Edinburgh - International Book festival

So far the festival weather hasn't been too bad, although Tuesday was a wet one. The Book festival will enjoy more fine weather, Miffy is 60 and celebrations continue although the weather may not hold

Blog by Jo Farrow
Issued: 19th August 2015 21:47

As we continue our look at the Edinburgh festivals, this week has seen the arrival of the Book festival and a wee bit of rain.

@edbookfest have been updating us

If it’s sunny then there’s no better place to relax with a book, a coffee, an ice cream or just to people watch than the Book Festival lawn in Charlotte Square Gardens . . . . and if it’s not sunny, then check out the bookshops, the cafes and the bars. You might bump into Ian Rankin, or Alexander McCall Smith, or Alan Cumming, or Helen Lederer or even the Gruffalo, or a host of other famous faces - even Miffy was spotted earlier in the week celebrating her 60^th Birthday.

If you’re looking for the best of British Nature writing, try two distinctive voices with widely differing perspectives on the countryside, Jim Crumley and Adam Thorpe on Thursday 20 August. Also on Thursday 20 August, former Masterchef finalist and the author of Kids’ Kitchen and The Forager’s Kitchen, South Uist-based Fiona Bird turns her attention towards seaweed. Former Friends of the Earth Director, Tony Juniper visits on Saturday 29 August.

Younger readers may enjoy Sarah MacIntyre and Philip Reeve on Saturday 22 August with Pugs of The Frozen North, or want to come and join David Powell on Friday 28 August as he creates a giant willow sculpture of a character from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

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For full details of the programme, and all tickets, please visit www.edbookfest.co.uk or call into Charlotte Square Gardens which are free to enter, and open daily until Monday 31 August from 9.30am.

Forecast

There will be a few more fine, bright but breezy days this week with temperatures in the high teens and feeling pleasant. However, there is the threat of heavy rain at the weekend (second half looking more likely) and possibly for the start of the new week. not a washout but worth keeping an eye on the forecast.

Thursday 20th - Dry and bright with sunny spells. Temperatures up to 19C, so feeling warm in the sunshine but with a brisk wind from the south. It will be a fine evening but still blustery.

Friday - More cloud about but still a fair day. It will be mostly dry, again warm up to 18C but blustery. Weather fronts are moving across Scotland from the west bringing the cloud and just a small chance of a shower. Dry in the evening again.

Saturday 22nd - Another similar fine day but not as breezy. Temperatures might reach 18C and feeling good without the wind.There is the chance of a shower in the evening

Now we enter into the forecast area that is less certain. Heavy downpours from southern Egnland could feed northwards alongside a wavering weather front. This kind of setup is always hard to forecast for exact areas seeing the heaviest rain but SE Scotland can't be ruled out. This feed of heavy rain could start around overnight Sat/Sunday, through Sunday but seems to fade by late Sunday afternoon

Sunday - Threat of heavy, even thundery showers, 17C but feeling close and humid. Better in the afternoon/evening

Monday - low confidence as a low pressure is forecast to arrive over SW UK during Sunday. This could then spin north ready to bring more rain to Lothian for Monday, but fair way off and lot of uncertainty.