Ten Questions: Colin Salter

Published on Saturday 22 August 2009 11:13

Colin Salter, 51, is a researcher who lives in Marchmont

1 What is your earliest memory of Edinburgh? Arriving from my little boarding school in a fishing village north of Montrose for my scholarship interview at daunting Fettes College.

2 What are your memories of school? Fettes was such a change from earlier schools I'd attended, but perhaps that's true of all secondary education. Fettes at that time reeked of unearned privilege, and my instinct was to resist that at all costs.

3 Where is your favourite place in Edinburgh and why? The Water of Leith between Dean Village and Canonmills.

4 What are the best things about Edinburgh? The Castle, the Meadows, the festivals, the Cameo and the Filmhouse, the New Town, Coda on the Mound, the Jazz Bar, Sandy Bell's – all this and more on my doorstep

5 What would you change about the city? Edinburgh audiences – they're so reserved!

6 Describe a perfect Edinburgh day/night out. A day giving visiting friends a guided walking tour of the city; dinner at David Bann's; and then some live music in a couple of bars.

7 Which sports interest you? I get very caught up in big sporting events of all kinds – the Open, Wimbledon, the Olympics, snooker at the Crucible.

8 What was your most embarrassing moment? One night a gentle friend was singing in a bar in his beautiful soft vocal style, completely ignored by a party of teenagers next to me. They were chatting loudly and practising their wolf whistling. . Furious, I yelled at the top of my voice, "Shut up and show some respect" – so loudly that I drowned out not only the whistling and all conversation in the room but also my friend's song.

9 What is your greatest achievement? Finding, at age 51, work I love and am good at.

10 Sum up Edinburgh in three words. International capital city.