Outrage at Plan to Close Hospital

Experts, appointed by Greater Glasgow Health Board, have recommended that maternity services at the Queen Mother's Hospital in Glasgow should be transferred to the Southern General. They have also said that the long-term relocation of the adjacent Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill to the Southern General should also be considered. But the "Queen Mum's" and the "Sick Kids" are dearly loved institutions and a similar proposal four years ago provoked anger and a campaign against the moves is already underway. It has been suggested that a lucrative property deal could be a major factor in the decision - the two hospitals are in a prime site on the edge of Glasgow's west end and near the new Glasgow Harbour development where homebuyers have been snapping up new flats as soon as they come on the market.

Lawyers Fight Back

In the weeks before the publication of the government's Bill to reform court procedures in Scotland, First Minister Jack McConnell attacked elements of the legal establishment, claiming that "justice is not working" and that some lawyers were serving their own interests ahead of those of the public. But one of the country's top defence lawyers has hit back saying that "scapegoating defence lawyers and judges" was simply deflecting attention from government under-funding which he claimed was the real reason why court cases are held up. Donald Findlay, another prominent defence lawyer (and considered to be one of the top earners in the profession) said that the First Minister's comments amounted to a "gratuitous slur" and was typical of a politician talking in sound bites. But Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson responded by saying that the system allowed and even encouraged lawyers to keep their cases going right to the very end. Proposals to radically change a number of aspects of court procedures are going out for consultation over the next three months.

Support for Liberal Democrats Rises Sharply

It may have been just a by-election in an English constituency, but the success of a Liberal Democrat in winning a seat at Westminster seems to have reverberated in Scotland. In the latest NFO System Three opinion poll in the Herald newspaper, the Liberal Democrats have jumped from 15% to 20% in the second vote in the Scottish Parliament poll. If this was maintained in a General Election, the Liberal Democrats would increase their seats in the Scottish legislature from 17 to 24. The LibDems also increased their percentage share in the opinion poll for the UK Parliament at Westminster from 14% to 18%.

Official Recognition for Gaelic

There was a time when Gaelic was frowned on and Gaelic-speaking children were taught only in English. While such attitudes have changed, the Gaelic language, which was once the main means of communication in the Highlands, has been in decline - the number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland is at an all-time low. But this week, at the 100th Royal National Mod, the major cultural event in the Gaelic calendar, the First Minister, Jack McConnell, announced that a Gaelic Language Bill will be introduced by the government into the Scottish Parliament. Details were sketchy, but the bill will recognise Gaelic as a language of Scotland for the first time and will require all public bodies to consider the need for Gaelic language plans in relation to their services.

Loch Lomond Shores to be Sold

Drumkinnon Tower, a centrepiece development of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, is to be sold by Scottish Enterprise in a bid to stem spiralling losses. The national enterprise agency has poured £800,000 into the building which was created to look like an eight-storey Scottish castle. Despite attracting over a million visitors in its first year, putting it in the top ten Scottish visitor attractions, the Imax cinema and other facilities have not reached their revenue targets. The Loch Lomond Shores visitor attraction and commercial developments there have cost over £22 million to date - £8 million from European funding and £14 million from private investors including Jenners, the Edinburgh department store. The retail units have been slowly filling and are now about 80% let. Scottish Enterprise is working on a £15 million phase two which would include a narrow-guage railway from Balloch along the banks of the river Leven and a 120-bed hotel.

Sun Shines on Linlithgow

Sun Microsystems have moved to reassure the workers at their Linlithgow plant that their jobs are safe after the company announced losses of up to £210 million in the three months to September. The plant, which makes Internet servers, is the only Sun manufacturing facility outside of the US and is one of the most advanced in Scotland. But the Sun vice-president has described the Linlithgow plant as a "flagship project" and more business has been put into the plant this year.

Royal Opening For Royal Infirmary

The Princess Royal officially opened the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary at Little France on the outskirts of the capital on Thursday. The £184 million building is supposed to be the finest money can buy. But it has been dogged by technical problems. In the summer, staff walked out because temperatures in the building had soared and there have been a series of power failures which were made worse when back-up generators failed to cut in.

Car Sales Break All Records

The number of cars sold in Scotland in September reached 39,982 which was not only 4.85% higher than the same month in 2002, but was the highest ever monthly total. Overall UK sales, which have a larger number of purchases by fleet buyers, increased by just 1.23%. Despite the buoyant sales in Scotland, prices are continuing to be discounted as car makers try to stimulate the market in England. With the cost of borrowing rates at such a low level, many buyers who need finance to buy a car are finding lots of bargains there too.

Child Road Deaths Halved

The number of children killed on the roads in Glasgow has fallen by 50% over the last six years and the number of youngsters seriously injured in road accidents has also fallen substantially - from 129 in 1996 to 77 last year. The total number of children involved in accidents of any kind on the roads has also fallen, though not so dramatically - from 575 in 1996 to 400 in 2002. The improvement has been due to many factors, including reduced speed limits near schools ("Twenty's Plenty" is the watch-word), education of both children and drivers and improved technology such as assisted braking systems.

Royal Bank Spending Spree

The Royal Bank of Scotland continued its expansionist takeover trail with the announcement this week that it was buying the Dublin-based mortgage lender First Active for £621 million. The Edinburgh banking giant will combine the former building society with its Ulster Bank subsidiary to create Ireland's second-biggest mortgage lender and third biggest savings bank, with 263 branches and 1.3 million customers. Job losses from the combined workforce of 5,500 are expected to be in the "low hundreds", mainly from back office functions. Later in the week, the Royal Bank announced that it was buying a Swiss-based private bank to join its banking stable of Edinburgh-based Adam and Company and London-based Coutts. This is the eighth major acquisition made by the Royal Bank so far this year.

Oil Fields Spring Back Into Life

An independent oil and gas company has announced that oil is once more flowing from the Ardmore field in the North Sea after it had been abandoned 11 years ago. The Acorn oil company has also announced that it has acquired a major share in the Crawford field, about 190 miles north-east of Aberdeen, which still has 98% of its reserves in place. It stopped production 13 years ago as it was considered "uneconomic". Acorn expects to be able to recover as much as 50 million barrels of oil from the field, using modern techniques.

Milk Producer Named UK Entrepreneur of the Year

Robert Wiseman, the managing director of milk producer Robert Wiseman Dairies, was named UK Entrepreneur of the Year this week at a national awards ceremony in London. Founded in Scotland, it employs 3,000 staff and owns five dairies and 13 distribution depots. Turnover last year was £391 million.

Go-Ahead for £120 Million Air Traffic Control Centre?

Two years after building work stopped on a new air traffic control centre at Prestwick in Ayrshire, the go-ahead is expected shortly for the project to be restarted. The delay arose in the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks and the downturn in air traffic, particularly across the Atlantic which is supervised at Prestwick. Transatlantic traffic is now almost back to the levels before the hijackings and domestic air travel, especially by budget airlines, has grown significantly since then. But even restarting next year, the new control centre will not be operational until 2009.

Profits Fall 43% at Department Store

Founded in 1881, the Jenners department store based in Princes Street, Edinburgh, is something of a revered institution. It is not only popular with locals but is an important port of call for tourists to Scotland's capital. But it faces increasing competition from the branch of up-market, London-based, Harvey Nichols and costs associated with new outlets at Loch Lomond Shores and Glasgow Airport. This has meant that trading profits in the six months to 3 August are down by 43%. Jenners has found that although the average spend by customers at the 30,000 square foot Lomond Shores outlet has been higher than forecast, the number of customers in the store there in the spring and summer was below expectations - despite over a million people calling in at the attraction overall in the last year.

With Neighbours Like These...

Research by the tourism agency VisitScotland has uncovered the fact that around half of the 50 million people living in England have never travelled to Scotland. It's not that the island which we share is that big - Birmingham to Edinburgh is 300 miles. Visitors from other parts of the UK are the largest part of the Scottish tourist industry and make an important impact on one of the country's largest industries. It is estimated that tourism employs 190,000 people and injects £2.5 billion into the Scottish economy every year. So encouraging at least some of those English travellers - who are more likely to take a holiday abroad than in Scotland - to come north could have a useful impact. In the past, much of the marketing of Scotland down south has concentrated on London. And we also mustn't forget the Scots who visit local attractions and accommodation - spending an estimated £1.8 billion last year.

Thousands Head for Sun

The traditional one week break in October in the school term encourages many families to head off for the sun. Glasgow airport will see 115 charter flights taking off over this weekend as the normal 22,000 passengers a day are joined by 15,000 package holidaymakers heading for the Mediterranean resorts, Canary Islands and Florida. Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness airports will have extra flights too.

Monster Walk Completed

Lloyd Scott emerged from the cold, murky waters of Loch Ness on Thursday having completed the world's first under water marathon. Clad in a 180lb antique diving suit, with brass helmet and lead boots, he completed the 26 miles in 12 days - surely somebody will be mad enough to try to beat that record, some day? Mr Scott has completed a number of road marathons (clad in the same diving suit) to raise money for charity but he says that Loch Ness was the toughest. On occasions, he was crawling on hands and knees in zero visibility and half way along the course he fell 15 feet off a ledge, injuring his shoulder.

Plumbers Sell Out For £14 Million

Two Glaswegian businessmen, who founded a plumbing supplies business in 1988, have sold the company and walked away with £14 million, shared equally between them. David Miller and Danny McKinlay founded the Plumbline company in a single office and expanded it to 17 branches from Inverness in the Highlands to Leeds in the north of England, selling all sorts of plumbing supplies. Now Irish do-it-yourself chain Grafton have snapped up Plumbline and plan to expand the business further.

Another Blow for Sabbath Observance

Despite objections from two churches, the Western Isles Licensing Board voted by 6 votes to 3 to grant three bars in Stornoway permission to open on Sundays. Up until now, pressure by the strict Free Church of Scotland has meant that Sunday opening by bars in Stornoway has been banned. Only establishments such as hotels serving meals have been able to sell alcohol on a Sunday on Lewis. Earlier this year, air services to Stornoway began for the first time on a Sunday but the sea ferry service still does not sail on the Sabbath.

New Vision for Helensburgh Waterfront

The Clydeside resort of Helensburgh used to be regarded as an attractive place to visit. But over the years the waterfront area has become run-down and seedy. There used to be an outdoor swimming pool but that closed many years ago and the shops on the seafront are largely fast food outlets, amusement arcades and tatty souvenir shops. Last year, the Scottish Executive turned down a £20 million plan, which had been approved by Argyll and Bute Council, to create a supermarket, swimming pool and leisure complex on the waterfront. Residents in the more affluent parts of the town had voiced their objections and the Executive had listened to them. Now the local tourist board and a developer have put forward plans for a heritage centre which would honour famous former residents such as John Logie Baird, the developer of the world's first commercial TV system and Henry Bell, operator of the world's first commercial steam boat. The development would incorporate a glass-fronted viewing tower offering panoramic views of the Firth of Clyde.

American is New Baron of Gigha

When the residents of Gigha took over ownership of the island off the coast of the Mull of Kintyre, on the west coast of Scotland, they knew that they would have to raise £1 million to repay a loan from the Scottish Land Fund by March 2004. They had pinned their hopes on selling Achamore House on the island, along with the title of "Baron of Gigha." But as the months slipped by, no buyer appeared. So there was some relief this week when a deal to sell the 19th century mansion and title was concluded with Don Dennis, a 47-year-old Californian, who will pay £665,000. He now plans to relocate his International Flower Essence Repertoire business from England. The move which will create six jobs on Gigha and see some of his workforce moving to the island - their families will provide a welcome boost for the local school. He also plans to convert the upper floor of the 12-bedroom house into a four-star bed and breakfast operation. He will also build a greenhouse on the property and relocate his collection of rare orchids there. This will complement Gigha's world famous botanical garden which was created by a previous owner and is a major tourist attraction on the island.

Elgin Conkers

The warm, even hot weather this summer has resulted in chestnut trees in many parts of the country dropping their nuts (conkers to aficionados and children alike) early. As a result, the World Conker Championship, which is held in Northamptonshire in England every year, had a problem - the available conkers were deemed to small and too soft for the world championship. So the call went out for an alternative source - and the Scottish town of Elgin came to the rescue with 1,000 high quality chestnuts. The competition attracts 350 contestants from as far afield as Australia, Poland, US and Canada as well as the UK.

Bets Off on White Christmas

Sometimes weather forecasters cannot even seem to predict what the changeable Scottish climate is going to do even hours ahead. But, armed with super-computers, a long range weather forecast company says that there is little chance of Scotland having a white Christmas. They say that temperatures between December and February will be 2/4 degrees Celcius lower than usual. However, in the week around Christmas, it will get warmer - perhaps as high as 13/14C, 5/6 degrees above the norm for that time of year.

Weather in Scotland This Week

Strong to gale force winds, particularly in the north-west, produced very changeable weather this week with lots of showers. The east coast fared better for sunshine - Aberdeen had over 8 hours on three days this week. Temperatures in Aberdeen were on the low side last Saturday, however, down to 8C (46F) but rose to 17C (63F) by Thursday. Rain totalling 24mm (nearly an inch) fell on Glasgow during the week, much of it intermittent showers.

The graphics here illustrate very well the weather this week. The picture of Greenbank Gardens shows a dark, threatening sky in the background - but the autumn colours and Greenbank Gardens, south of Glasgow, bathed in a weak sun. The picture below shows a Hypericum (also known as Rose of Sharon) in Greenbank Gardens, showing raindrops from a passing shower.

Unknown Local Hero

Tobias George Smollet was born near Renton, Dunbartonshire, in 1721. He was educated at Dumbarton and at Glasgow University and went on to become a renowned author, writing such books as "Roderick Random" and a "History of England". His racy style made even a history book popular in the 18th century. Smollet has been described as the "first Scottish novelist and he has never been surpassed." But he has become largely unknown, even in Renton - despite the local council refurbishing a statue to him beside Renton Primary School. Now Renton's housing association is spending thousands of pounds erecting sign-posts emblazoned with Smollet's name in an effort to attract tourists to the area. But local residents are unimpressed and say that the money should have been spent on more down-to-earth projects such as fighting drugs and crime in the run-down town. But the chairman of the housing association says that more people should know about their heritage and he hopes that Tobias Smollet will become as famous in the Leven Valley as Robert Burns is in Ayrshire. For more on Tobias Smollet, see the Tobias Smollet biography on this site.

Glen May Have Silver Lining

A geologist has claimed that Silver Glen in the Ochil Hills may still contain tonnes of the precious metal. A mine there was opened in 1712 by a local laird, Sir John Erskine, a descendant of Robert the Bruce, and the biggest mass of silver ever found in Britain was found six metres below the surface. Samples were sent to the Royal Mint and it was Sir Isaac Newton, master of the mint, who did the analysis work. Erskine used the profits to buy weapons for the 1715 Jacobite uprising. The mines were closed many years ago but Dr Neil Clark, curator of geology at Glasgow University's Hunterian Museum believes that there are many tonnes left in the hills.

Search for Forgotten Scots Explorer

Mike Shand, a cartographer at Glasgow University, is setting off into the jungles of Africa to locate the grave of a forgotten Scottish explorer. The massive granite headstone, which was carried to a remote part of Tanzania in the late 19th century, commemorates the death of Keith Johnstone, a cartographer and explorer who died in the village of Behobeho in 1879 at the age of 34, while leading a Royal Geographical Society expedition in the area. Despite its huge size, nobody has seen the headstone since 1897. Johnstone and a companion were exploring a feasible trade route to the central African lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika. They reached Behobeho, which is now in the middle of the Selous game reserve - an area the size of Switzerland with one of the largest concentrations of wild animals in the world. Johnstone, who had been ill for most of the journey, died there. Mike Shand was in the same area in 2001 and again in 2002 and despite systematically hacking through the bush, he and his guides were unable to find the headstone - so he is off again this month to try again!

Wallace Picture Appeal

The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum has turned to the power of poetry for help in the current fund-raising campaign to buy a rare 17th century painting of William Wallace. Poet and folksinger Adam MacNaughtan, famed for his Glasgow 'Jeely Piece Song' and his five minute Scots rendition of Shakespeare's masterpiece in 'Oor Hamlet', has written a fund raising poem for the painting. Smith Trustee Janey Buchan, who commissioned the poem, said: "To my certain knowledge, this is the first ever poem written with the intention of obtaining financial contributions towards the purchase of a work of art in Scotland." If MacNaughtan's poem persuades you to want to contribute, contact museum@smithartgallery.demon.co.uk for details on the painting and how to contribute. Here's the poem:

The Stirling Wallace Appeal

Come a' ye folk o' Stirling Toon and Scots baith far and wide,
A call's come frae the Stirling Smith, a challenge to your pride:
Three and twenty thousand pounds we need, and that forthwith
To bring Sir William Wallace hame to the Stirling Smith.

It was in Scotland's darkest hour a liberator rose:
Gulielmus Wallas Scotus, a terror to his foes.
In lightning raid, in battle, he opposed the English yoke,
And his cruel execution inflamed the Scottish folk.

Three hundred years thereafter King James went scampering sooth,
And with him poetry and art and the flooer o' Scotland's youth.
He left behind a people irresolute, unsure,
Afraid of being swallowed up by England's wealth and power.

The image of brave Wallace leapt from Blind Harry's page,
And oor limner's skeely portrait gave focus to the age;
But this nae Braveheart Wallace, on slaughter solely bent;
This visage framed in chestnut curls is thoughtful and intent.

An image that was widely known, engraved in black and white,
Though for centuries the painting was concealed from public sight;
But now the chance is granted and it's up to me and you
To put the Wallace portrait aince mair on public view.

The shires o' Ayr and Renfrew ower his birthplace may cast oot;
At Stirling Brig he won his fame; on that there's nae dispute.
It's here since 1869 his monument has been
And here in Scotland's heartland, his portrait should be seen.

We hae until the Martinmas to raise the ransom fee,
Afore an open auction sends the portrait ower the sea.
So give your contribution and rouse your kin and kith
And help bring William Wallace hame to the Stirling Smith.

This Week in History

• October 12 1866 - Ramsay MacDonald, first Labour Prime Minister of UK, born in Lossiemouth.
• October 13 1713 - Birth of Allan Ramsay, painter and son of Allan Ramsay the poet.
• October 14 1285 - Second marriage of King Alexander III (to Yolanda de Dreux).
• October 14 1318 - Edward Bruce, brother of Robert the Bruce, killed in a battle near Dundalk, Ireland.
• October 14 1633 - Birth at St James' Palace, London of King James VII, second son of King Charles I and brother of King Charles II.
• October 14 1788 - First steamboat tested on Dalswinton Loch by Patrick Miller and William Symington.
• October 14 1881 - Eyemouth Fishing Disaster - nearly 20 boats and 129 men (1 in 3 of the town's male population) lost their lives in a storm.
• October 14 1939 - German submarine sank HMS "Royal Oak" in Scapa Flow, Orkney, with the loss of 810 lives.
• October 14 1969 - The 50 pence decimal coin was first issued, replacing the ten shilling note.
• October 15 1880 - Dr Marie Stopes, founder of first modern birth control clinic, born Edinburgh.
• October 15 1943 - Poet William Souter died in Perth.
• October 16 1430 - King James II born.
• October 16 1774 - Poet Robert Fergusson died.
• October 16 1921 - Poet George Mackay Brown born.
• October 16 1939 - City of Glasgow Fighter Squadron (No 602) shoots down the first enemy aircraft over Britain after an attack on the River Forth.
• October 17 1346 - Battle of Neville's Cross during which King David II was captured by the English.
• October 17 1995 - Bridge to the Isle of Skye opened.
• October 18 1958 - Denis Law became the youngest footballer to play for Scotland when he took part in the match against Cardiff when he was 18 years and 7 months old.

We're in the Monet

Attendance figures at the Monet exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy have already broken 100,000 and the final number is expected to reach nearly 150,000 by the time the event closes on 26 October. The amount taken in entrance fees is estimated to reach £1.28 million by then. The National Galleries of Scotland have decided that the opening hours should be extended in the final four days to cope with an anticipated last-minute rush. There are 90 paintings by the Impressionist artist in the exhibition entitled "The Seine and the Sea." You can see a review of the exhibition here.

Glasgow Boys Go East

An exhibition of the paintings and artefacts of one of Scotland’s foremost 19th Century painters opened this week at the National Trust for Scotland's HQ in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. Entitled "The Painter and His Passions", it is a collection from the home of E A Hornel (one of a group of painters known as "The Glasgow Boys") and has been temporarily borrowed from Broughton House in Kirkcudbright. One of its main aims is to illustrate the much needed restoration work required for the collection to ensure its survival for future years. The Trust holds a significant number of Hornel’s own paintings, those of his friends, the Glasgow boys and most of his own personal collectibles from Scotland and the Far East. Broughton House has now been closed until the Trust is able to raise the required £300,000 to restore the collection in a satisfactory manner. The house also has one of the world’s most significant collections of Robert Burns work. It is hoped that the appeal will raise sufficient funds to allow the historic works to be maintain the best environment in Broughton House.

New Europe Film Season

A film season is running from October 14 - November 4 at The Cameo, Edinburgh to help showcase the cultural traditions of countries on the threshold of joining the European Union. It aims to provide the chance to appreciate the value that European enlargement can bring. The ten countries who will join next year will transform Europe and showcasing some of their strong and vibrant cultural traditions is believed to be an important tool in the development and progression of the European Union. The New Europe Film Season has been programmed by City Screen, in conjunction with the respective country representatives in Britain, to celebrate European diversity. The 10 countries joining the EU next year are: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. In addition, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey are candidates for EU membership.

Bank of Scotland Premier League Results

As a result of the Scotland international match on Saturday, no SPL or Scottish First Division matches were played today.

Scotland 1 Lithuania 0

Scotland manager Berti Vogts had to deal with a spate of injuries to key players before the crunch Euro 2004 qualifying match against Lithuania at Hampden on Saturday. Neil McCann, Andy Gray, captain Paul Lambert, striker Steven Thompson, Paul Dickov were all absent and Maurice Ross could not play because of a suspension. Nevertheless, Scotland managed to win this Euro 2004 qualifying match at Hampden, in front of a packed stadium, thanks to a goal in the second half by substitute Darren Fletcher. It was the first time that Fletcher had played for Scotland at Hampden, but he is used to large crowds - he plays for Manchester United. In the other match in Scotland's group, Germany beat Iceland 3-0 to win the section and gain automatic entry to the Euro 2004 competition. Scotland will have to play one of the other second-placed teams. The team will know on Monday which of nine other countries they are drawn against. There are no easy matches here and Scotland could end up meeting Turkey (who drew 0-0 against England who qualify at the top of their Group) or Russia, Spain - or even Wales.

Rugby World Cup

The Scotland rugby team play Japan on Sunday in their first match of the Rugby World Cup in Australia. They then play the United States on Monday 20 October, France on October 25 and Fiji on November 1.

Welsh Footballer of the Year

John Hartson, who scored the winning goal for Celtic in last Saturday's match against rivals Rangers, was named as Welsh Footballer of the Year this week. It is the second time in three years that Hartson has won the honour. He has made a major contribution to Wales reaching the Euro 2004 play-offs.

Now It's The Tour d'Écosse

The Tour de France is a world class cycle race which brings parts of the country to a standstill as it passes through and is watched by billions of people around the world. Now plans are being drawn up for a similar Tour of Scotland covering 600 miles and visiting Highland beauty spots and city centres. It will follow the same format as the Tour de France and will be televised to a world-wide audience. The route will take in Inverness, Aberdeen and Oban as well as Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Western Isles Disability Sports

Lewis based organisation Western Isles Disability Sports recently came up with a novel way of allowing those with disabilities (and no ice) to participate in a curling match - in a game they named "New Age Kurling". Normally, curling involves heavy granite stones and a large sheet of ice. But the disabled sportsmen and women from Lewis, the Uists and Barra were supplied with light stones - which were borne on their way by ball bearings. As in real curling, stones were gently placed as blockers and others fired to defeat an opponent. The contests were keenly fought but everybody enjoyed themselves in good natured rivalry.

World Featherweight Championship at Braehead

Scott Harrison, the former WBO featherweight champion, will get a return match against Manuel Medina at the Braehead Arena, Renfrew, on 29 November. Harrison suffered only his second defeat against Medina when he was out-pointed by Medina earlier this year.

New Venue for World Ice Golf Championships

The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championships had to be cancelled earlier this year because the ice around Uummannq in Greenland needed to create the course was too thin. But the unusual contest, sponsored by the producer of Drambuie liqueur since 1999, is now back on schedule for next April. It will be played in the beautiful Advent Fjord on the island of Spitzbergen, which is halfway between Norway and the North Pole. The new course has not yet been laid out, of course, as the water has not yet frozen. But the golfers will not only have to listen for the usual shouts of "fore" but also a rifle shot which will warn them that polar bears are approaching. The warning is as much for the bears as the golfers - after all, nobody wants to hit a polar bear with a golf ball and create a bear with a sore head.