The Editor at 60

The ingredients needed for a successful party are: (1) a great venue, (2) good food, (3) top entertainment, (4) some friends. All of these were in evidence for the Scottish Curler Editor's big birthday bash yesterday. AKA the Scottish Washer Toss Championships, the event went ahead at the Greenacres curling rink. The entertainment was provided by the excellent local tribute band Abbamania with representatives from the Scottish curling scene jigging the evening away. Some old friends had even been present at the Editor's 21st (seems like just yesterday), that also held in an ice rink - the discotheque at Crossmyloof!

Thanks to all who contributed more than £600 to a charity raffle, those who donated to Cancer Research UK in lieu of a gift, to party organisers Christine and Hugh Stewart, to those behind the scenes at Greenacres, especially the big boss, Richard Harding, and to those who braved the elements to attend!

Highlights of the night? Too many to record here. Perhaps it was Peter Wilson's unerring accuracy in finding the potty so often on his way to winning the Men's Washer Tossing Championship! He is of course a star member of the Irish curling team. And he comes from Stranraer.

But then there was the rendition by Abbamania of a variation of the hit 'Thank you for the Music'. The chorus:

'So I say...
Thank you for the curling, the stones I'm playing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without them, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a stone or a broom, what are we?
So I say, thank you for the curling
For giving us the tee.'

(Says it all really! Apparently this was first heard at the Worlds in Gavle in 2004. Apologies for the lack of an attribution)

The serious business of the evening as the Ed makes a deeep incision on his birthday cake! More of Hugh Stewart's photos (perhaps) in the October issue of the Scottish Curler magazine.

Postscript 1: My former colleague from GRI Biochemistry Carol Fell has posted her photos of the evening here. Great job Carol, and also thank you to all who have emailed today to say how much they enjoyed the evening!

And if you want to see something you may never see again (or want to) here is Carol's video clip of the Editor singing with the Horton choir.