The gods smiled on us last night and Edinburgh was perfectly dry for the opening show of the 2008 Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The Royal Mile and surrounding streets were jam-packed with people but we just camped out by St Giles Cathedral and waited until the crowd had thinned out before making our way up towards the castle.
Once we got settled in our seats, it was really hard to believe that all those people were packed into such a little space. The event kicked off with the Massed Pipes and Drums consisting of The 1st Royal Tank Regiment; The Royal Scots Borderers; The Royal Highland Fusiliers; The Black Watch; The Royal Ghurka Rifles; Scottish Universities Officers Training Corps; The Rats of Tobruk Memorial Pipes and Drums; Queen Victoria School Pipes and Drums and the Singapore Police Gurkha Pipes and Drums.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos because the lights on the esplanade make it too hard.
The rest of the programme consisted of bands visiting from different parts of the world, including The Golden Eagles from S E Missouri State University; Highland dancers from Canada along with the Tattoo’s own Highland Spring Dance troupe; the Singapore Police Force Band; the Lochiel Marching Drill Team from New Zealand; the Indian Army Chiefs Military Band from India; His Majesty the King’s Guard and Drill Team from Norway; Queen Victoria School, Dunblane; massed bands from the Royal Marines of Scotland, Plymouth and Portsmouth.
The highlights for me were the Singapore Police Force Band who also had dancers in traditional costume and their very own dancing lion (not a real one!). The costumes were lovely. The King’s Guard of Norway, all of whom are doing their year’s national service, were also really excellent with the award for the shiniest shoes in the whole show. They began with noisy Vikings (on skis) pouring out of the castle and proceeded to do a lot of fancy rifle displays. They also sang the first verse of Loch Lomond which earned them a cheer from the crowd.
The grand finale saw all the cast come together to commemorate the American War of Independence and the British casualties with the theme from The Last of the Mohicans. The bands all joined together for a rousing rendition of Auld Land Syne after the national anthem. It was also the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army so they were honoured along with the armed forces currently serving in different parts of the world. The Evening Hymn was played and then a Lone Piper played a Centenary Toast from high on the castle ramparts. The bands all marched out to Scotland the Brave and other traditional Scottish songs.
The whole show is spectacular and you can’t help but feel proud of how Scotland has influenced other cultures around the world. However, the true star of the show was, as always, the castle itself which looked beautiful lit up with braziers and other lights. It truly is a jewel in the crown of Scotland.
It is the first day of August, the first day of my two week holiday and it is pouring with rain. It wouldn’t really bother me that much but I’m heading off to Edinburgh tonight to see the Military Tattoo for the first time. A whole lot of firsts happening there!
According to the tickets, I’m only due a refund if the event is cancelled due to inclement weather and that has never happened. I guess they must be used to the unpredictable nature of our weather then. I did check the forecast and it looks like it may clear up in Edinburgh at any rate this afternoon so that can’t be bad.
To me August represents the slide into autumn but since we haven’t really had a summer yet - it just seems to bring more of the same unpredictable weather. I actually like the autumn days with the nip in the air. I’m such a winter baby.
However, a mild winter this year just may save a lot of lives because of the situation with the utility prices. Scottish Gas have hiked their rates up by 35% but those who pay by direct debit (like us) have had their rates raised by 40% to compensate for the poorer families on meter rates. Now, if that were really the case, I wouldn’t mind as much but a lot of meter households aren’t poor - they just have meters because that’s how the power was installed in their house.
So, now the direct debit we pay has risen from £39 (approx $75) to £53 (approx $100) per month. Add the continuing fuel misery on to that and you have a pretty unhappy country. It isn’t made any easier when you learn that Centrica (the company controlling British Gas) have made record profits this year and their directors are going home with bonuses of £80,000 ($150,000). The govt don’t seems to be taking any action and that is making people unpopular - esp Gordon Brown.
Last week, one of the safest Labour seats in the whole of Scotland was lost to the Scottish Nationalist Party. No one saw it coming but it seems there is a definite rise in nationalism in Scotland and their party is getting stronger rather than weaker. I guess independence isn’t as far away as it looks.