REMEMBRANCE Sunday yesterday, of course, and John Bannerman, with other veterans of the Royal Marines Reserve had spent the days before it collecting for Poppy Scotland outside Asda in Govan, where customers were more than generous.

Says John: "An old lady came up to me with a handful of coppers, and asked me if it was all right to put the coppers into the can. I assured her it was, adding, 'Every little helps'.

"'This is Asda son, no' Tesco,' she replied."

Whisper it ...

THE HILTON Hotel in Glasgow's city centre had a birthday bash to celebrate its 20 years in Glasgow with guests being entertained by local nine-piece soul band Counselled Out.

Lead vocalist Drew Robertson broke off from introducing the next number to tell his audience in the hotel foyer: "Please refrain from taking pictures of the band for security reasons."

A few folk nodded their heads in sympathy with the added problems that life brings these days, when Drew added, after looking at his fellow band members: "Social security reasons."

Location, location ...

A COMPLAINT about The Herald's webpage. Says a reader sheltering from the West of Scotland rain on Saturday: "I looked at the top of your web page where it has a location and a temperature. Underneath, there is a button to 'Change Location'. I pressed it but nothing happened. I'm still here!"

Stating the obvious

A READER noticed that the branch of the travel agent Thomas Cook in Helensburgh is already advertising Valentine's Day trips to London, which includes travel, hotel and afternoon tea in Harrods.

He just wonders how necessary it was to add in small print that the price was based on two sharing.

Briefs encounter?

WORDS that don't mean the same across the Atlantic. Says David Macleod in Lenzie: "When my brother visited from Canada, he remarked to my cousin's girlfriend, who normally wears skirts but on this occasion was wearing trousers, 'I think this is the first time I've seen you with pants on'."

Cross puposes

RUGBY tours continued. Ian Meikle from Ayr was on the rugby tour to Washington we mentioned, and tells us of a member of the party who had spent the afternoon over-imbibing in a friendly hostelry before suddenly panicking, realising he had been due to meet up with the others 10 minutes earlier at the Hilton Hotel. Says Ian: "Rushing out the door, he jumped in a waiting taxi and instructed the driver to take him to the Hilton.

"The surly Washington taxi driver immediately completed a U turn, stopped outside the Hilton, and said gruffly, 'That will be $10'. Yes he had spent the afternoon directly across from the hotel."

Over ra rainbow?

WE complete our daft Hollywood/Scotland crossovers with Carl Williamson commenting: "Who could forget the superb Judy Barraland."