A day for being indoors.

Dreadful weather, I was nearly blown off the sea wall!

Any Hoo - scanner time.

Over forty years ago there was a bar in Leith (Nobles Bar) that my brother and I used to frequent most weekends. On a stage ladies would divest themselves of garments while dancing to classic chart hits such as Hot Chocolate’s “I believe in miracles” or the ever popular "Y Viva España". As the ladies did gyrate and bounce about in the noddy while we supped ales (Newcastle Brown in a schooner usually, or 80/-). Fond memories but so non PC these days (although Edinburgh boasts many lap dancing bars, which is sort of ‘pay per view’ version rather than free, an altogether more tawdry experience I imagine). The bar was presided over by a woman (I am guessing in her late sixties). If a fight broke out (a fairly frequent diversion) she would happily wade in and sort it out.

Anyway we got to know a lot of the dancers and I have repeatedly photographed many of them. Happy days, they were great characters. The bar has since removed the stage with coloured lights, the horseshoe bar has vanished (a travesty), the snug has gone. Gentrified it now does latte and herb scones. It has gone from a den of iniquity to a (shudder) a gastro pub.

The world has not changed for the better.

And another lock down? Projections of infections and deaths looks grimmer than grim.

And Sean Connery has died.

Ho hum.


Happy Halloween.