It's been a good week for ...
Davids
Tourism chiefs in Aberdeen are attempting to create a world record for a choir performing Once In Royal David's City. The twist? The choir will consist entirely of singers called David.
Scores of Davids, Daves and Daveys will line up at the Castlegate in Aberdeen at 3pm today for the event, to coincide with the annual Christmas lights switch-on.
An aptitude for singing is advantageous, but not a prerequisite. Non-singers are welcome ... as long as they're called David.
This sounds fun, if a little exclusive. What about the girls? I hear Hollys and Ivys are mounting a rebellion.
It's been a bad week for ... Dundee
It's disappointing enough that Dundee missed out on being named City of Culture 2017. But to lose to Hull? It would be churlish not to congratulate the city on its achievement, but it should be noted that - as pointed out by a friend who had the pleasure of living there - change one consonant and you get "dull".
I'm feeling a little guilty, though, now that the Scottish bid has been scuppered. Having once lived in Dundee, I haven't been back since the day I left - almost 19 years ago.
I perhaps didn't give the city the respect it deserved. Once you realised that most of what there was to discover in the City Of Discovery was, actually, the good ship Discovery, there wasn't a great deal left. (Apart from Dundee Rep, which is great and always has been. Unfortunately, in those days, my budget didn't stretch to much theatre-going.)
But the pehs were good. Fehve pehs were even better. And the locals were friendly. Mostly. (To be fair, there were only the six murders within a half-mile radius of my flat in the three years I was there.)
Dundee, however, has not let time stand still. The jute, jam, journalism association isn't what it was, but the city is leading the world in medical research and nanotechnology. Oh, and computer games.
The waterfront, where once the haar rolling in from the Tay was a blessing of disguise, has been made over and will be home to the £45 million V&A museum when it opens in 2016.
Meanwhile, I'm reliably informed by a resident teenager that Dundee is the place to be a student. (Fat Sams must have improved, then.)
So, Hull - congratulations, but you're welcome to it. While you soak up the tourists and bask in the limelight, we'll keep Dundee all to ourselves, thanks very much.
Dundee City of Culture was peh in the sky, after all.
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