Legs on show

“A recent study examined the problems Victorian lady-cyclists had with their long dresses and skirts,” writes a Craigie regular. “Apparently, some ingenious devices were produced to ensure the ladies could cycle safely without having their skirts caught up in their bicycle wheels.

“Nowhere did the report mention the simple arrangement ladies’ bicycles used to have over their back wheels. I remember as a youngster seeing posh ladies’ bikes with cords arranged on a framework over the rear wheels so that skirts and dresses were kept well away from the spokes.

“Bicycle chains were also covered by a metal cover for further protection for the ladies’ clothes. You don’t see bikes with this arrangement nowadays, probably because most ladies wear trousers or shorts when cycling.

“On my first visit to France as a teenager, I was amazed to see how generous French girl cyclists wearing summer dresses were in displaying their legs and thighs to bystanders. Ooh, la, la!” Barclay, Edna Finlay, Isobel Logan, Gordon Porteous, Peter Robertson, Murray Smith and George Wright.

“The week after the performances in Dundee we had a ‘one night stand’ in the Adam Smith Hall in Kirkcaldy. Although this was the first production by Tayside Opera, the group had been operating for the previous three years under the names The New Opera Group and Opera 66, and amongst their earlier productions was The Marriage of Figaro.

“After the performances in Dundee we went further afield for a performance in Hawick. The whole cast, orchestra and stage crew travelled by bus from Dundee one Saturday morning, rehearsed in the afternoon, performed in the evening and then returned in the same bus arriving back in Dundee at some point early on Sunday morning.”

“Spring has definitely arrived,” says Mike Taylor. “We have blue tits busy nesting in our garden.”