PITY she's gone. We liked her. But Robyn Rowles has had to go where the breadwinner's had to go. Husband Sean has moved from RBS at Gogar to Providence, Rhode Island, as chief credit officer at the Citizens Bank, an RBS outpost.
Besides, they've got a nine-month-old baby and sons of 11 and ten from her previous marriage.
Robyn's been brave. When she arrived in Edinburgh two and a half years ago from her native America, her interest in camera work and painting led her to
create a photography gallery/bistro in the New Town's Howe Street.
She gave it her best shot for over a year or so, during which she hosted a dozen exhibitions. "I should have given it more time but domestic needs must. My artists are staying loyal and I'll represent them in the States.
"I've loved the city and if I had my arm twisted, like you're twisting it now, to say anything bad about it at all, it would be the parking."
Good luck, Robyn. Hope Sean enjoys the bank job.
Pie in the skyA pie connoisseur from way back, I'm amused to see the best buy in the Independent's UK listing of the Ten Best Pork Pies nationwide is the Birmingham-made "Walter Smith" (£2.79, 400g). Shouldn't sell many at Celtic Park.
The Walter is a mix of free-range pork belly and tender shoulder (good to cry on) with a contrasting coarse and soft texture. The "Easter Road" pie, or "Mixu", doesn't merit a mention.
While we're kicking a ball about, you'd notice that a big batch of salmonella-linked Bovril was pulled from the shelves the other day. Nothing's sacred nowadays, not even the punters' traditional half-time pie and Bovril.
Afterwords . .. .let's have a flutter with this one. The Ministry of Offence are to spend £2.5 million (peanuts alongside the Queen's ransom they're blowing on two carriers) replacing the flag on every British military establishment. Because, they've just discovered, tatty flags are bad for morale. Presumably they're talking the Union flag.
So Edinburgh Castle, where the flag at the pinnacle rarely flies, if at all, must be on the MoD's mailing list. I'll be keeping an eye on it.
The full article contains 381 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
