Edinburgh Escapades - Day Four- Monday 20th August 2018 - The Sky in the Aerial.

Awakening at around four in the morning to someone singing 'I am looking for someone special' unless I imagined it.  I woke up slightly paranoid, glad that the door was locked after last night's little episode.

Anyhow, I went back to sleep then went down for breakfast.  The dining area was almost empty and the buffet was immaculate.  I saw and ate the legendary scrambled egg.  Well, the bits I could eat that weren't as hard as rock.  Today, I am suddenly reminded of a funny moment from yesterday, I was stumbling around as usual going from place to place when I overheard a tour guide saying 'you may feel the air of menace in this area...' before adding 'this is where the Dementors attacked Harry Potter' (or some such).  I was expecting there to be some kind of Burke and Hare reference but no, just our bespectacled mate and the Grim Reaper inspired Dementors from the 'Harry Potter' novels.

Just about to go out.  First production today is at 12.20pm.

I went for another walk.  This time popping into the Writers' Museum.  This is an odd little museum spread over three floors focusing on a small number of Scottish writers such as Stevenson and Burns.  They have one of Burns' writing desks and other such artifacts including a reproduction of his skull.  I actually found the rooms dedicated to Robert Louis Stevenson more interesting due to his fascination with travelling.  It's a free museum and somehow, I think that if the museum focused on more writers, if only in passing, it would feel more rewarding.  Still worth visiting though.

After this, I walked to Underbelly, Cowgate for my first show of the day.  'Kit Finnie: Mabel and Mickey' was an interesting exploration of memory, creation and the active revisionism that surrounds any scandal.  The film star Mabel Normand may have shot a director.  This production was as much about the performer.  Allusions to childhood memories and poems that she may or may not have written pervade the piece (she probably did write the poems).  Birds and flight, a visual motif that is emphasised particularly effectively with feathers on an over head projector.  Indeed, the shadow play that the performer is able to generate using the over head projector is something else.  The reference to the Bechdel test (a series of criteria used to measure how women are represented in fiction or in this case, how much a play represents the female experience) brings the audience back into the room.  The art of production is all important to the point where the performer has to tell the audience that the piece has finished.  The performance works through repetition and tantalising glimpses into the events that have brought the performer to this point.  Her aside to the production assistant asking if she can come down from the chair is effectively met with a retort of 'it's your performance, you tell me' disrupting the boundaries between the performance and reality.  What is scripted and what is instinctual?  This reminded me of a play I saw at the Dublin festival that was also interested in portraying both a real person and also something of the act of producing the show but not in a heavy handed Brechtian sense, but on a more emotional level.  I see the potentiality of shows like these.  They exist in a sub genre of their own that I can't define, which is how it should be.

Today's performance didn't have a massive audience but as the performer stated when she thanked us all for taking a punt on something quite random and different when we probably didn't know much about the subject matter, that's the point of the Fringe.  It should be experimental as well as putting on more conventional shows.  I stumbled quite by accident on a leaflet for a show by Antonin Artaud that I would have loved to have seen, but going through hundreds of events in the Fringe brochure will obviously mean that significant productions are overlooked.  I guess that's where the hard sell approach involving the over-zealous leafleting comes into the equation.  I can imagine some shows performing to empty houses.

Once again today, I have enjoyed listening to random conversations including someone recounting his sleeper train journey to Edinburgh to a friend and how he heard a couple making love.  His friend asked him, 'Didn't you make a noise?'  He responded that he coughed when they finished.  Human beings are funny creatures.

Today's random song was 'Hallelujah', the Leonard Cohen song, performed by a choir in a green space that I overheard as I was walking past.  Beautiful rendition.

'Harpy' was the next play on my Fringe list today.  This time in the White Belly venue within the Underbelly, Cowgate.  Su Pollard stars in this play about a hoarder.  It was a pretty average play.  Definitely saved by the twists involving the character's mental illness and Su Pollard's acting.

I then walked around a bit, enjoyed a meal, avoided the people handing out leaflets then went to the Underbelly, Cowgate again for 'The Dark Room'.

I was looking forward to 'The Dark Room' (John Robertson's seemingly never ending tour of a show based on the computer adventure games of old with their heavily structured narratives requiring the precise entry of directions to prevent imminent demise), but I was definitely not in the exact frame of mind to appreciate it.  Although, the idea that all participants ended up with a prize and the unexpected outcome that came about when John Robertson threw one prize at the lucky loser, a carrier bag full of loose baked beans and suddenly it became apparent that the bag had a hole in it (the audience got covered in baked beans) did generate a lot of laughs.  This show definitely has a cult following and naming all the contestants, 'Darren' adds to the fun.  Not quite as satisfying as 'Knightmare Live' as John Robertson is like a sledge hammer.  But it does bring to mind the old days of text based computer adventure games with their pedantic reliance on exact turns of phrase for the game to continue.  John Robertson's improvised responses were the most fun, particularly in relation to the philosophy student contestant who after choosing 'Abandon Hope' as an option was told, 'Normally, you only abandon hope when you have finished your degree.'  My friends liked the show a bit more than me.  Afterwards, they went off for a meal and I went off to my last show, 'Shit-Faced Showtime: Oliver With a Twist'.

'Shit-Faced Showtime: Oliver With a Twist' (Underbelly, Bristo Square, Cowbarn) basically involves getting one of the cast drunk prior to the performance.  The show itself essentially followed the structure of 'Oliver! The Musical', whilst also misappropriating songs from other musicals.  The constant asides regarding the heteronormative  relationships in the musical were quite funny as was seeing a pissed up Bill Sykes beating Nancy with an inflatable club then feeling guilty (the actor genuinely concerned that he has hurt his co-star and concerned with the message being relayed by the violent act).  Another cult show that works best viewed with a group of friends and drunk.  I saw it on my own and by now, I long for a more structured play or bed.

I got lost finding my way back to the hotel but fortunately, haven't had a repeat of last night's incident.

Edinburgh has been an experience.  Some of it good and some of it bad.  To fully appreciate the Festival, you have to know what to do in the gaps between performances and I still waste too much time, bucking up the confidence to go into certain restaurants.  At least, I am no longer an Edinburgh Festival virgin.

                                                                                           Barry Watt - 20th/21st August 2018.

P.s. I forgot the visit to the graveyard before the meal.  I have been at my most tranquil in graveyards recently.  Make of that what you will.

                                                                                                                                BW.

Afterword.

'I am looking for someone special' may have been misquoted from some song or other.  Please let me know.

The Dementors are rather nasty creatures from the 'Harry Potter' novels by J.K. Rowling.  The novels are available pretty much everywhere and are published by Bloomsbury.

William Burke and William Hare were a couple of real life body snatchers.  They also killed a number of people to satiate the demand for corpses by the medical profession.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_and_Hare_murders

The Writers' Museum in Edinburgh is referenced here:

https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/writers-museum

Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns are both jolly fine writers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Louis_Stevenson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns

Kit Finnie, the performer and poet has her own website:

https://www.kitfinnie.com/

Mabel Normand was a film star:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabel_Normand

Mack Sennett was associated with Mabel Normand and was an actor, director, producer and studio head:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mack_Sennett

A little bit of information about Kit Finnie's show 'Mabel and Mickey':

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/kit-finnie-mabel-and-mickey

The Bechdel Test is explained in more detail below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test

The Dublin fringe festival is good fun.  Next year, it is being held from 7th-22nd September 2019.  Think of it as a smaller version of the Edinburgh Festival:

http://fringefest.com/

I am always talking about Bertolt Brecht, so just click on the below link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht

Antonin Artaud still remains one of the most important theatre practitioners of all time.  Great silent actor too.  Very attractive man.  His works are rarely produced, although his techniques are still used (in a way):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonin_Artaud

'Hallelujah' is possibly the best known of Leonard Cohen's songs:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallelujah_(Leonard_Cohen_song)

'Harpy' was written by Philip Meeks and starred Su Pollard in Edinburgh:

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on#q=%22Harpy%22

John Robertson's 'The Dark Room' will tour forever (probably).  A little bit of information about the show from the Edinburgh Festival website below:

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on#q=%22John%20Robertson%3A%20The%20Dark%20Room%22

'Knightmare Live' is based on 'Knightmare' the TV series and is good fun if you get to see it:

https://www.knightmarelive.com/

'Shit-Faced Showtime: Oliver with a Twist' is another show that will continue to tour.  More information below:

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/shit-faced-showtime-oliver-with-a-twist

Photos.

Yes, I can scream.

One of the Edinburgh Festival venues.

Good advice.

Ah, pretty!

Stuffed cat lost and hopefully found.

Government building.

Ornate grave.

Lovely symmetry.

                                                                                          BW.

Edinburgh Escapades - Day Three - Sunday 19th August 2018 - Hume's Shiny Toes.

For some reason, it's customary to rub the toes on David Hume's statue in Edinburgh.  Undoubtedly, the philosopher and economist would have loved to have known that he is now little more than a superstitious fetish toy for tourists with a little too much time on their hands.  I didn't stroke his feet.  I did however kiss them.  I wonder what would have happened if someone had erected a statue for Karl Marx?  Would they have charged for people to fondle his beard?

I woke up this morning after bad dreams involving work, which I had actually forgotten for awhile.  Still, I did actually sleep.  Despite the external noise, the bed is actually really comfortable.  I looked out the window and it was raining.  It has pretty much rained all day.  A little break earlier for some struggling sunshine then back to the rain.  I can't be bothered with the umbrella, so I am cold and wet.

I went for a walk and as well as the statue of Hume, I saw many other things I would have liked to have photographed including one of the Commedia dell'arte masks, the one denoting sadness, but I had no desire to keep trying to take shots in the rain.  Ironically, a shop was playing the Eagles' 'Last Resort'.  Truly, the last song you want to hear on a bloody awful Scottish morning (great song but so moody).

After killing a bit of time wandering and getting wet, I went to the first production of the day.  'Elise' (Dixie Fried Theatre with Bristol Spotlights) at the Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Two).  This play basically explores the memories of various characters in relation to Elise Cowen, a female Beat poet who had a relationship with Allen Ginsberg and tragically committed suicide.  It was staged in a venue called the Bunker Two.  Prior to it starting, I hung around outside and it was odd looking in and seeing the actors warming up.  I think they noticed me looking and then turned away.  The pre-show moment reminds me of a sacred tribal ritual.  A coming together, a communal reminder of the creative journey to come.  Needless to say, the doors were then shut (I think they had been left open maybe to dry out the venue or to cool it down).  Tantalising glimpses into the worlds of theatre craft are reserved for those in the sphere.  The audience are assigned their metaphorical roles when they take their seats.  The play was cleverly staged with fragments of recorded poetic recitation, puncturing the emotional conflicts exhibited by the characters.  Elise's parents allegedly destroyed the majority of her work, so the set was circled by fragments of torn paper.  It was a well acted, rewarding play that will motivate me to read more about the Beat movement and the women it chose to neglect.  It is definitely the year for plays exploring the patriarchal omission of the strong, female characters who created their own powerful works and collaborated with leading male cultural figures who became more prominent as the years progressed.

I then left the theatre and began to walk to the National Museum of Scotland to see the 'Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop' exhibition.  The exhibition explores major bands and individuals who have come from Scotland including Jack Bruce, the Proclaimers and Franz Ferdinand.  Short videos accompany each section of the exhibition elaborating on different eras.  Some of the artifacts on offer are fascinating.  For example, the guitar burnt at the Reading Festival in the Noughties by a band, which had been lent by the band.  I find such acts of auto-destruction to be so derivative these days that they lose the significance they once had when The Who and Jimi Hendrix were dabbling with creative destruction as both an act of defiance and also deference.  You are destroying something that you have used to create music, rhythmic links to moods and tempos, not always expected.  Now a burnt guitar, just looks like something that has been wasted.  The saddest exhibit was the live Runrig CD that was given to the band by the family of one of the Columbia space shuttle's crew (I am not sure which one, the shuttle had broken up on reentry killing the crew).  Something tragic about learning that a certain song was always played by one of the crew in space in a certain context (I believe that she always played it when she woke up but my memory could be playing tricks on me).  The exhibition really works well and I hope that it attracts the attention it deserves.

After the exhibition, I began to walk to the next venue, aware that it was further away than the other venues I have visited from my hotel.  I popped into a Pret A Manger and achieved a first, a free Mocha.  I think it was because I did not get impatient when a member of staff was performing her duties.  To be fair, why would anyone have a go at someone who is working hard and at that moment, on their own?  But sadly, people do.  After eating the sandwich, crisps and drinking the Mocha, I continued walking.  I stumbled on lots of gems, St Cuthbert's Church and its graveyard, the Lyceum Theatre and the Usher Hall.  The graveyard actually helped to cheer me up for a short while.  I took a number of photos of flowers and stones.  I resisted the very scary skull and crossbones on one of the stones.  I guess even I can be superstitious.

I found the Traverse Theatre and saw 'Meek' (Headlong in association with Birmingham Repertory Theatre).  The theatre auditorium was quite deep and the stairs to the front row were very steep.  The play 'Meek' explores a dysfunctional and pious future, in which a woman is imprisoned for writing and performing a song.  Religion in this play is domineering and designed to hold people in their place.  It reminded me a bit of 'The Handmaid's Tale'.  As plays go, it was engaging up to a point.  The frequent scene changes (basically blackouts and the three characters changing position on the stage) gave it a fragmentary quality.  The play may have been more powerful if we had got to hear 'Song 1', although it was well acted and the slightly predictable ending worked.  One thing that was explored well was the power of social media and its ability to change the possible outcome of a given situation, both for better or worse.  Being a political prisoner is never a good thing but no sensible regime wants a martyr on their hands.

After this excursion into the horrors of a religious dystopia with its opening line, 'God is dead' spoken by the prisoner, I went off for a meal.  I ate in a South African steak restaurant.  My steak was huge and I spent ten minutes chewing on a lump of gristle, which I didn't feel I could take out as there was a couple seated beside me.  I have learnt that less is more.  I then walked quickly back to my hotel.  So far today, I have imagined all of the random camera shots I could have taken; a woman reclining inside her window (on the ledge) reading a book, the man leaning outside his window, clutching his chin with a whimsical look.  Also the man in the doorway, bent over his phone with a cigarette directed at the floor in his other hand.  I am existing on the periphery of everyone elses' lives.  An observer but not a true participant.  My involvement determined by necessity and my levels of self-confidence or self-esteem.  It's an odd paradox, the need to be noticed, whilst fading into the background.

Today, I also heard a lone singer busking and performing 'Wild Mountain Thyme' in the rain.  It's moments such as these that make life meaningful.

To date, the unofficial soundtrack to my holiday includes 'Fake Plastic Trees' by Radiohead (I heard this song whilst queueing in the bar for the Ace Dome) and the Eagles' 'Last Resort' (I heard this song earlier today).  Also 'Nothing Ever Happens' (Del Amitri) and '500 Miles' (The Proclaimers) (a couple of the many songs played in the 'Rip It Up' exhibition).  Oh and 'Take Me Out' (Franz Ferdinand).  These songs will no doubt repeat their melodic charms for awhile to come.

I headed off to see 'Felicity Ward: Busting A Nut' at the Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Above) and after the customary queue, the audience traipsed upstairs through another University of Edinburgh campus building.  The University of Edinburgh apparently loves the Fringe.  Well, I guess it keeps the buildings in use throughout the summer months.  A very organised usher filtered us into rows from the front row upwards, refusing to let anyone pass further back until most of the seats were full.  Felicity Ward was her usual fired up, endearing self recounting pivotal events in her life including her marriage and not mentioning Brexit once.  She should win awards for that fact alone.  Her aside about podiatrists and their habit of shaving the feet as part of the beautification process was one of the funniest things I have heard all year, especially when she described how the practitioner goes about their work.

After the event, I went off with my friends.  One friend went back to her place of accommodation and I went off to the pub with my other friend where we met some other friends.  I drank red wine gradually relaxing, whilst two folk performers played their instruments and sung behind me.  I was astounded how much the musical arrangement of 'St James Infirmary Blues' sounds like Bob Dylan's 'Blind Willie McTell'.  I wonder if it's another case of Dylan 'borrowing' the melody line.  His lyrics are different but the music certainly sounds similar.  Having said that, the history of folk music does involve a lot of reinterpretation of traditional songs that are essentially out of copyright.

On the way home, a man jumped out at me and handed me a flyer for a show tomorrow night where 'everyone is fabulous' and I can apparently be fabulous too.  Yeah, right!

Then a rather strange and slightly disturbing thing happened in the hotel.  A man let me into the hotel and opened various doors for me then asked if I was taking the lift or stairs.  I said the stairs.  He was climbing faster than me, stopped a flight of stairs higher than me and as I began walking down the corridor to my room, seemingly said 'Wrong way!'  I walked very quickly down my corridor and internally prayed I wasn't being followed.  I got to my room and the bleeding hotel key card took three attempts to work.  You couldn't make this stuff up.

Also thinking back on today, on a funny note, a lady handed me a flyer for a kids show called 'Eaten' that was just about to start (I couldn't have seen it if I wanted to) then as I went into the Pleasance Courtyard to find out where my show was being staged, a lion waved at me.  It was a guy in a lion costume promoting the same show, he must have felt I was a kindred spirit.  Roar and other such animalistic noises.

                                                                                          Barry Watt - 19th August 2018. 

Afterword.

David Hume was a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher and economist.  Not well known for his shiny toes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume

Karl Marx was another well known writer and philosopher.  Best known for 'The Communist Manifesto', which he co-wrote with Friedrich Engels.  Still available from most good bookshops.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx

Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre originating from Italy, which used stock character types and masks:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commedia_dell%27arte

The Eagles are a fairly well known band best known for their album 'Hotel California', which contains 'Last Resort', one of the saddest songs ever written:

https://eagles.com/

Elise Cowen was an American poet associated with the Beat movement:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elise_Cowen

Allen Ginsberg was perhaps the most well known of the Beat movement.  His writings are still widely available:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Ginsberg

The Beat Generation is a label given to the movement associated with the above writers and with many others.  Their writings regularly infused with images and emotions, most commonly experienced when in a trance like state or stoned out of your head:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Generation

National Museum of Scotland was a lovely museum.  The 'Rip It Up' exhibition is still on until November 2018:

https://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/whats-on/rip-it-up/

Jack Bruce was a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter who is best remembered for his work with the supergroup Cream:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Bruce

The Proclaimers are a Scottish duo comprised of two brothers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Proclaimers

Franz Ferdinand are a rather nifty Scottish rock group.  I have seen them once as a support act at one of Morrissey's gigs in 2004 (they had a twenty minute support set and I am not exaggerating).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Ferdinand_(band)

The Reading Festival is a yearly music festival.  I went once and lost my friends until the end.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_and_Leeds_Festivals

The Who are a major rock band who still tour.  Here's their website:

https://www.thewho.com/

Jimi Hendrix was a great guitarist and singer/songwriter:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix

Runrig are a Scottish rock band:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runrig

Pret A Manger is a chain of coffee shops:

https://www.pret.co.uk/en-gb

'Wild Mountain Thyme' is an Irish/Scottish folk song.  It was written by Francis McPeake.  It has been covered by pretty much everyone associated with the folk scene:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Mountain_Thyme

Brexit winds me up, so I won't talk about it.  It's mentioned quite a lot.

'St. James Infirmary Blues' is an American jazz song:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James_Infirmary_Blues

'Blind Willie McTell' is one of Bob Dylan's most beautiful songs.  Bob Dylan being one of the most important singer/songwriters of all time:

https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/blind-willie-mctell/

                                                                                                                                         BW.

Photos.

Hume's shiny toes.

David Hume.

Elise - Sad but very well made play.

A life model.

Flower in the graveyard.

Gravestones and their sorry maintenance.

The flowers are taking over in the graveyard.

I like cranes and lampposts.  

A poster advertising one of the best shows at the Edinburgh Festival.

                                                                                                   BW.

Edinburgh Escapades - Day Two - Saturday 18th August 2018 - 'Now is my fault.'

'Now is my fault.'

The quote comes from a play I saw today called 'Bummer & Lazarus'.  It just stuck me as quite profound.  A bit existential but everyone needs an existential moment or six.

Today so far (it's currently 6pm and I am going out in about thirty minutes or so), I have seen three productions.  I have also seen a lot of statue stroking.  Poor Greyfriars Bobby with his unnecessarily shiny nose.  I think he is stroked in the same way that an ornamental Buddha's belly is rubbed for good luck.

Anyhow, I woke up this morning, went downstairs, helped myself to the breakfast buffet which included a strange brown square thing that turned out to be a beef patty or something like that.  After eating breakfast and returning with a cup of tea, I was shocked to discover the waiter cleaning my table.  It just made me internally chuckle but I think that the waiter was embarrassed as he later apologised, stating that I hadn't left any indication I was coming back (he was right).  So tomorrow,  I am going to leave a full sized inflatable shark on the table.

First port of call today was a venue near to a bridge (Paradise in Augustines - Sanctuary) to see 'That Bastard Brecht' (Nuworks Theatre).  Depending on how you viewed it, it's either a musical play or a musical.  It cleverly gave an overview of Brecht's life and collaborations, portraying him as less than perfect.  The women who he exploited, seemingly for the mutual benefit of all parties, except when it came to providing the proper authorial credits where they were due, were exceptionally well developed by this production.  The songs too were catchy and not dissimilar to Brecht's output.  Certainly, the largest cast I have encountered in a Fringe show so far.  Also the audience was impressively large for a 10.45 am start time.  The show started a little late, which may have been due to the musicians having troubles getting to the venue, as I saw them arrive.  I have never seen a drum kit pushed through a door before by one person.  It's an impressive sight.

I left the venue and continued to walk around.  I walked into Forbidden Planet and they didn't have the comic I was looking for.  Then I pretty much just continued wandering around to kill some time, prior to the second show.

'Bummer & Lazarus' (Big Egg Theatre) is a play performed by two actors that finished today at the Greenside @ Infirmary Street - Olive Studio (basically, a venue located within the same site I attended last night).  Once again, I enjoyed (endured) the experience of pointlessly queueing (as a rule of thumb arrive just before the performance starts to avoid long queueing times unless you are hoping for a particular seat.  Bummer and Lazarus are dogs who are trapped in a strange environment, which doesn't appear to have an exit.  In the meantime, whilst they try to find a way out, Bummer explains a myriad of things such as time, causality and the concept of the mind to Lazarus, who has a tendency to forget.  As a theatre production, I wasn't really sure who it's aimed at.  It's supposed to be for eight year olds up but the philosophical concepts and the nature of the concepts being addressed would be confusing for some children.  It's a very wordy piece, with intermittent physical bits that would attract children.  Having said that, it continues to resonate with me, so it definitely ticks the boxes for adults.  The notion of 'Now being my fault' is a wonderfully succinct lesson that things change from one second to the next.

The third performance of the day was back at the Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Beyond this time) for 'The Red Shoes' (Young Pleasance).  Now this performance was heaving, a clever update of the Hans Christian Andersen tale tying it in with the rise of Nazism and the 'Final Solution'.  Also felt a lot like versions of 'Faust'.  Possibly, the most powerful scene of all is the final one depicting a pile of shoes, upon which someone places the eponymous red shoes of the title.  The play also made good use of music.  I recognised the odd bit of Brecht thrown in for good measure and clocking in at about an hour, it succinctly told the story.  I am off to see some comedy tonight.

I had an Indian meal tonight, prior to heading off for the evening festivities.  You can always tell when you have eaten in a good restaurant as the menu is lovingly stained.

'Angela Barnes: Rose-Tinted' at the Pleasance Courtyard - Beside (this time in a marquee style venue) was astounding.  Angela Barnes' routine offered a partial overview of her life and the changes that she has undergone, performed with a confidence and self-belief that was empowering for everyone.  Her resolutely powerful personality shows someone who can see through the crap and dissect what remains.  Her joke about the disappearance of the middle classes and how in Guildford there is apparently only six middle class couples left had the audience roaring.  Also the temperature in the venue was so hot that she joked that this was a little special something she was giving the audience, a sauna.  Her set was definitely one of the best things I have seen on the Fringe so far.

Then later this evening, I saw 'Onstage Dating' at the Underbelly, Cowgate - White Belly (the venue was apparently an archive.  Really weird building resembling a castle with odd spiral staircases.  The little venues within the main site were equally strange environments.  The White Belly was like an air raid shelter) with friends.  Two lucky or unlucky people depending upon your perspective ended up on stage with the performer, Bron Batten who initially appeared on stage wearing crazy glasses and a weird hat consisting of lots of lights, as she mimicked a Peacock's fertility dance.  All of the male audience members were provided with questionnaires (I am not sure whether any female members of the audience were given questionnaires) and the questions including favourite wine, film and your likelihood to jump off a cliff if she asked you to were apparently based on a psychological study of human coupling. 

During the course of this show, not only did I learn that male bees lose their sting and part of their lower abdomen during intercourse but also that the performer definitely has a winning formula for this show but only if the audience members she invites on stage are prepared to engage.  I would have probably clammed up like a shell unless encouraged.  The guy stripping down to his underwear to match the performer may have been reacting to peer pressure and/or a deep seated need to perform.  But the clever thing about this show is the fact that it shows up that dating is a performance art.  The best actors are more likely to achieve the best results (whatever they may be).

I really did not like the Underbelly, Cowgate venue.  Too many people in random queues and guess what?  I am there nearly all day on Monday.  Ouch!  I just hope the performers are worth it, but I am sure they will be.

                                                                                  Barry Watt - 18th August 2018.

Afterword.

Existentialism is a rather lovely philosophical approach that believes that the individual is  responsible for everything that happens to them.  Basically, it places the onus of responsibility back on the individual, away from the existence of deities and other cosmic forces.  Jean-Paul Sartre is a major name associated with this philosophic approach to life.

Greyfriars Bobby is perhaps the most iconic dog in history.  Even after his owner's death, he apparently laid beside his grave.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby

Forbidden Planet is a chain of comic shops that also sell lots of other film and TV related merchandise.  Regularly disappointing but at least, they exist.

https://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/

Faust is the protagonist of German fable that continues to permeate throughout pretty much every medium that you can think of.  Allegedly based on the life of Johan Georg Faust (well, a little bit).  Faust makes a deal with the Devil and needless to say, things don't go well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust

Brecht was mentioned yesterday, so please check the afterword there if you are interested.

Buddha was a sage who has inspired the teachings of Buddhism.  There still seems to be a bizarre ritual involving rubbing the belly of ornamental representations of Buddha to encourage good luck.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha

Oh yes, 'Now is my fault' is a line from 'Bummer & Lazarus' so is copyright to the theatre company (Big Egg Theatre) and/or writer(s) that created it

                                                                                                                        BW.

Photos.

He does you know, but I never met him.

A sense of history.

Weird building.

Church where I saw 'That Bastard Brecht'.

My proverb except I am invariably lost.

The entrance to the Pleasance Courtyard.

I have no idea what the Thermos Museum was.  It always made me laugh though.

Apparently, you can 'learn nothing on the Thermos Museum tour', which was apparently a quid, although I never saw the Guide.  I was tempted to adopt the mantle of the Thermos Museum Guide.

Poor Greyfriars Bobby with his much abused nose.

                                                                                                BW

Edinburgh Escapades - Day One - Friday 17th August 2018 - The sky is filthy, bulbous with rain.

It is customary for my journeys anywhere to be slightly problematic.  Today's journey involved two buses to King's Cross Station.  It should have been one bus, but the bus company clearly wanted to keep me on my toes.

I eventually arrived at the station and ended up on the train with the case sitting in front of my legs and my hand luggage perched on top of my legs.  Sadly, I was not next to the window.

Due to a most amusing turn of events, amusing to absolutely no-one, lots of people had no seats, so ended up in proprietorial huddles in any spare corners they could find.  A mother and daughter discussed the 'trash' novel, they were reading in their book club (I believe that it may have been 'The Valley of the Dolls').  Then the younger lady (the daughter) spoke of her son's night terrors.  The dreams he vividly recalled when he awoke terrified and then could not return to sleep.  The story disturbed me as you don't grow out of monsters, ghosts and strange things just out of sight, you merely incorporate them into your daily routine as you get older (I guess) or humanise the fears.  Bear in mind, that the two ladies were sitting on the floor, one was sitting in a gap behind the chairs.  If you can visualise this, you can appreciate how busy the train was today.

Upon arriving in Edinburgh, I was pretty overwhelmed even though I have been here before.  Very busy as a result of all of the festivals and lots of vaguely menacing individuals loitering as thought straight from the pages of a Dickens' novel.  Also there seems to be a large number of homeless people.

The odd thing about the Fringe festival is listening to the random conversations and seeing people plugging shows that only three people may attend.  Also overhearing conversations about failed shows, not so much bums on seats as bums out of the doors.  Too much going on perhaps?  The adverts for shows are stuck on every discernible surface like those dodgy cards sex workers display in phone boxes, only slightly more intricate.

In my hotel preparing to leave, the guy who signed me in was nice asking if I had prebooked tickets for shows.  I assured him I had and he explained that I was a wise man, otherwise I would be doomed to see lots of free shows.  Now I must get ready to go out.

I went out, wandered around trying to get my bearings.  Eventually, I found the location of the first venue on the Pleasance (the Pleasance Courtyard).  I bumped into a friend I hadn't seen for ages and we chatted a little bit, mostly about not being able to find my way into the first venue.  The Pleasance Courtyard has about ten events going on at the same time, so there are arrows everywhere pointing you in all directions.  Eventually, I asked.  Apparently, you had to go down.

Upon finally locating the right door, I entered and climbed and climbed.  Posters of hundreds of current and previous shows festoon the walls.  There is possibly nothing more overwhelming than the residues of cultural history, laid out in a haphazard manner.  An invitation to a world of experience you either missed or could not possibly have the time to truly embrace.  The Fringe is about selection.  The possibility for spontaneity exists but in a sell-out culture, the inducement is to buy early before all the tickets go.

My first show was 'Lucy Porter: Pass It On'.  I bumped into the friend I met earlier and some other friends that I almost met earlier.  We sat together on stage right on raised stalls.

Lucy Porter's show was unashamedly about legacy and growing older.  She performed the comedian's regular trope of identifying people at either end of the age spectrum to provide a visual focus for some of her material.  As she identified, most of the audience were middle-aged (oddly, today at this performance, I became aware for the first time that I am middle-aged too).

Her material was charmingly engaging, her manner direct yet friendly.  Her M & S skinny jeans became an excellent motif for the passage of time.  She realised that she was getting through one pair every seven years.  She then estimated how long she had left based on her mother's death and the number of pairs of jeans she would need.  M & S had apparently discontinued the brand she liked, leading to a funny aside about obtaining supposedly discontinued goods.

Once the show was over, my friends went off to eat.  I went to get lost again.  I was reminded how hilly Edinburgh is.  Also the layout takes a bit of getting used to.  Everywhere I am walking, flyers are being handed to me.  The phenomenon is not unlike being in Egypt, having people following you to tout their wears.  There is so much going on.  Everything is allegedly a five star show but who rated the shows?

I was amused by a couple of stickers I saw on Cowgate.  One read 'Barry loves everything'.  I assume this is probably a street art phenomenon but it has nothing to do with me.

Oddly enough, I don't feel like taking lots of photos today.  So I just imagine the shots I would take.  I will take some tomorrow, when I hopefully won't feel quite so 'out there'. 

The second show of the day was at the Pleasance Dome.  Basically, a pop-up venue, in what appears to be part of the University of Edinburgh campus, although may not be?  Again, multiple events going on and lots of confusing modern arrows pointing in generally the right direction but not always making it clear when you have got to the right place.  The entrance to this show was located inside a bar.  'A Sockful of Custard' (Jeremy Stockwell and Chris Larner) was a pretty interesting performance piece based on Spike Milligan, his life and work.  The somewhat Brechtian technique of identifying the roles that the performers were playing and what they did worked well.  As such, it became clear that both of the performers had actually met Spike Milligan.  It was a production based on love and the title was explained.  Apparently for one of his shows, Spike Milligan required the sound effect of a sockful of custard and the BBC sound effects crew could not find the right sound, so Spike went to the canteen and filled a sock with custard (the canteen wouldn't let him take the plates out of their premises).  This provided the required sound effect (a character was slapped with the sockful of custard).  Members of the audience left at various points during the performance.  Possibly, somewhat frustrated by the structure, which was broken down on cards on the stage (key plot points were written and at times shown to the audience).  I am not sure whether it can be performed in slightly different ways each night, so long as the key scenes are enacted or not.  I enjoyed the show.  I met another couple of friends at this event and once the show ended, we all went off to different things.

I walked around a bit more, eventually felt hungry and popped into KFC.  Cheaper than London but the chicken tasted different.  I remain to be convinced that the recipe of spices etc is the same from place to place.

My last show of the night ('The Maids' - Sudden Impulse Theatre Company) started at 11pm at the Greenside@Infirmary Street (Forest Theatre).  This venue was a little bit out of the way.  Also I didn't feel that comfortable, hanging around outside waiting to be let in to the Forest Theatre.  Prior to heading in, two slightly drunk guys got me to take their photo with a mobile phone, making sure I got the banner in the photo.  I think I took one photo plus by accident a load of slow motion video. 

'The Maids' was probably the most effective production of the show I have seen.  It certainly did what I have often contemplated doing, a production with an all male cast.  This really added to the dynamic, playing up the homo-eroticism that permeates the play.  Also the physicality of the performance was astounding.  Flagellation and wrestling moves performed with relish.  The make-up was also striking.  The performers afterwards thanked the audience for coming and invited us to give feedback if we wished to do so and to mention the show to friends.  It's sad how a good show only had seven or eight people in the audience.  I guess too much to see, such little time.  Also the Fringe seems to be best known for its comedy, not for everything else.

I left the theatre and got lost finding my way back to the hotel, but I anticipate that I will eventually gets my bearings, probably by Monday.  One final aside, I felt like I was in an Irvine Welsh novel earlier today when I heard a truck driver refer to another driver as a 'fucking raj' (I think that's how it sounds not how it's spelt).  There are characters everywhere.

                                                                                    Barry Watt - 17th August 2018.

Afterword.

'The Valley of The Dolls' was written by Jacqueline Susann in the 60s.  Basically, the story of three women in Broadway and Hollywood.  I haven't read it but I am tempted to read it.

Charles Dickens was quite a popular author in his time creating many memorable characters, his supporting characters sometimes more significant than the main protagonists.

Lucy Porter is a year older than me and is a funny comedian.  She helped me to realise that I am middle aged.

http://www.lucyporter.co.uk/

M and S (abbreviation of Marks and Spencer).  Major retail chain that some people really like.

https://www.marksandspencer.com/

Spike Milligan was a very funny comedian, actor, writer.  He suffered from bouts of depression throughout his life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Milligan

Bertolt Brecht was a major playwright and theatre practitioner.  He came up with many theatrical techniques that still permeate the theatre scene today.  His political beliefs dominating his works and it's not uncommon to go to a Brecht show and see the means of production highly visible.  It wouldn't be out of place to stage a Brecht show where the cast introduce themselves and then tell you who they will be playing.  I like Brecht and his work.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht

KFC sell fried chicken.

https://www.kfc.co.uk/

'The Maids' was written by Jean Genet.  Allegedly based on a true story.  Two servants and their mistress.  What could possibly go wrong?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Genet

Irvine Welsh is a very popular Scottish author. 

http://www.irvinewelsh.net/

                                                                                                                           BW

Photos

Lucy Porter was a brilliant start to the Fringe for me.

'The Maids' brilliantly performed by the Sudden Impulse Theatre Company.

A shower head.  Be still my beating heart.  It's the odd things that appeal to me.  My hotel lover.

                                                                                                                        BW

Bath or Bust - Day 3 - Wednesday 20th September 2017 - Every muscle feels stretched and the delights of patterns.

Sometimes I wonder and other times, I simply wander in a blank state of openness.  Have you ever looked for details that interest you?  These details may form a pattern that a random combination of objects, both natural and man made can make.  For example, nothing thrills me more than a thriving weed breaking out from the side of someone's wall.

Today, I woke up and had breakfast.  The breakfast room was much busier than yesterday, indicating to me that a tour group has arrived.

After breakfast, which today consisted of a sausage and one more portion of cold fish added for good measure, I returned to my room to read.

At 8.30 am, I left the hotel and wandered past the Theatre Royal Bath.  I wanted to take some photos of the exterior but unfortunately, the area is a building site.  Indeed, there are a number of construction projects at the moment in Bath.  Some of which including the Riverside projects are promising more jobs etc.  But from a practical perspective, the project overlooking the theatre prevents me from taking a photo of the front of the theatre.  I did take a side photo and a picture of the advertisement for 'The Real Thing'.  I think that the poster highlighting Laurence Fox may be quite revealing.  I personally would emphasise the fact that it is a Tom Stoppard play.

Following my short sojourn to the outside of the theatre, I endeavoured and succeeded in finding tonight's venue, the Mission Theatre.  Then off to Tesco, followed by my first visit to the Royal Crescent since I arrived in Bath.  The Royal Crescent is one of many crescents I have visited since I arrived.  The properties that comprise this Crescent are luxurious, large and bleeding expensive.  There are fences to prevent the hoi polloi from invading this sacred arena.  The Gardens that are adjacent to the Crescent are quite attractive and I found myself enjoying the sight of several exotic flowers and I also had the dubious experience of putting twenty pence in a toilet marked 'vacant', only to learn as the door opened, that it wasn't vacant.  A man was pulling up his trousers as I nearly entered.  I found another toilet, spent 20p again and actually pressed the lock button to prevent anyone from admiring what's left of me.

I then went to meet my friend.  We spoke of old times in a cafe, marvelling at how out lives have changed (or not as the case may be).  She is now a mother living in Bath and I am well, still me.

Upon leaving my friend, I visited No. 1 Royal Crescent, a faithful reproduction of a Georgian House.  Various guides explained the differing rooms and I learnt how tokens were widely used for pastimes such as theatre to restrict the use of money.  Also nice to hear about the wigs that elegant ladies wore and how their lead based make up could either lead to hair loss or death, as a result of constant use.

I left the property and just wandered around for a few hours.  I felt pretty aimless, so I went for a walk beside the river, admiring the narrow boats and flowers.  Also marvelling at the pretty, natural light shows on the river.  Oddly, I think I understand the Georgian fascination with symmetry as I became quite entranced by the many bridges with their stark diagonal lines and myriad colours.

I also realised that I haven't really focused on the people that I have been encountering.  Occasionally, I have been greeted and I have responded but sometimes, it's nice to feel invisible.

Back in my hotel room to rest for a while prior to getting something to eat before tonight's theatre excursion.

This evening's trip to the Mission Theatre to see 'The Great British Soap Opera', involved me getting something to eat first in a restaurant that reminds me why smokey barbecue style food tastes pretty average and should probably be avoided.  Then I killed time wandering around before hanging out in the theatre foyer with way too many people.  In fact, as more people crowded in, it began to look like a Beckett or Ionesco play.  The musical was intriguingly performed in the round and the cast were based at points around the circle behind dressing tables.  The plot about the cast, their relationships with each other and the gradual demise of their television show was funny.  I left the theatre in the rain, dashing past the Theatre Royal Bath and wondering how come tonight's performance of 'The Real Thing' had already finished, seemingly twenty minutes early.  What happened?  Did they finish the show?

I am back in my hotel room, feeling a bit down, being on your own has its moments but not twenty four hours a day.

Bath has been an interesting, diverting adventure.  A journey through myriad stages and I have learnt nothing substantial about myself.  Maybe, that's not important?  The one thing I haven't commented upon in Bath is the level of homelessness.  In fact, although there are homeless people in Bath, the situation is not as bad as it seems to be in Blackpool, Dublin and Exeter.  Bath is a cultural mixing pot of the well to do and those who aspire to a lifestyle possibly within reach.  The appearance of many of the regular retail chains suggest an urban space rapidly becoming as homogenised as anywhere else.  But for all that, it's a unique fragment of various bygone ages and works wonders despite the all pervasive taint of Jane Austen.

                                                                                         Barry Watt - 20th September 2017. 

Afterword.

The Mission Theatre is an interesting little theatre.  They have their own website:

http://www.missiontheatre.co.uk/

No. 1 Royal Crescent is worth a visit and their website is below:

http://no1royalcrescent.org.uk/

Tesco is a major supermarket chain.  I post their link, just in case you may have missed them:

https://www.tesco.com/

'The Great British Soap Opera' has been staged quite a few times.  Please see the below link:

http://www.brungerandcleary.co.uk/the-great-british-soap-opera/4594049099

Jane Austen was an English novelist who I am still trying to like. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Austen

The Theatre Royal Bath, 'The Real Thing' and Tom Stoppard were all mentioned in my last blog, so please see the links back there.

                                                                                                                                         BW

Photographs.

The Royal Crescent.

In the Gardens adjacent to the Royal Crescent.

Wee Squirrel.

In No.1 Royal Crescent, anyone for cake?

In No.1 Royal Crescent.

A weed or wild flower.

A bridge.

Decay and ruin fascinate me.

Light show on the river.

                                                                                                     BW

Bath or Bust - Day 2 - Tuesday 19th September 2017 - Square Dancing with the Bun.

I woke up two or three times during the night.  I guess going to sleep at 9.30 pm can have that effect on your sleeping patterns.  When I eventually got up, I showered making full use of the woody smelling body lotion in the bathroom.

I went down to breakfast.  Imagine my mood when I learnt that my breakfast was indeed, inclusive.  In reality, all this means to me are various random items of food placed on the plate together.  Who would have thought that a cold kipper or mackerel, scrambled egg, hash brown and bacon could complement each other so well?  The 7.10 am breakfast crowd looked as perky as I felt.  I marvelled how one guy ate a chocolate muffin at that time in the morning.  Horses for courses I guess.

I went back to my room and read for an hour then headed off to the Roman Baths.  When I got lost finding them, a lady pointed me in the right direction.  Basically, if you can find the Abbey, you can find the Roman Baths.  The Baths were surprisingly empty.  The exhibition that accompanied the Baths, a fun mix of artifacts, animations and a dodgy audio device that resembled a pre 90s mobile phone, which you elegantly hold to your ear after dialling various numbers, displayed next to certain artifacts and areas.  The commentary short enough to be informative and interesting.  The Baths themselves were fascinating to behold.  Steam rising, urging unsuspecting tourists to strip off and take a dive.  Various statues have been added belatedly of Roman figures and deities to bang home the point that these were Roman Baths.

Following the Baths, I went to Bath Abbey.  Being a modern Abbey with eyes on the money to ensure the current (and future) restoration of the building, two amounts are suggested, one for the Abbey and one to climb the stairs.  The prospect of a couple of hundred stairs after breakfast with several miles of walking expected for the remainder of the day, meant that I focused my attention on the main Abbey.  I was particularly moved by the ledger stones and shocked by the obvious truth that as tourists and worshippers wander through the Abbey, they are potentially destroying traces of people and of families.  Some of the stones are cracking and some of the fund raising is being used to restore these stones.

The stained glass windows and Jacob's Ladder outside helped to complete my aesthetic appreciation of the Abbey.

I then walked over the bridge to the Holburne Museum, admiring the lengthy boulevard leading to the building with its assortment of eateries, doctors' surgeries and lively architecture.  The Holburne Museum is the fawning companion of the old pleasure gardens, which is now missing their maze and other bits.  The Museum contained a selection of paintings and other assorted knick knacks collected by Sir William Holburne.  In many respects, this museum reminded me of Horniman Museum without the Walrus, of course.

I went for a little walk around the gardens afterwards then went to look for something to eat.  As I have had this innate desire to sample the bleeding thing, I had a Bath Bun in the rather aptly named, 'The Bath Bun'.  In practical terms, £5.50 for a bland bun with a sugar coating and some currents on the top is a little pricey.  Although, it did come with a jolly nice wild cherry tea!

At this point, I kept checking my watch to see if I could head over to the Masonic Museum, as I still had over an hour to kill until the next tour, I decided to go to the Victoria Art Gallery.  I wandered around in here for awhile, looking at the paintings and listening to a staff member regaling some visitors with her past exploits in other countries.  In many respects, our knowledge of other cultures can be largely informed by such subjective accounts.  I learnt her preference for one area of Australia over another.  As I left there was a weird donation thing that enabled you to place money into slots which would subsequently cause a wooden (I think it was wooden) effigy of a painter to imitate the act of creation with a jerky intensity, not seen since I last dabbled with a paint brush.  I left and checked my watch.

I went to the Masonic Museum several times.  The door remained locked and I was more than a little apprehensive to press the button.  At one point, a man was standing at the door and I enquired whether the tour was happening this afternoon.  He replied in the affirmative, explaining that he was waiting for the guide.  He advised me to come back a bit later.

Around 2.20pm, I came back and there was a sign outside, the man who had seen me earlier invited me in and explained how I should pay the guide.  We had a chat and I learnt about the long history that the man had with the building.  Effectively, he has been a caretaker.  I asked him if he had ever considered being a guide.  He just laughed and said that he had enough to do.

The guide appeared introduced himself and stated that we would wait a couple more minutes for anyone else to arrive then he would begin the tour.  I was the only visitor this afternoon.  He explained the various uses of the building from a theatre to a Catholic church to its current use as a Masonic Hall.  He showed me around explaining about the Freemasons in a way that revealed aspects of the symbolism without going into detail about the meaning of the little plays that the members enact.  He quite rightly pointed out that the secrecy surrounding the organisation helps to make things more interesting for its members.  When I asked certain questions, I received answers that hinted at the deeper meanings surrounding certain symbols and practises.  If anything, he piqued my interest.  My view of Freemasonry remains as ambivalent as ever, although they do a lot for charity.  I wonder whether complete openness is the way to go for the organisation.  The fact that they are not fundamentally tied to any religious movement (although, related organisations such as the Knights Templar are) may make them an interesting proposition for anyone seeking an unconventional belief system.  I just wish that they were more inclusive.  Although, there are mixed sex Lodges in other countries, which I feel is a good thing and could be the path the organisation is heading down.

After this visit, I went to a fish restaurant and generally unwound prior to my visit to the theatre, where I am heading in ten minutes (I am currently in my hotel room getting ready to go out).  I am looking forward to going to the Theatre Royal Bath to see Tom Stoppard's play, 'The Real Thing'.

Ah, a quiet night out at the theatre.  Now back home after audience sickness and various technical hitches on stage.  The most notable being a device under a sofa on stage repeating the legend, 'No battery, please recharge'.  To the point that Laurence Fox slipped out of character and frustratingly retorted, 'Will someone sort that out as it's impossible to act?' (or words to that effect).  A stage hand quickly removed the offending article.  Earlier in the evening, an audience member fell ill in some way and I was impressed by the professionalism of the theatre's staff.  They initially checked that the lady could be moved then carefully took her outside of the main auditorium.  The venue's staff then prevented the audience for accessing the area where the lady was being treated and/or recovering.  The play, 'The Real Thing' was a typically intelligent Stoppard play that suffered a little through lots of scene changes, which initially make sense and then appear somewhat excessive.

Anyhow, back in my hotel room and I am about to drink a second glass of wine from the complementary bottle that still sits on the desk area taunting me for my daylight sobriety.

Earlier today, I had another moment of synchronicity, stumbling by accident on another private gallery exhibiting Bob Dylan's artworks.  Where I am Bob Dylan must surely have got there first.

                                                                                      Barry Watt - 19th September 2017.

Afterword.

The Roman Baths are definitely worth a visit.  Please check out their website:

https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/

Bath Abbey renewed my interest in religious buildings even though I wouldn't describe myself as religious:

http://www.bathabbey.org/

Holburne Museum is probably as interesting for the journey there as for the museum itself (the boulevard leading there is staggering):

http://www.holburne.org/

Horniman Museum as you may know is not in Bath but worth a visit:

https://www.horniman.ac.uk/

The Victoria Art Gallery also has a website:

https://www.victoriagal.org.uk/

The Bath Bun where you can sample the delights of the eponymous Bun also has a website.  They are worth visiting as a result of the large variety of teas they offer:

http://www.thebathbun.com/

The Old Theatre Royal (otherwise known as the Masonic Hall) was probably my favourite excursion during my Bath visit.  It opened my eyes to so many things.  My guide was interesting and I left with a slightly different view of the Masons:

http://oldtheatreroyal.com/

Freemasonry will always divide opinion and I want to add that my opinions in my blog, simply reflect my feelings as a non-member.  The Wikipedia entry seems a fairly comprehensive view of some of the tenets upon which the organisation seems to be founded:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry

An official website about the London Lodge of the Freemasons is below.  Each Lodge operates slightly differently but they all seem to contribute to charities:

http://www.londonmasons.org.uk/

The current Knights Templar have their own website too:

http://www.knight-templar.org.uk/

The Theatre Royal Bath is a very popular theatre whose shows regularly transfer:

https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/

Tom Stoppard is a well known playwright and 'The Real Thing' was a play that was first performed in 1982:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Stoppard

Bob Dylan as well as being one of the most important singer/songwriters of all time has dabbled in many other art forms.  His artwork regularly tours and is sold in private galleries:

http://www.bobdylanart.com/

                                                                                                                                  BW.

Photographs.

The Roman Baths.

The retrospective ornamentation of the Roman Baths. 

Don't drink the water.

Jacob's Ladder.

Inside Bath Abbey.

Sunlight and Bath Abbey.

Ornamentation in Bath Abbey.

Exterior of Bath Abbey.

Boulevard leading to Holburne Museum.

The poster for 'The Real Thing'.

                                                                     BW.