Penguins p-p-p-pick up a pebble

Penguins offer their potential mate a pebble as a "token of love"

By Cara Sulieman

LOVE IS in the air at Edinburgh Zoo as the penguin mating season gets under way.

The female gentoo penguins have taken their place on the nesting rings scattered around the enclosure and are waiting for male penguins to offer them a token of love in the shape of a pebble.

This unique courting ritual will be played out over the following weeks – and will be broadcast live on the zoo’s webcam.

The female bird will only take the pebble that catches her eye, and the male that gives it to her becomes her mate.

But there are also cases of “pebble envy” within the group, with sneaky male penguins trying to nab the best looking pebbles from other nests for their own sweetheart.

Zoo shuts because of ice

Penguins enjoy February's snowfall at the zoo

By Cara Sulieman

ONE OF the country’s top tourist attractions closed its doors today (Sun) thanks to the wintry weather.

Edinburgh Zoo – which is open every day of the year including Christmas – had to remain shut because ice had made the steep paths around the enclosures too dangerous.

And they said that they would have to reassess the situation tomorrow morning (Mon) before deciding if it is safe enough to re-open.

It was the second time in month that extreme weather kept visitors away from the park – with high winds causing problems on November 25.

New exhibition opens celebrating 100 years of polar exploration

David Hempleman-Adams

 

By Cara Sulieman

AN EXHIBITION celebrating the 100th anniversary of Captain Scott’s journey to the South Pole opens tomorrow (Fri).

Photographs on display include those taken by Herbert George Ponting during the tragic expedition in 1910-13 and Frank Hurley’s snaps from Ernest Shackleton’s expedition in 1914-16.

Also on display are the flag given to Scott by Queen Alexandra in 1910, the Union Jack given to Shackleton by King George V and books from the Royal Library, including a copy of ‘Aurora Australis’, the first book to be printed in the Antarctic.

The show, being held at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, was opened by explorer David Hempleman-Adams who was the first man to reach the four geographical and magnetic poles.

BAFTA winning director looking for actors

 

By Cara Sulieman

BAFTA award winning director Kevin MacDonald has started filming his next Holywood epic in the north of Scotland – and are searching for locals to help star as extras.

The Eagle of the Ninth is based on a children’s book about the defeat of the Roman army in Scotland in 140 AD.

Big names such as Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland star in the movie, which will also be filmed in Hungary.

MacDonald is teaming up with scriptwriter Jeremy Brock for the project after their success with the 2006 hit The Last King of Scotland which saw Forest Whitaker win best actor at the Oscars.

Penguin holidays are perfect p-p-p-pick me up for Julia

By Jenna Raffaelli

A woman is so fond of penguins that she has travelled thousands of miles just to visit them in different colonies.

Julie Odell, 43, has been as far afield New Zealand, the Falkland Islands and even Antarctica to see the birds in their natural habitat.

Her home in Edinburgh – which has penguin figures on the gate – is stuffed full of cuddly toys, fridge magnets and pictures.

PICK ME UP: Julie Odell with King penguins in the Falklands

Julie, a former nurse, spends hours watching Gentoo penguins at Edinburgh Zoo via a webcam and hopes to travel to see them at the Galapagos islands.

She said: “I just love these funny little birds. They are so unusual.”

But it takes huge patience and dedication to catch sight of the birds.

She said: “In the South Island of New Zealand I would wait for hours in a chilly bird hide to see the illusive yellow-eyed penguin come in from the sea. I also saw African penguins on Boulders Beach in South Africa and Gentoo penguins in Antarctica and South Georgia.”

Penguins at Edinburgh Zoo become webcam sensation

By Cara Sulieman

A PILOT trial of a webcam watching penguins at Edinburgh Zoo has been such a hit that it is to be made a permanent fixture.

It was set up in June to capture the Gentoo penguins nesting and bringing up their young and has been attracting 9000 visitors a month so far.

There was even a massive Twitter campaign to get it back up and running after technical hitches saw the camera go down briefly.

Bosses admit they never expected the scheme to be as popular as it has been and are now looking at rolling out the idea to other animal enclosures.

Drivers to get text message updates on traffic jams

By Cara Sulieman

MOTORISTS faced with long tailbacks whilst eight weeks of roadworks hit the M8 will be able to get text message updates on the jams.

Construction company Amey are refurbishing the Arkleston Bridge near Glasgow Airport and are offering road users the updates in a bid to reduce the chaos.

But while motoring groups welcome anything that will make road users lives easier, they are warning people not to check the updates whilst they are driving.

Starting tomorrow the motorway will be reduced to two small lanes with a 40mph speed limit.

The bridge itself will also be closed.

Transatlantic flight celebrates 90th anniversary

The R34 at East Fortune

By Cara Sulieman

RESIDENTS of a tiny town in America have been invited to Scotland to mark the 90th anniversary of the first return flight across the Atlantic.

The giant Glasgow-built R34 airship set off from East Fortune in East Lothian bound for Mineola on Long Island on July 2 1919.

And the National Museum of Flight, which is based at the East Fortune site, have waived the admission fee for any of the 19,000 residents of the US town.

The airship’s flight was an adventurous and exciting event and hit the headlines on both sides of the Atlantic.

Scottish singer’s tribute to Billie Holiday

By Cara Sulieman
A SCOTS singer will honouring Billie Holiday on the 60th anniversary of her death.

Niki King will be performing the sultry sounds of Holiday’s music in two gigs around the country.

The former Perrier Jazz Vocalist of the Year was inspired by the famous jazz singer and wants to share her music with a wider audience.

She said: “Billie Holiday will always be remembered through her music. This show is a celebration of that music and of Holiday as a songwriter.”

“I have always loved Billie Holiday. To me she is an inspiring singer who commands attention through her natural voice, delivery and musicianship.

It is not only Billie Holiday’s music that King admires, but also the way the legend faced up to adversity and used her experiences to make her songs better.

She said: “The time of prejudice that she worked through, the hardship and awful situations endured growing up; all of this pain and vulnerability comes through in her songs.

“But it is also her personal strength, courage, kindness and, of course, talent that makes her such a unique voice.

The 32-year-old from Edinburgh is excited about the project and hopes that it will introduce a new generation to Holiday’s music.

She said: “It’s a celebration of Billie Holiday’s music and the kind of amazing music she brought to the table.

“They will be much more intimate gigs which will allow me to connect with the audience.”

King will be performing a wide variety of Holiday’s songs from well-known classics such as Lover Man and Don’t Explain, as well as some of her hidden gems.

For King, singing these enigmatic songs is both an honour and a challenge as she has big shoes to fill.

She said: “I hope to capture and share the sentiment of these songs, the timeless stories and melodies.

“Great songs last forever and nothing proves it better than Billie Holiday’s songbook.”

As well being famous for her musical genius, Holiday is known for the hardship trials of her life.

With two alleged rapes against her, time working as a prostitute and just under a year in jail for drug possession; it was one scandal after another for the tragic crooner.

It therefore came as no surprise that she was arrested for drugs possession again when she lay dying of cirrhosis of the liver in hospital in New York.

When she died in 1959, Holiday left behind a musical legacy that is celebrated to this day, and Niki King is continuing that celebration in Scotland.

The first gig will be a Glasgow’s City Halls on March 6, followed by a performance at the Eden Court Theatre in Inverness on May 29.

Singer Niki King gets plush residency

Niki will be bringing her sultry voice to Scotland's plushest department store. Photo - Laurence Winram

By Cara Sulieman

A SCOTTISH jazz singer is set to wow the country’s shopping elite when she starts her new residency.

Teaming up with Harvey Nichols, Edinburgh’s Niki King will be performing at weekly gigs in the plush venue.

The 32-year-old is looking forward to creating what she describes as a “unique musical event” for the audience.

She said: “There’s nothing else like it out there. I really am looking forward to providing a soulful, funky and jazzy evening for the audience.

“Usually when you play a concert you have this great rapport with the audience and then maybe don’t play in that venue again for a few months.

“With this, I like the idea that the audience will enjoy the evening and then come back for some more.”

With a soulful set planned, Niki and her five-piece band will be combining original material with classic songs.

She said: “I want to showcase my own music but at the same time we will be playing some covers as well.

“I am very conscious of making sure the concert isn’t cheesy, so the covers that we do play will be very carefully chosen. Harvey Nichols is a unique venue for music and needs a unique set.”

And not only does Niki think that the unique night will pull in the crowds, but that it will give Scotland a night to rival places like the famous Birdland jazz club in New York.

She said: “To have a lovely meal followed by a show like this is the way they do it in places like Birdland. It will be a new and really nice experience for people.”

The Fourth Floor Restaurant Manager, Ross McGregor, is excited about the collaboration and the touch of class that Niki will bring to the evening.

He said: “I wanted Niki to play at the store because we have a long-held reputation for quality, and I can’t think of a higher quality act to present to our customers than Niki King.

“Her voice is so powerful and beautiful. I think our customers will be blown away by these shows.”

As well as her residency at the upmarket store, Niki is packing her diary full of events for 2009.

Her new album will be released in the summer, when she also plans to play at a number of jazz festivals in the UK and Europe.

Another project for the Edinburgh songwriter is the Billie Holiday Songbook, a series of concerts around Scotland that will be a very different experience for Niki.

She said: “It is a celebration of Billie Holiday’s music and the kind of songs she brought to the table. They will be much more intimate concerts.”

Playing at Harvey Nichols once a month, Niki and her band will be part of the nights on February 27, March 27, May 1 and June 5.

Tickets are £60 per person and include a welcome cocktail, a three course meal and the show.