SCOTLAND will miss fiery campaigner Margo MacDonald.

We remember in her lengthy campaign to have assisted suicide legally recognised, a journalist asked if it could lead to Scotland becoming a destination for "death tourism".

"We already have it," replied Margo. "It's called Saltcoats."

A dog and a half

GOING to the vet's is becoming increasingly complicated with the wide variety of tests now available. One Glasgow south-side dog owner was told by the vet that he wanted to carry out a test on his pooch's liver function. "No need to worry," the owner replied. "I've banned him from strong drink for a while now."

Missing the pint

AS we call time on our under-age drinking stories, Jock Laidlaw in Lockerbie recalls: "Still at school, we used to chance our arms in the local hostelry. On one occasion, having ordered a few pints, we were asked by the barmaid to confirm we were indeed 18, as she was aware that the police were doing the rounds. At that, one of our number thinking on his feet said 'Well, better make it a half-pint then'."

Bringing the house down

MORE on the odd decision to blow up the Red Road flats as Commonwealth Games entertainment. As reader Alastair McKenzie in Bearsden put it: "Wrong ... on so many levels."

And David Donaldson ponders: "I think Glasgow could be missing a trick here. If they hung a large banner saying '£100m' on each of the five towers, it would sum up neatly the cost of the Games."

Idea catches fire

INSTEAD of just decrying the Red Roads demolition idea, some folk are already thinking about how to enhance the experience. Said one south-side resident: "Just a thought. Instead of blasting the Red Road flats to rubble as an opener for the running-and-jumping fest, why not have a giant chip-pan fire to launch the event?"

Art you can swear by

EDINBURGH art gallery Urbane Art on Jeffrey Street is putting on the first UK exhibition of celebrated French artist So Fu, who has already exhibited in New York, Paris, and Barcelona. Chatting to almost 200 people over the weekend in Edinburgh, the artist politely answered to his name So Fu, but it turns out that early in his career a gallery tried to rip him off so he signed a canvas "So F U" and the name has stuck, and he has used it ever since. In Glasgow of course So Fu might be taken to mean someone who had imbibed too much.

Grapes of wrath

A CLARKSTON reader tells us she caught her four-year-old daughter lifting some grapes from her younger sister's plate. "Are you stealing your sister's grapes?" demanded mum.

"No," she replied. "I'm teaching her to share."

And one for your selfie

A CHAP in a Glasgow pub at the weekend announced to his pals that he had downloaded the Lockwatch app on his mobile phone which discreetly takes a picture of anyone who tries to use the phone and types in the wrong password.

"I've now got eight pictures of me when I'm drunk," he added.

Mum's the word

WE wonder how many readers will identify with Michele Catalano who explained: "There are two types of people in my life. People who understand that I hate talking on the phone, and my mother."