In a week which saw politicians in London and Edinburgh enter full-on spat mode over the future of Scottish banknotes post-independence, it's easy to forget that the note which always everybody's favourite – the Scottish £1 note – was going the way of the dodo even by the time of devolution.
In a world where most people spend their working week in dull suiting and their weekends in laid-back jeans and t-shirts, thank heavens for weddings and formal events that require us to dress up in our Sunday best.
When the Maine hermit was picked up by police, after 27 years of living in the woods, one of the things he said he had done in recent years was watch a mushroom growing outside his tent.
And cavewomen, of course, because although the notion of gender equality wasn't fully formed during the pre-historic period, a cave needed a Ma and a Pa if it was to be properly populated.
When Fanny Cradock first hit our television screens back in the 1950s and 1960s, she wasn't afraid of looking her viewers straight in the eye while whipping up the batter for her famous doughnuts.
In Praise Of... Archive
AU revoir.
In a week which saw politicians in London and Edinburgh enter full-on spat mode over the future of Scottish banknotes post-independence, it's easy to forget that the note which always everybody's favourite – the Scottish £1 note – was going the way of the dodo even by the time of devolution.
THIS week we celebrated World Book Day.
Imagine Cindy Crawford.
I CANNOT imagine playing War Pigs, Paranoid or Children of the Grave to my flowers, but it's what top horticulturalists are recommending.
In a world where most people spend their working week in dull suiting and their weekends in laid-back jeans and t-shirts, thank heavens for weddings and formal events that require us to dress up in our Sunday best.
IF I won a million pounds, I'd pay off my mortgage, have my first holiday in ages and buy one of those pizzas with the extra topping.
NAT Ackerman, a middle-aged dress manufacturer, is lying on his bed, reading.
I was out running the other day near my house and passing me in the other direction was a paragon of sheer human endeavour.
Does anyone else remember video jukeboxes?
THERE are hazards in buying stuff online.
There's a familiar feeling in the cinema this year.
IS spelling going oot the windae?
When the Maine hermit was picked up by police, after 27 years of living in the woods, one of the things he said he had done in recent years was watch a mushroom growing outside his tent.
It's a scenario that, given the current austerity drive and soaring fuel prices, could easily become a reality in the UK.
And cavewomen, of course, because although the notion of gender equality wasn't fully formed during the pre-historic period, a cave needed a Ma and a Pa if it was to be properly populated.
TIME to 'fess up.
DEATH.
HONESTLY, who wants to be known for being sensible?
I've never had blonde hair (and wouldn't suit it quite frankly) but thanks to the stars of Alfred Hitchcock's classic films, it has a lasting allure.
THE rhinoceros – big, bad and downright violent.
YOU can keep your James Bonds, Hobbits, Hunger Games and whatever other lucrative film franchises you can think of.
IT'S a grim job, but somebody has to do it.
Sometimes our imaginations work better without help.
I'VE been toying with the idea of erecting a hedge at the border of my somewhat open front garden.
What's the worst traffic jam you've ever been stuck in?
I've never won an award, for anything, but the village I live in has, for the wrong reasons.
O to be a night bird.
YOU hear the expression "cooncil telly" irritatingly misused a lot these days.
When Fanny Cradock first hit our television screens back in the 1950s and 1960s, she wasn't afraid of looking her viewers straight in the eye while whipping up the batter for her famous doughnuts.