Okay, it’s officially winter. The clocks have gone back, days are darker and there’s even talk of a recession. Well, we’ll have none of that chat here! So give SAD, FTSE and even the BBC the boot with our November notes on a wonderful winter. Cosy.

More Smiles Please!
What better way to banish the winter blues than a healthy dose of self-help Victorian style. Before retreats, 12-point programmes or PMA a man named Samuel Smiles coined the phrase ‘self help’ with a bestseller book that recorded the achievements of more than 700 role models, from military idols to artists and writers. This exhibition tells you about this very Victorian obsession with self-improvement ... Things are looking up already...
Heroes – Portraits of Nineteenth-Century Self-Help Role Models, open daily 10am-5pm @ Scottish Portrait Library, 1 Queen Street. Free entrance

Book yourself in for a week of great events
Edinburgh has always been known as a seat of great learning and the Edinburgh Festival of Libraries continues to celebrate this fact. A week-long programme of events will showcase the wealth of resources on offer. Our particular favourite is the chance to meet the ‘living libraries’. You know that phrase ‘everyone has a book in them’? Well don’t miss the chance to ‘borrow a Book’ in the shape of a person who has significant experience or a different perspective to share. Don’t get too engrossed though. The usual late fees apply!
Edinburgh Festival of Libraries, Sat 8th to Fri 14th November, launch event 10am – 4pm Sat 8th at Adam House, Chambers St.

Going round in circles
Freewheeling on a bicycle… some might say poetry in motion; well Mr McFall’s Chamber and jazz drummer Thomas Strønen would like to take that one step further. In a unique event celebrating the bicycle, Cycles will feature music inspired by and played on bicycles. Get to the Drill Hall early for demonstrations, discussions and a chain (tee hee) of events leading up to this musical spectacular!
Cycles, bike events from 5pm, concert 8pm, Wed 12th November @ Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Dalmeny St. For Tickets £8 (£6 in advance) call 0131 555 7101. 

Start a new thread
When it comes to snappy dressing Sofi has it all sewn up. No, she’s not the latest Supermodel to grace the catwalk but a model pub to grace the Shore. The good people at Sofi’s Bar are inviting you to play swapsies with your wardrobe in the cosy environs of this Leith institution. Just rock up with your clothes, exchange each item for a voucher and start trading! Shorts selling is allowed.
Sofi's Clothes Exchange, 7pm, Thu 20th November @ Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson St, Leith.

Comm on people!
Our thanks must go to music promoters this month who’ve come together to brighten up a dreary November. There is a wealth of great gigs on throughout the month and we’ve whittled down a bunch of contenders to pick our two favourites. It’s just up to you to choose which one to go and see. First up is the bespectacled brilliance of Jarvis Cocker. The Pulp front man plays tracks from his own album including (hopefully!) the outstanding Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time. We’re pretty certain he won’t be wasting ours...
Jarvis Cocker, 7pm Fri 28th November @ The Picture House, Lothian Road. For tickets (£17.50) call 0844 847 1740

Force is strong in this one
You bet it is. Master of decks, visuals and dropping beats DJ Yoda is back in town bringing his unique style of humorous hip-hop and superb scratching. Mixing the weird and wonderful from Batman theme tunes, The Jungle Book anthems, Johnny Cash classics and greats from Gorillaz, this gig is the perfect excuse for a payday party. Awesome beats and treats in store, he has.
DJYoda , 10.30pm, Fri 28th November @ Cabaret Voltaire, Blair St. For tickets (£10) call 08700 600 100.

St Andrew would have approved
That's right, thrifty is the new black! What better way to celebrate Scotland’s patron saint than by saving lots of money. Enjoy free admission to Historic Scotland sites across the city. The boffins at the Locals Guide HQ have done some research into this and have discovered that if you can get the whole family around the 47 different Historic Scotland sites offering discounted entry on the 29 & 30th of November you could actually save a staggering £1, 376, 573!* All credit to the crunch.
Historic Scotland St Andrews Day Weekend, 29 & 30th November, various sites across Edinburgh.

Take me to the loony bin!
We thought we'd seen everything when it comes to scones. You know, they've been around long enough. But then [insert Hollywood blockbuster trailer voice here] we went to Loopy Lorna's Tea House to tasted the lightest, smoothest and most elegant scone in the ENTIRE universe. We kid you not. Try them out and if you think you can bake better send your recipe in. We'll organize a bake-off. For now though these guys are the currant champions.
Loopy Lorna's Tea House, open daily from 9am to 5:15pm, 370-372 Morningside Road.

You can buy the book online at www.localsguidetoedinburgh.com

Until next month, enjoy the November nights.

Owen & Claudia

p.s. If you never want to see the likes again reply to this email with the subject ‘Stop the world I’m getting off!’ and you’ll hear from us no more.

* Alright then, it’s a family of 11 and many of the 47 Historic sites are outside Edinburgh but hey, you know what we’re getting at…