The weekend

wander

Strapped for cash?upcoming events fora resonable price

Ayr: music and cafesin the home of TheBard

Armchair Traveling:this months travel lit.recomendations

Volunteering: havefun and do somegood

Contents

Ayr Travel: Music and

Cafes in Ayr 3-4

Armchair Traveller:

Great reads,

Packing Light, Top Ten

Playlist 5-6

Strapped for Cash

7-8

Volunteering: The

Positive Impact 9

This months issue

of The Weekend

Wander focuses on

activities and places

to visit at home:

beneficial not only

to your pocket but

also for the

enviroment, two

birds, one stone!

From sometimes

sunny Ayr, where it

snowed mid-march

while our reporter

was there, to

literary laughs in

Edinburgh, we’ve got

it covered.

K.McKeown.Kirsty McKeown,

Editor.

Ayr; once a popular seaside

destination now facing uncer-

tain times as the economic cli-

mate affects businesses and her,

once adoring, audience turn

their eyes to sunnier, warmer

places. The high street is pep-

pered with empty shops and

lots still advertising their long

gone companies and products

while others bear neon signs

trying to outdo the shops next

door in an attempt to keep their

heads above water. However

despite this shadow hanging

over the town things are look-

ing up.

Ayr has always had a strong

focus on music, dance and, of

course, poetry and the town has

been focusing on this aspect

with festivals, encouraging

pupils in the local primary

schools to take up instruments

or dance with impressive re-

sults at the annual Ayr Music

Festival.

“The standard of music has

been very high, we also heard

three very talented, very young

violinists in one of the classes

who really stood out, the stan-

dard overall has been very, very

good” Robert Bailey, formerly

of the Delme Quartet and more

recently of the Canberra Sym-

phony Orchestra, was an adju-

dicator at this years music

festival and enjoyed his time in

the area so much he decided to

extend his stay for a few extra

days. “I was actually in Harro-

gate last week so I decided not

to go back to London and head

up to Ayr and stayed at the

hotel by the sea; which was

very nice; so I’ve been here all

week. I’ve had a wonderful

time, it’s been very inspiring, I

enjoyed the first day when I

took a walk along the esplanade

then of course it’s been won-

derful hearing all the young-

sters and their wonderful music

and how even in these strained

times it’s still going on which is

fantastic.”

Another thing that Ayr seems to

be fantastic for is the humble

café. Maybe it’s due to the con-

nections between the great

artists of the world, such as

Renoir, Degas and Zola, and

this increasingly popular drink

but no matter where about in

Ayr you are, you are always

near a café or restaurant. One

of these establishments, The

Café Le Monde, opened its

doors three years ago and has

been busy ever since.

Kate Pajovic, part of the hus-

band and wife team that run

this delightful café, was origi-

nally born in Paisley and met

Nino while they were working

on a cruise ship.

AYR TRAVELBy Kirsty McKeown

The attention to detail and high

level of service they had to pro-

vide during these days is still

very apparent in their current

business.

“We felt with our experiences

and knowledge of what we’ve

done in life, that we could put it

all together and run a business

and fortunately in the past six

years (we previously had an-

other café before we opened up

here) we’ve done really well

and we’ve got customers com-

ing in, regular people are happy

so we feel like we’re going in

the right direction with our

business.”

However both agree that more

needs to be done to support

small business as Nino Pajovic

went on to explain:

“I think more should be done to

encourage small business such

as the cafes as I don’t think

they don’t help with rates or

anything which is why the bot-

tom part of the town has so

many boarded shops as it’s

very,very difficult to afford

rent, things like water or elec-

tricity as well.”

Despite these issues, Karen

does have high hopes for Ayr

“There’s a lot of coffee shops

in Ayr, but I feel it’s retail

places, if more retail places

opened then more people

would come. People don’t go

out their way for a coffee. It is

a tourist town, people come

from all over and if it’s a nice

day Ayr will be packed so it is

very helpful to have a coffee

shop. I feel that Ayr could be a

real hit, just keep expanding,

keep things open, I believe this

place could be one of the top

destinations in Scotland.”

Travel literature

1: The Chain- Fleetwood Mac

2: Got it Made- Theory of a

Deadman

3: Midnight Rider- Allman

Brothers

4: The Passanger- Iggy Pop

5: Get There- Boa

6: Roses- Poets of the Fall

7: Jaded- Aerosmith

8: Downfall of Us All- A Day to

Remember

9: Night Train- Guns and Roses

10: Hotel California- The

Eagles

Top Ten...

Travel songs

Armchair Traveller

The Idle Traveller by Dan Kieran

In a world where doing things quickly

and efficiently has become the norm its

interesting to read one man’s mission to

travel from place to place as slowly as

humanly possible. Originally turning to

trains and boats as a way of avoiding air

travel due to an irrevocable fear of flying, author Dan Kieran

argues the way that taking the time to go from place to place,

even if it’s just following that one path you always walk past

on your way to and from somewhere, can totally change

your outlook. This book is a combination of a how-to-guide

and an autobiography, inspiring and informative.

Venice by Jan Morris

Often described as the author’s love

letter to the town, Jan Morris wrote

Venice over 50 years ago and it is still as

powerful today as it was then. She not

only looks at the dramatic rise and fall of

this remarkable town but at the people

who live there and their habits and

peculiarities. Like admiring a fine treasure she touches on

the things that tourists either don’t see or don’t pay attention

to, in reading this book you can’t help but be caught up in

the breathless rush of the writer’s youth.

Night Train To Lisbon by Pascal

Mercier

Recently made into a film, this book

follows main character Raimund

Gregorius as he leaves his life as a

lecturer in Bern behind to find a

mysterious portuguese writer; Amadeus

Prado. A tale of seeking redemption,

rebellions and facing up to the mistakes

and roads not taken in the past, Night Train to Lisbon

perfectly captures the atmosphere and culture of the city and

describes the journey from Bern to Lisbon via Geneva and

Paris so vividly, it’s almost as if you are travelling alongside

the protagonist on his journey.

Did you

know?

The Spanish inquisitionwas actually expected,they had to give amonths notice.

PA C K I N G L I G h T

Bundle Wrapping

This form of packing is supposed to eliminate ironing as items that are less likely to crease are kept close to the

inside of the bundle and items that are more likely to crease on the outside. Bundle wrapping involves wrapping

clothing around a solid core, for example your wash bag or a book. Basic instructions are:

· On a flat surface: lay down the clothes that are more likely to crease first (i.e. jackets, longer skirts/dresses,

shirts.) Jackets are placed laying face down, everything else face up. Smooth down and arrange arms as

naturally as possible.

· Arrange next layer of clothing (such as trousers, jeans, short shirts) as above but alternating directions.

· When everything is laid out, put the core item on top and start wrapping the clothing around it one item at

a time.

· When the bundle is wrapped place into suitcase and secure using the bags tie down straps. When you get

to your destination unpack and hang the items up to get rid of any wrinkles and to allow the clothes to

relax.

Armchair Traveller

how To GeT The MoST ouT of your SuITCASe

Loch Fyne Food Fair,Loch Fyne, 18th-19th May

FyneFest: Fyne Ales Beer and MusicFestival,Cairndow 14th -16th June

Considered to be one of the best british beer

festivals to attend, Fynefest mixes Fyne Ales, great

food and even better music on the shores of Loch

fine, Argyll. With bands ranging from Ska to

country music, there is something for everyone to

enjoy and this years headliners include Bombskare,

an Edinburgh based Ska band, and Shooglenifty, a

Celtic fusion band. The food comes from local

suppliers such as Loch Fyne Oysters and Winston

Churchill Venison as well some from further afield

and all is freshly prepared on site.

The ticket structure for Fynefest changed this year

so now ticket prices vary from £15 to £22.50 per

person for a day ticket, depending on whether or not

you wish to camp, or £25 to £35 per person for a

weekend ticket. Under 16’s are free.

Fyne Ales was started in 2001 in the village of

Cairndow and has been wining awards ever since.

They started Fynefest in 2010 and it originally held

it in the brewery courtyard but due to the number of

people attending the event now takes over four near-

by fields.

Formed 13 years ago, the Loch Fyne Food Fair attracts foodies from far

and wide for the weekend with the promise of culinary delights from the

west coast and beyond. The two day event has Art stalls, a wine and beer

tent which provides a chance to sample alcohol from local suppliers as

well as some specialty brews from Europe and live music throughout, all

for free. Food stalls include the Loch Fyne Oysters own food stands as

well local food producers such as Winston Churchill Venison and

Caramiche Chocolates. Other stalls include Isabella’s Preserves, Great

Glen Game, Thistly Cross Cider.

The stalls are open between 11am and 6pm and for £30 per adult and £20

per child you can attend the Celtic Culinary Celebration Dinner. The

dinner will be held on the Saturday night to celebrate the re-opening of

the newly refurbished Loch Fyne Oyster Bar and its 25th anniversary with

guest chefs Roy Brett and Martin Shanahan whipping up a three-course

meal. If you wish to attend the evening meal you need to book places

which can be done by emailing or by phoning 01499600487.

Edinburgh plays host to flocks of bibliophiles and writers from

around the world as the Edinburgh International Book Festival

hits the town in August. First held in 1983, the festival takes

place in the Charlotte Square Gardens for around two weeks and

consists of a series of workshops and signings as well as two

bookshops. Events need to be booked in advance and include

some free activities such as a daily Amnesty International event

that pays tribute to incarcerated writers or Unbound, an event

which involves debut and renowned writers trying something a

bit different from their normal style.

The festival does have a wide range of food and drink available

on site, however it is okay to bring your own picnic to enjoy in

the gardens. Some of the café bars at the festival include the

Spiegeltent Café Bar, a fully licensed café in a travelling

ballroom which provides fresh deli rolls and sandwiches as well

as seasonal produce and the Café Bronte, described as the

perfect place to eat, drink and read. Entrance to the Garden is

free and tickets prices will be available from 20th June.

Edinburgh International Book Festival,Charlotte Square Gardens, 10th -26th August

Strapped for Cash: Three upcomingevents for a resonable price.

With belts remaining tight this

summer, having a holiday may be the

last thing you want to spend money

on. However, all work and no play

makes for a dull time not to mention

the recuperative properties of having a

rest from work. So here are three cost

effective events, all on your back-door

step.

Volunteering: the positive impactIt’s that time of year again. Theweather varies from dreary greyclouds to rain, snow or hail,deadlines and exams are rapidlyapproaching – and that’s on agood day.

However, it’s not all doom andgloom: spring is just around thecorner and with that comes awealth of opportunities asvolunteer recruitment picks up.Okay, admittedly volunteeringmay not sound like a great way tospend your hard earned days off,but hear it out. With, on average,48 graduates to one jobapplication, employers are goingto look for something that makesyou stand out from the crowd andthat’s where volunteering can helpyou. It makes you look moreinteresting to potential employers,as is shown by the results of lastyears volunteering statistics.

Positive Impact

The figures showed that 87% ofemployers agreed thatvolunteering had a positive impacton employability and that 90% ofvolunteers had benefitted from

their experiences in terms ofwork.

Also, the most important aspect ofvolunteering is the fact you get togo out and do something. You canhelp people, either at home orabroad, rather than being stuckinside thinking how much timeyou have on your hands.You can make even just a littlechange to someone’s day that canhave lasting effects and have funwhile you’re at it. For example;what can beat dancing on the backof a lorry in 70’s gear to raisemoney for the CHAS like some ofthe Strachur locals or workingwith people to give them a betterchance in life, what could bebetter?

So here’s how to go about it:First of all, do your research. Findout what opportunities there areand what the position entailsthrough asking around or websiteslike BUNAC or VolunteerScotland. You don’t want to signup for something only to realisethat you need a certain amount ofmoney raised or that you have noway of getting getting there.

It’s a good idea to choosesomething that you’re actuallyinterested in: you really don’twant to be stuck doing somethingyou don’t like for a couple ofweeks no matter how good thebenefits are.

Thirdly start to apply for places.You can do this through mostwebsites or in some charity shops,although the sooner the better asplaces tend to go quickly towardsEaster and Summer.How many places you apply to isup to you, but it’s best to onlyapply to the ones you can do andhave the time for. It’s pointless toapply for as many places aspossible when you’re unable to goto most of them.

Finally – enjoy it. Obviously youhave to work hard at whatever it isyou’re doing and complete eachtask you are assigned for the day.However, one of the benefits ofvolunteering is that it’s not asstrict as a job and you still get todo something that will stay withyou for the rest of your life.Hopefully for all the right reasons.