Extra Salt & Sauce

Now and again in idle un-relative-filled moments over Christmas, I pondered a Nick Hornby style top ten ads of 2007 post on the blog to commemorate the new year.

Prompted by Gerry observing that the Cadbury Gorilla was his favourite ad of 2007.

I got as far as the Skoda ad and the VW Night Driving ad. Defiantly I refused myself the inclusion of the Gorilla.

But my inspiration was snatched from beneath me when I returned to the office today to discover the terrible news that in my heartless and lengthy absence over the Christmas and New Year period, my beloved (well, he was really Sir Alan's but I think the pet becomes the property of the one that cleans him out most) golden fish, Tiger is dead Dead DEAD!

I had an almost teary moment and then remembered that I was a grown adult and feigned almost indifference. But 2008 could be a difficult and inspiration-less year.

I was moaning a couple of weeks ago about Someone defacing our posters with graffiti.

Seems things could be a whole lot worse.

Groups last night in Aberdeen. The trip was enlivened by the closing of the Tay Bridge which meant a two and a half hour journey stretched to five hours via Glasgow. One poor chap who was clearly doing the same tortuous journey as me, did the whole thing with a giant wrapped Christmas present clasped in his arms. So it could have been worse.

I wound up the second group - 18-24 year old men - with a couple of charts they had to fill out. One chap filled his out super-efficiently, filling the tick boxes with random numbers fuelled by the three pints he'd poured down his throat during the hour and a half session. So he decided to make small talk.

First he turned his attention to The English and launched into a tirade about how useless they were. Various uncomplimentary descriptions of the English were shared with the table of Aberdonians - who focused ever harder on their worksheets. He then crowed about their unsuccessful football performance. "Even we got more points than they did." I nodded politely.

He turned to me. "What about you? Do you have to do these things down there (England) as well?" I smiled pleasantly: "yes, we cover the whole of the UK". "And how do they take to you? Is it a nightmare?" "Well I don't find it's too difficult, being English myself." He looked astonished and spluttered insincere apologies. The rest of the table chortled furtively.

I have rarely been mistaken for a Scot. Maybe never in fact. I am surprised that the one to mistake me spoke in almost the broadest Aberdonian accent that you could ever hope to find.

Still, the master ended up a train to Inverness yesterday opposite a woman who was (self-confessedly) being courted with encoded messages by a man who used to be a dragon.

As the master observed, "it's all part of a week in the life of a qualitative researcher".

Well, this was a proper back-to-work week. Last week felt (for me at any rate) like a bit of gentle re-introduction into the world of five day weeks. This week was rather more lively.

More groups. Though no dragon-courting women and no cases of mistaken nationalities.But we did christen our new barge. Mary of Guise, tethered along the shore from us with a very impressive though slightly rickety drawbridge connecting her to sturdy land. I shall try and procure a picture of her so you can share the pleasure.

A Wednesday workshop passed uneventfully. But then the rains came. A Thursday meeting saw a wet-bottomed client. Today's meeting saw a drip plopping onto our poor IRN-BRU client's be-shirted arm. It is undoubtedly inconsiderate of the seeping damp to seek out our clients rather than we ourselves who probably deserve to be dripped on.

Raindrops aside, it is a very cool addition to the Leith property portfolio. Ed is wildly talking about white leather armchairs sitting atop the roof in summer. Suppose that'll stop the rain getting in.

Nice article in The Guardian on the rather unimaginative offering from most of the advertisers in this rainy land over Christmas.

Further to Claire’s earlier entry, here is a couple of pictures of our lovely barge for you to admire…..

And I’m not talking eye candy either!

As part of our commitment to the local Leith community, where we are based on The Shore, we’ve just started a joint initiative with The Leither Magazine to promote and give voice to the local creative community in Leith.

It’s all about “spotting” creative talent of any kind and giving local artists a more prominent platform for their work in front of a wider audience – something they might struggle to do on their own.

So, whether you are, for example, a jewellery or fashion designer, artist, writer, sculptor, photographer or film-maker, you can submit work to be critiqued by a panel from The Leith Agency and the artist or piece deemed most original is featured in the magazine the following month.

If you’d like to send us an example of your work, then e-mail e.brooke@leith.co.uk

Unless your Dr. Who I guess not. But thanks to some fantastic work we've just completed for the Scottish Government you can do the next best thing. We've brought the famous Nasmyth portrait to life. Follow the link to see for yourself - http://www.scotland.org/burns-night/interactive/

Andy Sams and Mark Sermon, the creative team here at Leith, worked with Whitespace Design Agency and the Gate Films in making this happen. And just in time for Burns Night too.


It celebrates the spirit and personality of Scotland's national bard and guides viewers through different sections, painting the Burns story in a contemporary light.

Burns is played by actor Andrew Weir from Ayr who makes his living playing Burns and promoting the life and works of the Bard all over the US.

You know you've had a good night when you end up playing your song of the moment and your favourite ever Youtube clip (courtesy of a Gerry email a couple of years ago, as it happens) to your clients at 5am. The sort of behaviour that should really be reserved only for your dearest and closest friends in weakly drunken moments.

We started out in a relatively civilised way. Drinks at Harvey Nics followed by dinner At Stac Polly in honour of the lovely Joady who is leaving one portfolio for another at AG Barr. She shall be missed by her carbonated collegues here.

But the Star Bar led to favourite haunt Fingers which was haunted last night by a peculiarly weird group of people. Those of our Barr team who hadn't been initiated into the mystery of Fingers yet were, I think, rather appalled.

And then the words which I imagine will soon become an all too regular refrain: "let's go back to the barge". So we did. We can blame our managing director for this one, I think.

Those with homes to go sensibly drifted away after the novelty of Richard Marsham's ipod had worn off, leaving a hardcore four. Adrian and Martin from AG Barr and the sultry Gail (would you really compare her to a Skoda as happened in one of various drinking games? I think not). I seem to remember making them sit through Europe's "Final Countdown" and a particularly fine Pet Shop Boys video in which Neil Tennant attempts a few faltering dance steps. A teenage favourite of mine.

It was only when we tried to stagger home sometime after a rainy 7am that we discovered that the keys to lock up the barge were gone. Let's not finger point. But we weren't pleased. So the barge was christened with a couple of cat-napping girls as we waited for our rescuers.

Back on the barge today for the first time since the Night of Nights.

I'm sure it was just psychological - my most recent memories being eating cold mashed potato at the boardroom table and then napping on the leather couches on the landing - but I did feel slightly nauseous.

Clearly haven't got my sea legs sorted yet.