The first ever trombone poetry forays norrth of the borrder happened by kind invitation of Lizzie Shirley for a few of her shows at The Newsroom, Edinburgh, followed by more Fringe action in the company of John Hegley, whereby this unrehearsed trombone accompanied the bard on a few songs in his Monsieur Robinet show.

The visit culminated in a lunchtime hour at The Jazz Bar, a gem of a cellar in Chambers Street. The set spiralled out from New Orleans ruminations to poems on time, sex and corner shops. The new pork-pie hat seemed to strike exactly the right note, which, if so, means the trombone was, for once, not unaccompanied.

A copy of Speech is now in the possession of The Scottish Poetry Library, another jewel of the city.