CURIOUS names, continued.

Keddie Law says one of the secretaries in his former workplace was named Mrs Legge. She had a teenage daughter named Shona.

Keddie, incidentally, adds a PS that The Diary cannot resist: "I liked your new book - does this piece of flattery guarantee publication of the above?" Well, Keddie, it absolutely helps, as you no doubt now realise.

Whodunnit, sir?

WE also hear of an former school teacher named Charles Winton Dunnett. Say it quickly and you'll get it.

One for later, Ron

AND then there's this, from Ken Gilmour in sunny Kilsyth: "One of my favourites dates back to the good old days when teachers were allowed to hammer the weans.

"The president of STOPP, the Society of Teachers Opposed to Physical Punishment, was the aptly named Mr Ron Belter."

For good measure, Ken adds: "Another one I liked was a patient of my late father's named Mrs Moon who lived, appropriately, on Skye Road."

Below the belt?

A DIARY acquaintance took her nieces to see Cinderella at the King's Theatre just before Christmas and at one point one of the Ugly Sisters said a line of dialogue which prompted a (very modern-day) question from the seven-year-old niece: "Auntie, what's a vajazzle?"

Our acquaintance, still blushing, tells us: "I think I (only just) successfully managed to explain it away as a type of jewellery -"

Sales start early

THEY do things differently in Dundee. Cheaper, too.

Muir Austin spotted a reference in an article in last Friday's Herald (Positive prediction over Dundee building projects) to "millions of pounds worth of building projects" that will get under way during 2013.

They include the £45 million V&A museum, a £30m flats development – and a new £14 railway station.

Does this, Muir asks, relate to the news about National Rail buying cheap for the West Coast mainline upgrade?

Talked into it -

APPRENTICE tales, continued. Graham Neilson chips in: "In 1956, as a new junior, I was sent to the Post Office for stamps and a verbal agreement form."

Late call

ARCHIE Roy, professor of astronomy and paranormal investigator, died on December 27.

As The Herald obituary put it: "He would never state definitively that there was life after death but he was fond of saying: 'If, when I die, I find that I have not survived, I'll be very surprised.'"

Thus we wonder what Archie would make of the kindly comment left by a Herald reader online: "Enjoy your new life, Archie."

All the best

A HAPPY New Year from The Diary to all readers and contributors. Keep sending in these little snippets – and no, you really don't have to say how much you enjoyed The Diary book.