Sorry

The Whitburn Band, including me, played the visiting teams anthem at the Six Nations rugby match at Murrayfield this afternoon. Afterwards we went back to Whitburn, West Lothian, for the final rehearsal for the Scottish Championships tomorrow.

Between the two events we had an hour or so to kill, so we stopped at the Hilcroft Hotel in Whitburn for a drink and a bite to eat.

This sign by the door caused some amusement, along the lines of "a good job we changed out of our uniform jackets!"

It is slightly sinister though. The town of Whitburn is apparently well known for its strong Orange Lodge, and the sign refers to the colours worn by the supporting bands on the Orange Day Parade (12th July)

None of this refers to the Whitburn Brass band, which includes among its members protestants, catholics, a buddhist, and at least one pagan, as well as a healthy number of atheists.

Today was my third time of playing with the band for the anthems at Murrayfield. I had had a 100% record up to today, with Scotland wins over Ireland and France, but the Welsh were too strong today. Perhaps we shouldn't have played 'Delilah' with such enthusiasm before the match!