Talk of the Town: Zut alors! Marilyne's choice proves facile

Published on Wednesday 11 November 2009 08:30

A LOCAL councillor's life is full of difficult choices and no-one knows this better than embattled education chief Marilyne MacLaren.

But deciding how best to fill her recent evening when faced with a plethora of clashing invitations might not have caused many sleepless nights. Her options: a slap-up feed at the French Consulate or a likely ear-bashing over the state of the city's schools and the pending closures with the Edinburgh Parent Council Network.

Her decision? What's French for "no brainer"?

Councillor MacLaren's case for the defence: "I had three separate engagements that night, and I was tearing between them. There is a consultation process, so it's not like parents don't have a way of seeing me and speaking to me."

We can only hope for her sake that the parents appreciate the draw of French cuisine.

Darren Day's perfectly platonic party-going

ROCK legend Brian May and Kevin "Curly Watts" Kennedy were the stars of the We Will Rock You aftershow party, posing gamely for photos with starstruck fans at Harvey Nicols' Forth Floor restaurant. While they were the centre of attention, our spies spotted co-star and one-time womaniser Darren Day drinking with a glamorous blonde in the VIP bar. His wife, actress Stephanie Dooley, can rest assured, though: he was enjoying a quiet drink with old friend Anthea Turner and her husband Grant Bovey.

Boris at the bus stop

POSTERS urging passengers to report anything suspicious to police appear regularly on bus stops along George Street these days. A sensible precaution, you might think. Except that the latest posters are from the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police.

Elves face competition

IT IS better to give than to receive, they say. That looks likely to be the case in many Edinburgh households this Christmas as a survey found this week that one in five people in the Capital plan to give handmade Christmas gifts – almost double the national average. Surveyors National Friendly are blaming our old friend the credit crunch.

The craft of getting trashed

NOT many people head to the pub hoping to have a "rubbish night out". But that's exactly what Leith bar Sofi's has been advertising – and it has pulled in the crowds.

Staff at the Swedish-style bar have been getting into the recession spirit with a special night where punters "recycle" rubbish to make new craft items.

Owner Anna Christopherson says:"It is really lots of fun, although you need sharp elbows to take part."