Sketching & Song in Rosslyn Chapel (again again), Heriot-Watt Chamber Choir, 22nd March 2014

Excelsior Per Cantum, Rosslyn Chapel, 22nd March 2014. pen in sketchbook

Last Saturday Excelsior Per Cantum, the Chamber Choir of Heriot-Watt University, including my lady Jennifer, were performing in Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh. For the third year in a row I was able to sit in on the rehearsal and make a sketch. (see the 2012 blog post here and the 2013 here).

Afterwards, but before the concert started, I found myself alone, for several minutes the only person in that famous and historic building. Just me and silence, hundreds of candles and thousands of carvings. 'Though perhaps the Rosslyn would be better considered as just one great carving.

The concert was raising funds for the Roslin and Bilston First Responders' plan to have a public access defibrillator in the village of Roslin. It was a sell-out, and deserved to be.

Before the rehearsal we'd spend a couple of hours walking through trees above river in Roslin Glen. A beautiful place. We watched a grey wagtail (they're the yellow ones) bob on stones and sticks by the water, heard a dipper chrrip chrrip chrrip... as it flew upstream, heard a great spotted woodpecker cry it's call from the treetops. But best of all - chiffchaff!! Our first of the year! Fresh in from Africa. Singing, seen, photographed. The glen was full of them, their chiffchaffing accompanying us for the whole of our walk. I was pretty excited. Then today, working on computer in my Linlithgow studio, several have been singing outside.

Photos:

spot the chiffchaff, fresh in from Africa

spot the cave

spot Jennifer

Getting there:

Roslin Glen and Rosslyn Chapel are easy to get to from Edinburgh. There's a car park at the chapel but buses from Edinburgh are good too. Details here - www.rosslynchapel.org.uk.

The Original Rosslyn Hotel, two minutes from the chapel, has a lovely relaxed lounge bar to, um, lounge in, while you wait for your bus.