beside the Pavilion Cafe. They

carry out regular litter picks, as well as looking

after young trees, planting bulbs and much more.

Of course, we had to suspend our regular sessions

during lockdown, but individual members

were out, watering trees, and doing essential

maintenance. Now, we can meet again, and

have been busy cutting the docks that grow

among the wildflower beds on Bruntsfield Links.

Our wonderful litterpickers are taking part in the

LItterbusting action every Saturday in August -

meeting at the Community Garden at 11am to

get a litter picker and a bin bag. Everyone is welcome

to join that, and our regular monthly sessions.

There is so much to do, from cleaning notices, weeding monuments,

tidying borders, maintaining flower tubs, and general clearance

work. We are supported by the Parks Management, and in regular contact

about what needs doing. There's plenty for everyone, of all ages,

and we can supply protective gloves and tools for our two hour monthly

work sessions. www.fombl.org.uk


community

Meadows Community Garden...

The community garden on the Meadows is well placed to see what

goes on in the summer, and for the last 4 years we've run a Don't Burn

the Meadows campaign that seeks to reduce the damage inflicted by

disposable BBQs. This summer, we are running a Litterbusting drive

every Saturday. Volunteers meet at 11am at the community garden to

get a litter picker and a bin bag. Last week, we collected 11 bin bags, in

addition to the clean up work by the Council workers. Saturdays are

also our gardening days, and everyone is welcome! Our little garden is

in it's fifth year, and we look after an orchard and wildflower plot too.

During lockdown, we were worried that everything would dry up, but

friends responded brilliantly to appeals for water on social media and

our volunteers were able to rescue our seedlings. The garden is now

looking wonderful, and we are beginning to lift the tatties that we

planted before lockdown. We hope to celebrate our growing year in

September, when our new Outdoor Classroom will be ready.

facebook: greeningour.street.5


index of advertisers

Auctioneer

Ramsay Cornish 6

Health

Real Foods 32

Pottery

Meadows Pottery 3

Barber

Duke’s Barbers 8

Housing Solicitor

VMH 21

Property Maintenance

LLW Properties 6

Blinds

Homestyle Blinds 8

Interiors

Nomads Tent 5

Property Preservation

Timberguard 20

Builder

LLW properties 6

Carpets

James Erskine 20

Charity

Eric Liddell Centre 16-17

Kitchens

Countryside Kitchens 7

Letting

Rettie 13

Mortgages

Malleny Mortgage solutions 24-25

Upholstery

Absolute Upholstery 22

James Erskine 6

Women’s wear

Rosypenguin 10, 14

Children’s shoes

Maddie & Marks 11, 23

Optician

The Opticians at Marchmont 9

Conservation

Eden Conservation 11

Community pages 26-29

Croquet

Meadows croquet 7

Curtains

James Erskine 12

Dry Rot

Timberguard 20

Electrician

Ritchie & Goodwin 19

Painter & Decorator

Grange Décor 19

Henderson & Paterson 22

Photographer

PHOTOexpress 1

Plasterer

DCM 12

Playgroup

Holy corner playgroup 31

Plumber

Allied Trade Services 2

Currievale 20

LLW Properties 6

Scott Findlay 15



Fresh organic

fruit & veg

Delivered to your door weekly

With free UK delivery for orders £39 and over

www.realfoods.co.uk

Plant-based, vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian

dairy-free • gluten-free • wheat-free • organic

37 Broughton Street EH1 3JU • 8 Brougham Street EH3 9JH

The Bruntsfield Links Sept 20

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