YOU'LL know the result of the Belgium-Scotland game by now but we couldn't resist mentioning this invite from Glasgow venue Walkabout, which splendidly combines fatalism and Braveheart-style defiance with a timely reminder of the importance of drink in our national life.

"I know we are down about Friday's result and the fact that Craig Levein's still in charge," it reads, "but let's face it we are Scottish and are used to abject failure so don't let Friday bother you, book a seat and do what we do best, get drunk and support our team."

THE BBC's political editor Nick Robinson tweeted this to his 111,118 followers yesterday: "Spectacular view of Scottish coast on the train taking me down South again on a dreak day (had to use that lovely evicative word)."

Memo to Nick: The spellchecking facility comes in handy sometimes – though, to be fair, it would probably struggle with "dreich".

AN email arrives from Andy Cameron. "When Felix Baumgartner the sky diver was having trouble with his parachute on the way down, he saw a wee Glesga man in overalls on the way up.

"'Do you know anything about parachutes?,' shouted Felix.

"'Naw,' says the Glesga man. 'Dae you know anything about gas cookers?'"

For good measure, Andy asks if it's true that, when they went to collect the capsule afterwards, its windscreen bore a parking ticket.

THE anti-feminist backlash has taken rather a long time to stir in Partick, but there are signs that it is finally rearing its head.

Herald writer Elizabeth McMeekin was waiting to get off her train there when an exceptionally well-dressed gent in his seventies nodded and said: "Good evening, ladies" to her and a younger woman nearby. How polite, thought Elizabeth. A nice older man.

But nothing prepared her for his next words, which were delivered with crisp venom: "Now get into the kitchen and put the tea on." Elizabeth, for the first and probably the last time in her life, was lost for words.

EVER wondered what sums up the Falkirk fighting spirit? No, nor have I, but writer Alan Bissett thinks he may know. He told a local audience a few nights ago that his gran is in a care home and that his mother went to see her.

So they were chatting away when gran suddenly says: "See that woman over there?" Mum looks around.

"Does she have a black eye?" gran persists. Mum indicates that she does. "I bopped her one," gran says, with some satisfaction.

SPEAKING of Alan, incidentally, we spotted this crypic tweet from him yesterday: "Was a go-go dancer last night for @teencanteen at the @YesScotland 2014 Social club in Edinburgh. These are the things I do for my country."

Not sure we want to know anything more about that, really.