The next couple of days saw us rehearsing the show, dressed in camouflage army uniform, combat boots, and head-dress which resembled a pancake on steroids. Oddly enough, we got rained on and rained on and rained on and errr okay, you get the idea. One memorable practice session, there we were, on the parade ground, and it absolutely bucketed down. A deluge worthy of the Niagara in flood. The powers that be relented, and we all ran for cover. The rain obligingly stopped just as we got undercover, and off we went back on to the parade ground. Just started the practice again, and the heavens opened once more. We were all completely drenched, but the spirit was still high (although that could be due to some being less than sober that morning, come to think of it) Major Gavin Stoddart, the Director of Army Bagpipe Music, who was in charge of the massed Pipes and Drums at the Tattoo, made many friendly disparaging comments about our pancakes on steroids (or as he put it, "Foony hats"), but we were the only ones who didn't have waterfalls running down our faces. So there!! It was also the start of a firm friendship with the Tasmania Police Pipe Band, from Australia.



These practice sessions left a lot of us with sore feet, and Tesco's did a roaring trade in nice thick inner soles, which was nothing compared to the business they did in whitener once we started the show and had those lovely spats to clean every day. Dreadful things!! As part of the performance, the formation consisted of the pipers forming the letters "E II R" as well as a big "50". While we were doing this, the drummers were supposed to form a crown, but this was scrapped once it was realized that this was way beyond the capabilities of the bucket brigade. I'm not sure if this wasn't perhaps a very devious move on their part.

Came the night of the dress rehearsal, and the shape of things to come. Not a great deal of tension, but everyone cleaning, polishing, complaining about gear not fitting and swopping various items of uniform. Willie eventually manages to swop kilts with Jacob, leaving the former looking less like the evening dress and the latter less of the mini-skirt version of full highland dress. Patrick and Dave swop tunics, as the former looks like he is wearing the miniature version, and the latter can do a full about turn without troubling the tunic. Tea is served at the ridiculous hour of 16h30, and then the bands tune up at Redford Barracks before boarding the buses - the arrangements made for bussing the entire cast up to the castle are really impressive, with 6 police motorbikes escorting and maintaining the shape of the convoy. Edinburgh drivers must really hate the Tattoo.

The buses arrive at the Castle, and in good Scottish fashion the heavens open. Once the performers have been adequately soaked, the night clears - and that is, aside from a couple of very brief and very light showers, the last rain seen during performances.

Some tension now from the first timers, although the old hands are relaxed and a bit blasé about the whole thing. There's no audience to speak of, but this is still the Castle and the atmosphere is quite incredible. The announcer goes through his piece, the fanfare starts, finishes and then BLOODY HELL WHO LET OFF THE CANNONS?!?? - a seven gun salute creeps up on the performers who are standing directly beneath said cannons. Smoke is let off behind the gate, the gate opens and the command 'Quick marccchhhh!' is given. This is an awful experience the first time round, you can't see a hand in front of your face and a total of 13 drum majors and 221 musicians are required to get through a gate 15 feet wide, across the drawbridge, over some fairly uneven flagstones and then off-centre onto the Esplanade inside about 26 seconds. Not easy, but somehow it gets done right without any serious injury. For those who don't know the Castle all that well, the entrance is flanked on the inside by two massive black steel bollards whose only function is to kneecap unsuspecting / unwary / clumsy / not-quite-with-it pipers and drummers. Click here to proceed to Page 3.