Nessie in New York

Readers of the New York Magazine must have been surprised to see a picture of Nessie (the distinctive beast which supposedly frequents Loch Ness) swimming under the Brooklyn Bridge this week. But Nessie has not deserted Scotland - she was doing her part as part of an advertising campaign to promote Tartan Week in the Big Apple. In addition, there were adverts in the New York Times and tartan taxis cruising in the streets handing out postcards which directed consumers to the Tartan Day website, as well as giving away other Scottish goodies. There was also a competition, run in conjunction with Continental Airlines, which offered free flights to Scotland from 1-6 April. See also www.scotexchange.net/pyb_tartan_day_2004

First Minister in Pinstripe Kilt

As part of the Tartan day celebrations in New York, Jack McConnell the Scottish First Minister participated in a number of events in the Big Apple. But Scottish newspapers concentrated on pictures of Scotland's leading politician modeling a pin-stripe kilt at the "Dressed to Kilt" event. It was maybe a bit incongruous to wear a pinstripe (with no sporran) to advertise Tartan Day, but the Scottish Executive likes to portray Scotland as a modern, technologically advanced country (which it is) instead of the traditional tartan and shortbread Brigadoon (which is what the visitors want to see). So the First Minister was making a bold, modern fashion statement. But as one newspaper pointed out, the First Minister's outfit was a "frocky horror show." This has not been a good week for the kilt - Richard Branson, appeared (as he frequently does) in a media PR event after donating £365,000 to help save the Flying Scotsman steam engine. But he wore a kilt for the occasion - worn back to front, with the pleats at the front.

Web Site for Scottish Urban Adventurers

VisitScotland this week unveiled a new website and marketing campaign to promote the vibrancy of Scotland’s six cities to a growing breed of young, discerning city-break tourists. The new website is a contemporary, insider guide to all that is happening in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Stirling and will be backed up by a full marketing campaign and city guide book. It targets the growing number of visitors to Scotland’s cities classed as "urban adventurers" - short break tourists looking for a big city experience in a short period of time. With the increase in direct flights to Scotland’s cities, the potential for growth and capitalising on the growing trend for short breaks is thought to be enormous. See www.myvisitscotland.com for more details.

The illustration shows one of the many bars in Edinburgh's Rose Street.

Sounds of the Hebrides - In Glasgow

Passengers waiting for a bus in Glasgow or Edinburgh may be surprised to hear the sounds of Atlantic waves, sea-birds and island music against the background of city traffic. It is all part of a new marketing campaign to encourage city-dwellers to take a break in the Western Isles. The hi-tech sounds will be accompanied by posters advertising the attractions of the Hebrides. Similar sound effects are being played at selected bus stops in London as well.

House Prices Rise by £2,000 a Month

Predictions that the house price boom would burst seem to be refuted by the latest figures published by the Glasgow Solicitors' Property Centre, one of the major estate agents in the west of Scotland. It claims that house prices have risen by an average of 6.5% in just three months, equivalent to an annual rate of 22% in a year, a figure which has never been higher. The average price of a home in the area rose by over £5,800 in the first quarter of 2004, equating to almost £2,000 a month. East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire saw the biggest percentage increases. Borrowers breathed a sigh of relief this week as the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee decided to hold base lending rates at 4% - postponing what is probably an inevitable upward movement.

Fife Beaches Clean Up

When an environmental umbrella group carried out a survey of Scottish beaches in 1998 based on 68 different criteria such as water quality and dog control, the average score was 47%. But last year it rose to 78% as local authorities and Scottish Water clean up their act. As in previous years, the beaches of Fife cleaned up the top prizes, with six out of the top eight beaches. Burntisland got the highest score but St Andrews (West), Aberdour (Silversands), Broughty Ferry, Elie and St Andrews (East) also got top marks. But the biggest improvement was achieved by Montrose in Angus which broke into the top ten with a score of 84%, up from 47% in the previous survey.

Fixing Easter for Capital's Schools

Schools in Edinburgh and Lothian could soon be following the lead of education authorities in the west of the country by moving to a fixed date for the Easter break. A consultation paper has been published proposing such a move, plus a longer mid-term holiday in October but abandoning short breaks in May. The annual number of days schooling remains the same. Under the plan, schools would still close on Easter Friday and Monday but would close from 1-17 April, regardless of when Easter falls. The new arrangements would come into force in the school session 2005/06.

New Airport Terminal Opens for Easter

The first phase of a second terminal at Glasgow airport has opened in time for the rush of passengers at Easter. The new terminal is geared specifically at the low-cost budget and charter flights and no-frills airline easyJet and charter giant MyTravel have become a major user of the new facility with a new check-in desk and baggage handling facilities. Building work at the airport is continuing to cope with the expected growth over the next few years. The new terminal, adjoining the existing one, will handle over a million passengers a year

New Flights From Scotland

Birmingham-based airline Duo has announced that it is launching new links between Edinburgh and Bordeaux in France and Shannon in south-west Ireland from 1 June. The Shannon service will be daily but the route to Bordeaux will only be weekly initially. Ryanair, the Irish budget airline is starting a new service between Prestwick and Rome at the end of this month. For an initial period Ryanair is charging only local taxes and landing fees.

Newcastle Attracts Scottish Travellers

The airport at Newcastle in the north-east of England is expanding fast and is hoping to attract business from Scots who are keen to fly on low-cost air services to Europe. EasyJet, which has one route from Edinburgh to Amsterdam, operates nine European services from Newcastle. The no-frills carrier charges under £40 for a one-way trip from Newcastle to Copenhagen while BMI costs over £200 from Edinburgh to the same destination. Charter flights from Newcastle are also cheaper for the first two weeks of the Scottish school summer holidays, as the English schools do not break until the middle of July.

Launch Goes With a Bang

You would have thought that after all the thousands of ships launched on the river Clyde that they would know a thing or two about sending a new ship down the slipway. But maybe they don't get as much experience these days. As thousands of spectators watched from the other side of the river, the 16,000-tonne Mounts Bay was launched from the BAE Shipyard at Govan - and promptly hit the opposite bank. It was the 750th launch from that shipyard and created a two-foot gash on the stern of the £60 million ship. A spokesman insisted that it was a "minor incident" which would be easily fixed. The Mounts Bay is the first of ten ships commissioned by the Ministry of Defence. Work has already started on a sister ship at the yard. Better luck next time?

Scots Are UK's Biggest Holiday Spenders

The reputation of Scots as frugal and careful with money took another knock this week as a survey of Tartan Travellers showed that Scots spend more than twice the UK average on overseas holidays. The study was commissioned by Emirates Airline, which started a direct service from Glasgow to Dubai this week. The survey also coincided with the news that a number of package holiday companies were dropping the Spanish resort of Costa Brava from their schedules. The Spanish Mediterranean location was one of the early destinations for cheap breaks and used to be a top favourite amongst Scots looking for "sun and sangria" (a local Spanish drink).

Days of Wine and Roses

There was gloom in Edinburgh this week when it was announced that Scotland's oldest independent wine merchants had fallen into receivership with debts of £350,000. Cockburns of Leith once had Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens as customers and in more recent years its car park paraded the top drawer of Edinburgh society. But in recent years increasing competition has seen its position eroded by supermarkets and on-line wine dealers. However, within days of the announcement, the former managing director and the wine director had reached a deal with the receivers to buy the Cockburn name, the premises and entire stock of wines and the company's mailing list. The wine merchant began in 1796 and was one of the first commercial importers of wine into Scotland. In 1822, it was awarded a royal warrant after supplying the wines for a state banquet given in honour of King George IV during his visit to Scotland - an event orchestrated by Sir Walter Scott.

Ladies Detective Agency Wins Literary Prize

Edinburgh-based writer Alexander McCall Smith was named this week as Author of the Year at the prestigious British Books Award. McCall Smith has become well known for his series of detective stories "No 1 Ladies Detective Agency" which relate the adventures of Precious Rambotswe, a Botswana version of Miss Marple. The books have sold over three million copies worldwide. The author is a professor of medical law at Edinburgh University and his latest work "44 Scotland Street" is being published in daily instalments in the Scotsman newspaper.

108-Year-Old to Join Queen Mum Tribute

World War I veteran Alfred Anderson, who will be 108 in June and currently is Scotland's oldest man, went on parade again this week with the Black Watch regiment. He was participating in a tribute to the late Queen Mother, who was Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment for 65 years. Anderson briefly served as a batman to the Queen Mother's brother, Captain Fergus Bowes-Lyon shortly before he was killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915. He joined Black Watch soldiers of all ages this week when the Prince of Wales, the new Colonel-in-Chief, unveiled one of the country's first memorials to the Queen Mother at the regimental headquarters at Balhousie Castle in Perth. New wrought iron gates will guard the main entrance to the castle, which the Queen Mother visited on many occasions during her long relationship with the Black Watch.

Scottish Wild Cats Extinct, But Beavers to Make Comeback

Experts believe that the wildcat, one of the UK's most spectacular predators, may be extinct as a separate species since it has interbred with the domestic cat so frequently that what was distinct in the species now may be lost. The wildcat only remains in remote Scottish locations in the Highlands. But beavers, extinct in Scotland for 400 years, are to be re-introduced into Argyll on a trial basis by the conservation body Scottish Natural Heritage. It is argued that the beaver could help to create wetlands and clearings, helping dragonflies, butterflies, toads and bats. But some landowners are concerned that beavers will create barriers to migrating salmon and destroy trees. However, experts point out that there are 50,000 beavers in Norway and they co-exist with salmon fishing there.

200 Miles to See a Dentist

Over the last few years, large numbers of dentists have left the National Health Service (NHS) and will only provide private dental care - for which patients have to pay substantial sums instead of obtaining free care under the NHS. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a dentist prepared to take on new NHS patients and now the last such dentist in Caithness has given up his practice. That means that patients who cannot afford the charges levied by private dental practices have to round trip of 200 miles to obtain a free dental service.

Oor Wullie Beats Wallace and Robert the Bruce

Online surveys always have to be treated with a certain amount of scepticism, but a survey of 1,000 people voted the cartoon character "Oor Wullie" as the top Scottish icon. The comic strip character with spiked hair and sitting on his bucket has been appearing in the Sunday Post since 1936. He is certainly a popular character - but beating Wallace into second place and Sean Connery into third? The credibility of the survey suffers still further with Kenny Dalglish in fourth place (great footballer, but a Scottish icon?). The football votes also resulted in Jock Stein in sixth place and Rangers striker Ally McCoist (now a football pundit and game show participant) at 7th. Entertainers Lulu, Billy Connolly and Ewan McGregor also made it to the top ten in this survey - commissioned by Halls, a manufacturer of haggis.

Winning is Not Allowed

New rules governing junior football in schools will ensure that teams are protected from losing badly - if one team is more than five goals ahead at half time, scores will revert to 0-0 for the second half. Losing teams will also be allowed to field extra players to restore a balance. There will no longer be league and cup competitions but an endless series of "friendly" matches. The aim is to reduce competitiveness while focusing on football skills. But parents' groups and professional players have criticised the new regime, saying it will teach children that winning is wrong. They say that children have to learn to cope in a competitive world - even losing badly can teach valuable lessons.

Swan Gets Trains in a Flap

Commuters on trains in Glasgow Central Station thought they had heard all the excuses for their trains being delayed. But they burst out laughing when the conductor announced that the latest holdup was being caused by "a swan on the line". The trouble was that a swan had indeed strayed onto a busy platform at the station at the morning rush hour and was swanning from one area to another. Rail staff were trying to encourage the swan to travel independently, rather than end up on (or under) a train, but with little success. (Ever tried moving a large, hissing, white swan?) Eventually, staff contacted a Wildlife Centre who managed to remove the swan safely. But by that time 75 trains had been delayed and the impact of the flap continued all morning as the station tried to get back to normal.

Scottish Heritage Offer

People who take a trial subscription to the SCOTS heritage magazine can now nominate their clan to receive a $1 donation back from the publishers for each subscription that is processed. This is an excellent way for people to see SCOTS for themselves and also to help support their local clan or Scottish organisation. SCOTS is a glossy, colourful, beautifully illustrated quarterly magazine with features on Scottish culture from castles to food and history to articles about people of Scots descent around the world. See www.usscots.com.

MacDougall Clan Gathering

The Clan Chief, Madam Morag MacDougall of MacDougall will be welcoming clan members at a gathering in Oban, Argyll from August 25-30, 2004. A reception will be held at Dunollie House and Castle on the outskirts of Oban. Although Dunollie Castle is now in ruins, several other ancient MacDougall strongholds still exist in the area, reminders of the time past when the MacDougalls held sway over most of western Scotland. Details of registration, which closes on April 30, 2004, can be found at the UK MacDougall website. Additional clan information is available at the North American website www.macdougall.org.

Weather in Scotland This Week

Although Glasgow did manage to reach 12/13C (54/55F) on Tuesday and Wednesday, temperatures were around 9/10C (48/50F) for much of the week. Aberdeen only reached 8C (46F) on Wednesday but the north-east did fare better than other parts of the country in the number of hours of sunshine this week. There was heavy rain in the west on Monday but otherwise rainfall was patchy and light.

This week's illustrations of current flowers and the weather in Scotland shows first of all a Flowering Currant (Ribes) in Perth earlier this week. Below is the view looking towards Glen Kinglas in Argyll, at Rest and be Thankfull with a light covering of snow still visible in some of the mountain corries. Finally, the delicate shades of a corylopsis was photographed this week at Benmore Botanic Garden, north of Dunoon in Argyll.

New View of Charles Rennie Mackintosh

It seems almost inevitable that a new biography of any Scottish icon will uncover some negative aspect of his/her life and that will be the focus of reviews of the book. That is certainly the case with a new biography of the brilliant architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, whose designs for the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland Street School in Glasgow, Hill House in Helensburgh, House for an Art Lover (pictured here) and many others have made him a much admired figure. But a new biography by John Cairney portrays him as a violent drunk who was awkward, contentious and his own worst enemy. Cairney says he has been researching the book for 30 years, using archive material, diaries and first-hand accounts of incidents in the architect's life. Mackintosh was sacked from the architectural firm of Honeyman and Keppie and gave up architecture in 1913 to live in France. He managed to control his drinking problem but died of cancer in 1928.

Concorde Left High and Dry on Last Journey

The last journey of the supersonic Concorde aircraft destined for the Museum of Flight in East Lothian has been delayed - because of low water levels on the river Thames. It had journeyed at snail's pace, minus its wings and tail, from Heathrow airport to the docks at East London to be loaded onto a ship to transport it up the east coast to near Dunbar in Scotland. But adverse tides meant that the 110-tonne aircraft fuselage could not depart. The ship will have to wait until water levels rise before sailing down the rest of the river Thames.

Flying Scotsman Saved

The National Railway Museum in York has obtained finance to ensure that the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive will stay in Britain. A combination of £1.8 million funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, £365,000 from entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and public donations has provided funds to keep the steam train running in the UK for a number of years. There had been fears that it would be sold abroad due to lack of progress with plans to house it in a railway heritage centre at Edinburgh's Waverley station.

Next Week in History

• April 11 1700 - Scottish settlement in Darien, Panama, abandoned.
• April 11 1882 - Battle of the Braes in which crofters in Skye fought 50 policemen during a dispute over land rights.
• April 12 1606 - Union flag adopted as the flag of England, Wales and Scotland.
• April 12 1913 - Flyweight boxing champion Benny Lynch born.
• April 12 1945 - The Scottish National Party gained their first electoral victory when they won the by-election in Motherwell and Wishaw by a majority of 617 votes.
• April 13 1951 - The Stone of Destiny, which had been removed from underneath the Coronation Chair by Scottish nationalists on 25 December 1950, was returned to Westminster Abbey after being found at Arbroath Abbey.
• April 14 1582 - University of Edinburgh founded.
• April 14 1736 - "Porteous Riots" in Edinburgh take place after the hanging of a smuggler by the City Guard led by Captain Porteous. The Guard killed several people in the ensuing riot.
• April 14 1903 - Aberdeen Football Club was founded.
• April 15 1799 - Prof Joseph Black chemist, researcher, teacher, first to identify carbon dioxide, died.
• April 15 1924 - Actor and comedian Rikki Fulton born in Glasgow. He was best known for his double act with Jack Milroy as "Francie and Josie" and as the Rev I M Jolly in "Scotch and Wry".
• April 15 1961 - Scotland defeated 9-3 by England at Wembley, a record score for a football match between the two countries.
• April 16 1746 - Charles Edward Stewart defeated at Battle of Culloden.
• April 16 1953 - Royal yacht "Britannia" launched at John Brown's shipyard, Clydebank.
• April 17 1341 - Edinburgh Castle captured from the English.
• April 17 1766 - James Craig's winning entry for development of Edinburgh New Town was approved.
• April 17 1895 - Scotland's first cremation at Glasgow's Western Necropolis.
• April 17 1909 - Riot by fans after replay of Scottish Cup Final between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park.
• April 17 1937 - A British record attendance at a football match was set when 149,547 watched Scotland play England at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Until 1950, this was a world record.
• April 17 1969 - Everyone in Britain over the age of 18 was allowed to vote in parliamentary elections. The minimum age of 21 had been set in 1928.

Edinburgh Hatches Another Festival

More than 3,000 performers from the UK, Europe and USA will help the city leap in to Spring with a series of spectacular bank holiday performances, concerts and displays from 9 -12 April. Princes St Gardens will be the centrepiece of the five-day fiesta with lunchtime concerts from The Ross Bandstand (pictured here) throughout the weekend. And on Easter Sunday - 11 April - the gardens play host to a ‘blooming’ marvellous fun filled day, full of colour, culture, and great performances from two international stages. Free interactive activities include Maypole Dancing, Circus Skills, Face Painting and an hourly Easter Egg Hunt for the under 5's. This year’s festival features a series of evening concerts in some of the finest churches in the city, with special performances at St John the Evangelist in Princes Street. For further information visit www.edinburgheaster.co.uk.

Glasgow in the RAW

The centrepiece of Real Art Week (RAW) in Glasgow is the Art Fair which this year runs from 15 - 18 April. This is one of the largest fairs in the UK and is now in its ninth year. Dominating George Square in giant pavilions, the fair is now firmly established as the place to view, buy and sell art in Scotland. This year, 53 galleries from around the UK and Europe will set their stalls out, with everything from established artists to the newest, cutting edge-talent. The quality of the work on show is outstanding, and the price tags range from a few pounds to several thousand. RAW: Real Art Week, presents an eclectic programme of visual arts events and exhibitions at venues across the city. For further information visit www.glasgowartfair.com

Easter Eggstravaganza

Three of the Scottish Borders eggcellent historic houses play host to Easter Eggstravaganzas with lots of fun and entertainment for all the family. Floors Castle has an Easter egg hunt in the woods and an egg scramble, with the visiting Easter Bunny ensuring children of all ages are involved. Paxton House's 9th Border Egg Roll and Great 1,000 Egg Hunt has children’s games and egg decorating and face painting. Traquair House is organising the biggest egg hunt in the Borders. Over 5,000 eggs will be hidden for the under 10's in the maze, the woods and the gardens where there will be entertainers and face painting. For further information on these venues, see www.paxtonhouse.com and www.traquair.co.uk and www.floorscastle.com

Introduction to Birdwatching

Lochwinnoch RSPB Nature Reserve organises regular guided walks around the reserve with tips for newcomers to birdwatching. The next such event is scheduled for Saturday, 17 April from 10am to 12 noon. The Nature Reserve knows how essential good binoculars are for bird watching so an optics demonstration is arranged on the third Sunday of every month, from 10-4pm. You can try out their comprehensive range of binoculars and telescopes in the comfort of the visitor centre. Free expert advice is on hand. The next optics demonstration is on Sunday 18 April, 10-4pm. It's as well to book these events in advance - see their Web site at www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/lochwinnoch and for more on visiting the reserve, see Places to Visit - Lochwinnoch

Delays to Museum Refit

The £28 million refurbishment of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow has experienced delays in the work which started last year. It will mean that the estimated date for reopening the popular tourist attraction has been put back from early 2006 to the summer of that year. Progress has ben held up by complexities in creating the large show cases which are required. Kelvingrove has long been the most popular free tourist attraction in Scotland and it is expected that the improved and enlarged facility will further increase the numbers of visitors.

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Motherwell 0 Rangers 1
Livingston 1 Kilmarnock 1
Motherwell 1 Heart of Midlothian 1

Bank of Scotland Premier League Results - 10 April 2004

Hibernian 3 Kilmarnock 0
Partick Thistle 1 Heart of Midlothian 0
Dundee v Dundee United is being played on Sunday.

Scottish Cup - Semi Finals

Inverness 1 Dunfermline 1 (The clubs will replay at Pittodrie on 20 April).
Livingston play Celtic on Sunday in the other Scottish Cup semi-final.

Scottish First Division Results - 10 April 2004

Ayr United 1 Ross County 2
Falkirk 1 Clyde 1
Queen of the South 1 St Mirren 0
Raith Rovers 1 St Johnstone 1

League Tables- 10 April 2004

Celtic are now 17 points ahead of rivals Rangers and could clinch the Scottish Premier League title in just over a week's time if they defeat Kilmarnock on 18 April. Despite their win against third placed Hearts on Saturday (only Partick's fourth win all season) Partick remain at the foot of the SPL.

Although they dropped points on Saturday, Clyde are seven points clear at the top of the First Division, but second placed Inverness have a game in hand. Brechin City are at the foot of the First Division, three points behind Ayr United.

Larsson Keeps Celtic Hopes Alive

After defeating the famous Barcelona club in the previous round of the UEFA Cup, Celtic's next opponents were another Spanish side, Villareal. Although not as well known as Barcelona, Celtic were in no doubt that they were going to be stiff opponents. And so it turned out, with the Spanish side putting on a sparkling display of flowing football. An early goal by Villareal in the 9th minute also showed how good they were. But Celtic are also known for battling on and never giving up and their tenacity was again rewarded when Henrik Larsson - who else? - headed in an equalizer 15 minutes from the end. But Celtic will have an uphill struggle in the second leg, having conceded a valuable way goal advantage to the Spaniards. The return match in Spain is next Wednesday.

Key Players Extend Contracts

Celtic supporters breathed a sigh of relief this week when key players Chris Sutton and Alan Thompson agreed extensions to their contracts with the club. With the departure of striker Henrik Larsson at the end of this season it was important to secure the long-term services of the remaining key players. But the busy match schedule, including an extended run in the UEFA Cup, had meant that finding time to sit down and negotiate terms had been difficult. Thompson, now aged 30, has signed a two year extension to his current contract which expired next year and Sutton is now committed to the summer of 2006, with an option of a further year beyond that. Of course, every time contracts are being discussed at Parkhead, the long-term future of manager Martin O'Neill inevitably surfaces as far as sports journalists are concerned. But the shrewd manager gives such questions an agile body-swerve.

Aberdeen Manager's Pay Cut

Aberdeen Football Club are reviewing the salaries of all their staff, including the chairman and team coach with a view to reducing their remuneration next season. The reduction is not due to the team's poor performance, though undoubtedly it should - the once proud club is second from the bottom of the Scottish Premier League. But like many SPL clubs, Aberdeen needs to cut its costs to make ends meet and avoid the fate of a number of other leading clubs forced into receivership. Aberdeen made three staff redundant last June including their promotions manager and press officer.

New Curling Rink for Aberdeen

Work has begun on the construction of a new £2 million curling rink in Aberdeen. The six-sheet rink will provide a training venue for 700 curlers in the Grampian Institute of Sport. The rink is expected to be completed by January 2005.

Saltires Recruit Arafat

The Saltires cricket team have confirmed that Pakistan's Yasir Arafat will be one of two overseas players for this summer's one-day National League. The 22-year-old all-rounder has made two one-day international appearances, the last against Sri Lanka in 2001. There is media speculation that South African Test batsman Neil McKenzie is "close to a deal" to play for the Saltires this season. He scored almost 4,000 runs in 41 Tests and 59 one-day internationals for South Africa. Scotland's two overseas players last summer were Indian batting star Rahul Dravid and South African Jon Kent.