MARIELLA FROSTRUP DOESN’T LIKE SCOTS GRUB

TV and radio presenter Mariella Frostrup says she loves whisky but feels the opposite about Scottish food.
Norwegian Scottish Mariella who currently hosts Radio 4 Open Book was in Edinburgh to interview Hugh Lawrie at the TV festival when she revealed: “My mums Scottish. My mum was born in Dumfries and Galloway. She now lives in Ayrshire and in fact I went to visit her before I came here. I love so many things about Scotland. The landscape is fantastic, the people great, so much -  I love Scotland. I didn’t mention that I loved the food did I, slightly on purpose. I like the whisky though.”
Mariella used to own a holiday home in Ayrshire nearby her mother. She used the 49 acre farm as a rural retreat away from London but decided to sell it a few years ago. 

She said at the time: “My
favourite thing is our house in Ayrshire. It’s the only place I can really
relax.”

Mariella was also once married to Kirkcaldy born Richard Jobson

FREDDIE MERCURY WAS EMPLOYED FOR FOUR YEARS IN SCOTS SHOP

THE Scot who employed Queen star Freddie Mercury for four years in his London market shop says watching new film Bohemian Rhapsody made him well up because it was just like reliving the past.
Glasgow born Alan Mair, who had huge success with sixties boy band The Beatstalkers, owned a leather clothing and boot stall at Kensington Market when he first encountered a long haired Freddie at the end of 1969.
He said: “It was late 69 when I got the clothing stall and Freddie and Roger got a shop unit there a few months after, three doors away from me in the upstairs section. Freddie was selling his art as well as second hand clothes but his shop wasn’t busy.”
Alan, whose leather trousers, skirts, jackets and matching boots became sought after by London’s cool kids including David Bowie, and Noddy Holder offered Freddie a job.
He said: “By 1970 I had my stall in Kensington, another on Kings road and a factory.  I said to Freddie ‘Can you look after the shop in the morning?’ because I was busy at the factory. Freddie’s shop hadn’t taken off, so he could come to my place  and keep an eye on his along the passageway.”
Although no mention was made in the movie of Freddie’s market days, Alan, who was called by researchers for the film early in the process, felt like he was reliving his past when he saw Rami Malek play a young Freddie.
He said: “Mary was in Kensington market with Freddie and although they didn’t mention it and almost glazed over Biba, when I saw Rami with his long hair at the start of the movie it was like a step back in time.
“Freddie’s affection for Mary was spot on. He definitely only had one person in life at that time and that was Mary. If we were hanging out on Saturday night it was him and Mary. In the market they were known as girlfriend and boyfriend and Mary was a very sweet and lovely person. Developments regarding Freddie’s real persuasion came later.”
Smile’s first gig is something Alan recalled fondly.
He said: “I went to the first gigs by Freddie’s Smile band -including Imperial College and they were fantastic. Roger and others were students there so would get gigs there. That is where the film really portrays Freddie. He was perfectly flamboyant if not a bit awkward. Freddie developed over the years and he would change his style so much it was hard to get a sense of what he looked like at the start so it was a real flashback.”
He added: “Freddie wanted me to come to the gigs because I had been a musician. I did say to him once, early on, that he pushed his voice quite hard at gigs, just being excited by it all. He’d go a bit sharp and I’d say it in the nicest way, not after the gig in his dressing room, but later on in the week when we were back over at the shop unit. I just told him: ‘Be a little careful because you are going sharp a bit-hold back a bit’. You could be honest with him.”
Alan employed Freddie for four years and said he was articulate and honest - although, as the film suggested, he was known for being a little late at times.
He said: “Fifteen people were working for me and I never needed to do a stock check with Freddie. I could tell I could trust him. Some people in Kensington market would tell me Freddie opened the stall at eleven amnot ten am, but in the shop the stock was always sold so I didn’t mind whether he was there at ten am or not.”
Freddie and Alan would often have a soft drink on Saturdays after work at the Greyhound pub in Kensington.
He said: “Being married with a son, I didn’t go out much. Freddie and I would get soft drinks and play snooker.”
Freddie worked in the shop until ‘74 even after getting his record deal and Alan, kept in touch with him, occasionally popping into his big house for an ornate cup of tea.
Alan said: “We’d reminisce. I was backstage at the sold out Hyde park Concert and I saw him in LA in 1980 when I played with The Only Ones. In ‘75, I saw him after the Hammersmith Odeon show when it was all going to his head and he was a different Freddie. For want of a better expression he was being an a***hole. When we supported the Who for six nights at the Forum all of Queen came in. I went to say hello but remembered how he was, changed my mind and walked away. I heard some heels clip clipping behind me and it was Freddie who said to me: “I know I’ve been a bit of an a***hole but I’ve put all of that behind me.” We spent the rest of the night having a drink and chat.
“ In the film Freddie eats humble pie and that shows the true heart of the person. He was very kind and thoughtful and I got emotional when I saw the hardships he’d been through. It was like a tapestry of my life - but through Freddie’s eyes.”

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CRETE IS SMASHING IF YOU WANT PLENTY ON YOUR PLATE

THE Greeks no longer smash plates during a good night out - instead, since the 1970s legislation which now makes it forbidden, they are more likely to toss some flowers or napkins at one another in celebration.
And did you know olive oil forms the basis of the triangular Cretan diet (meat and fish at the top) and, as well as its other health benefits, is a recognised aphrodisiac?
These two facts are just some of those I learned on my Cretan holiday.
You see, as the good professor once told me, Crete is like a bikini.
You might think you can see it all, but the best bits are always hidden away from those but the most curious of eyes.
A week in Crete, the largest of the Greek islands, is just not enough to delight in the many thrills it has to offer.
From the myths and legends of the Minotaur and its associated labyrinth, and Gods like Zeuss and Poseidon, to the history of the Minoan civilisation and its place as the important 'first link in the European chain' to it's current status as a front runner in eco-tourism and ambassador for the healthy Mediterranean diet, its DD cup runneth over.


Located by the Agean sea - so named after the myth of the King who drowned there- it also offers more pleasant aquatic opportunities by way of cruising, scuba diving, snorkelling, and wind surfing as well as beaches like Elafonissi.
And for those with a fish phobia, like me, who prefer a piece of glass between them and the creatures of the deep, the Thalassocosmos-Aquarium, a former American base at Gournes will prove an exhilirating experience in less intimidating surroundings.
Here you can stare eyeball to eyeball at over hundreds of species and thousands of living organisms from the humble Octopus to winged fish, sharks and seahorses.
The largest city in Crete is Heraklion and direct flights from Glasgow or via London will bring you straight into its central airport.
Catering for families and couples, as well as those who just want a retreat from our ever bustling cities, it is mountainous and picturesque, with little fishing villages and harbours to break up the landscape.
You are more or less guaranteed 13 hours of sunshine a day during August, and the temperature still hits the mid-20s in October.
My particular experience was of the five stars on the island - of which there are many, but those with a more limited budget will find plenty including some lodges at places like the eco-friendly Millia Village priced at around £75 a night.


A stay at The Aldemar Royal Mare Thallasso was a real treat - a refined yet sumptuous five star with an olde world attitude towards service and quality and an adjoining spa. The nearby oppulent Minos Palace hotel offered real style and sophistication and some rooms even come with a private pool.
Tourists love a good night out and The Cretan Village in Karouzanos is up a windy cobbled footpath where food, drink and dancing awaits - not to mention the odd donkey. Romance is very much alive and as the raki - grappa wine- goes down, you may find yourself getting amorous with... anyone!
Near the main city of Heraklion lies the world famous Knossos, the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete, restored, by archaeologist Arthur Evans who had an educated if not imaginative mind. With its frescoes and restored interiors it undoubtedly brings alive some of the late Minoan relics.
A visit to the Archaelogical Museum of adjoining Chania showcases some of the artifacts removed during the excavation work.


Chania also boasts a pleasant harbour by which to walk at night and an imposing lighthouse, and nearby is the serene Cavo Spada hotel - a modern retreat with a pool so large the lifeguard needs a boat to get from one end to the other.
For budding historians, a trip to the Melidoni Cave with its rudimentary prayer altars proves haunting. A monument to those burned alive in 1821 forms the centrepiece of these caves and somewhat eerily the pictures I took here depicted facelike forms etched in the walls, soi much so that I had to seek comfort in some of the local food - of which pastries are a speciality.
Crete has so much to offer so who needs plates? You'll find a holiday in Crete smashing in so many other ways.

Theshowbizlion.com was a guest of the Greek National Tourism Organization.

- Posted with love from Scotland by theShowbizLion.com

BLACKADDER STAR TONY ROBINSON HAS HIS PIE AND EATS IT IN SCOTLAND

BLACKADDER and Time Team star Sir Tony Robinson couldn't believe it when fans showered him with macaroni cheese on his trip to Scotland.
The actor and presenter who is best known as Baldrick and his famous phrases like 'I have a cunning plan' was appearing in Glasgow and Edinburgh for his No Cunning Plan book signing.
He told his online followers he was
'Looking forward to lashings of Macaroni cheese pie' but never expected them to take him up on his suggestion.



Tony who was in Scotland with his wife said: "I said I fancied macaroni cheese. The next thing I knew they were suggesting all sorts of macaroni cheese to me including deep fried pies. Someone even brought one to the book signing."
Phil from Falkirk was amongst those who made the extra effort,
He said: "I took diplomatic responsibility to welcome Tony Robinson to Glasgow with a formal presentation."


Tony was also collecting donations for Movember as he sports a moustache for the first time in ages but he admitted he couldn't wait to get rid of it.


- Posted with love from Scotland by theShowbizLion.com

HARRY STYLES MUM AND FANS HELP SAVE LITTLE SCOTTISH SHIP

HARRY Styles mum has played her part in helping to raise £6000 for a Scots charity in a bid to help restore a small Scottish ship that saved 600 lives in Dunkirk.
One Direction and Harry Styles fans around the globe have helped out after the star's mum Anne Twist tweeted about it, and made her own donation to restore the Skylark IX in Irvine.
Many of them will now wear a special Skylark IX pin badge when the movie is finally released in cinemas.


Now the Skylark IX Trust campaigners are asking Harry to become an ambassador for the Skylark charity Trust.
The Skylark IX is being restored over the next 18 months to two years at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine.
The little ship which rescued 600 men from the shores of Dunkirk has been in West Dumbartonshire for nearly forty five years and will be ninety next year.
She was saved for posterity through the Skylark Trust since being rescued from a watery grave in 2013.


Harry Styles and One Direction fan Sasha Wedge from Salford and her pal Maartje van Hoorn set the ball rolling along with the Trust when they set up a just giving page to help rebuild the ship after Harry Styles was announced for a lead role in Dunkirk.


When Harry’s mum Anne found out about it she retweeted the story, branding it “wonderful”.
She has also donated £100 to the campaign bringing the total to £6000 and recently judged an online art competition for the Trust.
She exclusively told theshowbizlion.com: "It was a privilege to get involved with the trust. Their competition was a fabulous way of bringing a little bit of history to life. With the anticipation of the Dunkirk movie simmering amongst all us Harry fans, the art competition has now helped restore a little piece of it"
Her donation also means Harry's name will be added to a plaque in the ship alongside his step dad Robin.
Harry's costar Jack Gover is also in possession of a pin badge bearing the ship's logo and one fan even made a tattoo of the ship for fans.
Sasha Wedge told fans: "In June 2016, a flotilla from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships made their way to Dunkirk to star in the new movie. Sadly, there was one little ship that should have been there, and couldn't be. Her name is Skylark IX, and we're fundraising for the Skylark IX Recovery Trust to restore her.
The Trust are hoping to raise at least £1000 to move her into a covered workshop (safe from the Scottish elements!) & for an initial purchase of materials to reinforce and ensure her stability as they seek lottery funding. Skylark will then be restored plank by plank.
​This is our chance to play our own part in Dunkirk's history and show Harry that we really care about the true subject of his movie! Why #SaveSkylark?!
As a thank you, Harry will be thanked for inspiring us and we will be collectively thanked for our donations on a plaque on board Skylark once her restoration has been completed.
The Trust work alongside Alternatives, which works with people recovering from alcohol and drug addictions. They will learn key employment skills while helping with the restoration.
She will sail on the River Clyde in Scotland taking veterans, visitors, and school children "doon the water" on short trips, where they can hear about the miracle of Dunkirk through an interactive on board system.
She will move to Dumbarton Castle and will continue to be used for educational purposes. She will also once again take veterans once a year for a short service of remembrance on the anniversary of Dunkirk.
The target is to restore Skylark so that she can sail to Dunkirk for the 80th anniversary of Operation Dynamo (2020) alongside the other remaining Dunkirk Little Ships, but if they have the funding in place, the work can be completed within 18 months to 2 years.
If you donate £100 or more your name (or another) can be added to the Skylark 600 plaque. Please contact the Skylark IX Recovery Trust directly via www.skylarkix.

Skylark IX's story is now known by many, as we move towards the 76th anniversary of Operation Dynamo.

1927

Skylark IX is born

Skylark IX began life in 1927 in the shipyard of J H
Bolson & Sons of Poole in Dorset, the ninth in a series
of ten Skylarks.

1939

Wartime Duties

At poole, Skylark IX served as a shallow water minesweeper and was engaged in placing anti-invasion obstacles around the harbour. At one time she erected decoys on Brownsea Island, consisting of wooden sheds filled with coal and sprayed with oil. They were set alight when German bombers flew over, looking for the Admiralty Armaments depot at Holton Heath

1940

Skylark IX’s finest hour

During the 9 fateful days of 'Operation Dynamo' Skylark IX saved the life of over 600 allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk.

1946

Skylark Moves North

After the war, Skylark IX gradually worked her way north, via Morecambe and Burntisland to Loch Lomond, where Sweeneys Cruises operated her for 33 years. John Sweeney gave Skylarks services free, to Dunkirk Veterans once a year, for their reuninion on Loch Lomond. Veterans remembered those who did not return and laid poppies on the Loch.



Excerpts of this article appeared in The Sunday Post

- Posted with love from Scotland by theShowbizLion.com