Tattoo leaves its mark

Tuesday evening was wet. Very wet. The rain didn't stop at all. However, this didn't spoil my trip to the Edinburgh Miltary Tattoo up at the castle. I was there with mum and Nick with tickets that I had bought last December. Obviously, when I bought the tickets, I had hoped that an August evening would be pleasantly dry and relatively warm. Having lived up in Scotland for six years, I should've known better! Still, as I often say, there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. We were wearing ponchos (a bargain at 99p each from Woolworths!) and warm clothing, so we were absolutely fine. We had great seats in the North stand, with clear views all around. For those of you reading this blog who have never seen the tattoo, it really is worth seeing. Even if you can only catch the performance on the BBC, try and have a look. Yes, it's fair to say that there is a lot of miltary music and a hefty amount of Scottish influence with the pipes and drums. But there is also a whole load of amusing moments, and one or two surprises that really make the show very memorable. Modern mixed with traditional, and a good contingent of overseas performers, including some from Taiwan, Russia and Trinidad & Tobago (home to the world's only steel drum military band). Certain events were marked during the performance, including the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War, the diamond wedding anniversary of HM the Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and the centenary of the Scouts movement. Appreciative applause circulated the arena when the troops currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan were remembered. The only downside of the whole evening was at the end - not only because the performance had finished, but it took absolute ages to leave as everyone has to depart through the narrow cobbled street that leads down from the castle. I've been fortunate to see the Tattoo live on two occasions now, and I cannae wait until next year. Tickets do get sold out very quickly, so make sure you diarise for early December and log onto http://www.edinburgh-tattoo.co.uk/