The Rampant Scotland Newsletter - your weekly insight into what has been happening in Scotland, snipped from the Scottish media, for Scots in Scotland and abroad, bringing you news, events plus a Scottish magazine section. Printed with 100% recycled electrons.
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Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
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The "Magazine" section includes songs/poems of Scotland, Scottish humour and brief descriptions of Scottish Culture items added recently to the Rampant Scotland Website - with a link to the page where you can find the full feature, if you find the subject of interest to you.
This poem by Watt Nicol is the story of a hen-pecked husband whose wife has discovered his secret store of booze and is forced to pour it down the sink. Of course, what's a fellow to do in such circumstances but have a wee taste of each bottle as it gets poured? It is suggested that the man must be from Glasgow - first, because of the humour (and some strong language) and lastly because the wife is clearly stronger than the husband! Tall Tale I pu'd the cork fae the first bottle, had a little drink,
Oh the next three bottles they were very quickly swilled,
The eighth sink was different, for the glass was very slack.
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Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
As the political parties launched their election campaigns in earnest this week, with politicians trying to convince the electorate that their policies were the right ones, an opinion poll shows that the man in the street believes that there should be more police on the beat to fight crime and that nurses should get more pay. They are also against toll charges on motorists entering cities - and believe that there are too many Members of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. The survey was commissioned by BBC Scotland and asked those questioned to rate 21 policy areas. The survey also showed a low level of support for more money for the arts.
City analysts had been expecting a slight increase in retail sales in March after a disappointing set of figures in February. But they were shocked to find that they had declined in March at the highest rate for 18 months. Clothing sales slumped by 26% and demand for household appliances fell by nearly 25%. It is being suggested that consumer confidence seems to have been dented by continuing uncertainties caused by the Middle East and by tax increases which come into force in April.
Sir Sean Connery has turned down the invitation to head the Tartan Day march along New York's Sixth Avenue on 5 April. He claims that last year he was "used as a political football" when he attended the event. He had led the march last year, walking with the Scottish First Minister, Jack McConnell. This year, Jack McConnell will not be attending either, as he is involved in the election campaign. However, Sir David Steel, the Scottish Parliament's out-going Presiding Officer, will be representing the legislature this year. Some sources have suggest that Connery is having a rest in his Bahamas home after finishing filming in Prague for his latest movie.
Police forces in Scotland took part in a 24-hour initiative called "National No Speeding Day" this week in which they mounted additional high-visibility radar speed operations to encourage motorists to slow down. This is part of a government strategy to reduce the number of road deaths and serious injuries. Much has already been achieved in recent years to achieve reductions in serious accidents, despite the ever-increasing numbers of cars on the roads.
An eleventh-hour attempt to save a historic Glasgow cinema has failed after local residents and the Member of Parliament failed to find a new operator for the Toledo cinema in Muirend. The ABC cinema chain closed the building in October 2001, saying that the B-listed building would be converted into 30 luxury flats by Cala Homes. The fabric of the 1933 building, with its Spanish architectural elements, has been allowed to deteriorate and would require substantial investment and repair. Cala say that they plan to retain the Art Deco facade, incorporate elements from the original cinema in the foyer and extend the building to the rear.
The luxury penthouses at the top of the former Post Office building in Glasgow's George Square have all been sold - a year after being put on the market with price tags between �350,000 and �500,000. Most of the smaller apartments were sold soon after they went on sale. The selling agent claims that where large sums are involved, people often want to see the finished product before agreeing to buy. The flats are due to be occupied at the end of the month.
A writing desk which was designed in 1904 by the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and which was bought recently by Glasgow City Council for �1 million, has returned to the house for which it was originally designed. The desk, made from ebonised mahogany, was created by Mackintosh for the drawing room in Walter Blackie's home at Hillhouse in Helensburgh. It was bought along with three other Mackintosh designed items for a total of �1.5 million at an auction last November. The furniture has been on display in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.
Researchers at Glasgow and Edinburgh universities have produced a startling report that suggests that moving from towns and cities to the countryside to reduce stress can often result in feelings of desperation and loneliness. They say that people who decide to move to what they perceive as the restful environment of the Highlands, exacerbate stress levels and increase the likelihood of people developing mental health problems, including depression. The researchers say that many of us have an image of the Scottish rural idyll and a relaxed pace of life. But people who move there to escape the rat race often find that although there is peaceful countryside there is not the support mechanism they need.
The memorial to William McGonagall on Dundee's Riverside Drive has lines from the poet's works set in stone on the walkway. Visitors smile when they see that the first line of his poem about the Tay Rail Bridge begins with a spelling mistake - "Beatiful" instead of "Beautiful". But the creators of the memorial spelt the word like that deliberately. McGonagall, who is well known for mangling rhymes and metre in his works, was prone to the odd spelling mistake too. It appears that in his manuscript for the poem he made five spelling mistakes in the seven verses of the poem. (The illustration here is of the McGonagall memorial, Greyfriars Churchyard, Edinburgh).
Freight trains could travel faster than passenger trains on services between London and Edinburgh under plans unveiled this week by freight operator EWS. The company wants to run non-stop trains at 125mph in services starting next year. But they will have to negotiate time slots on the already busy route with the infrastructure owner Network Rail. EWS is launching new freight services over the next four months serving Glasgow, Stranraer, Grangemouth, Aberdeen and Inverness.
Buckhaven Parish Church has been without a minister for two years as a consequence of the shortage of Church of Scotland clerics - nearly 200 parishes are without an incumbent. But the congregation has come up with a novel way of attracting a candidate - they are placing a text message "R U the Min 4 us?" in the next edition of Life and Work, the Church's magazine. The church is also inviting applications by e-mail in the hope that they can attract the attention of a suitable applicant.
It was almost a relief to have rain on Tuesday this week - while not exactly a drought, the long sunny spells are continuing. Glasgow had over 50 hours of sunshine from last Saturday to Friday and Edinburgh only slightly less. Early in the week, temperatures were not particularly high at 10/12C (50/54F) and cool winds from the North Sea made it feel even lower than that. But by Thursday the temperatures had risen to 18C (66F) in St Andrews and on Friday Edinburgh was not far behind on Friday with 17C (63F). Glasgow did not enjoy such high temperatures, however, managing only 14C (57F) on both days. But that was better than a decidedly chilly 9C (48F) on Tuesday.
This week's illustrations of current flowers in Scotland are (above) a camelia flowering in the grounds of Finlaystone House in Inverclyde. Also illustrated here is the blossom of ornamental cherry trees which line some of the streets in Milngavie, north of Glasgow. Both photos were taken within the last ten days.
Less than a year after the controversial completion of a new visitor centre at Urquhart Castle, the visitor attraction has been awarded "Five Stars" by VisitScotland tourism agency. The ruined castle dates back to at least the 13th century and overlooks Loch Ness. Over the centuries, the castle has been the scene of many sieges and has changed hands on many occasions. But the main A82 road passes by and as the popularity of the castle grew, the visitor car park often overflowed in the summer, resulting in cars being parked on the verge. Plans by Historic Scotland to improve the facilities and create a larger visitor centre with historic interpretation services, were fought by locals and those who said the development would spoil the historic site. 
James Hogg, a shepherd from the Ettrick Valley in the Scottish Borders, lived from 1770 to 1835. He was inspired to write poetry on reading the works of Allan Ramsay and although he is not as highly regarded as Robert Burns, he eventually became recognised outside of his local area. Sir Walter Scott gave him encouragement at one stage. For some years, a collection of artefacts and material from Hogg's life has been displayed at Aikwood Tower, home of Sir David Steel, the Scottish Parliament's Presiding Officer. Scholars and descendants of Hogg have been visiting Aikwood where the items have been displayed in an out-building. But now the material has been transferred to Bowhill, one of the stately homes owned by the Duke of Buccleuch where they will be put on permanent display. The move to Buccleuch property is very appropriate as Hogg received early encouragement from the wife of the 4th Duke of Buccleuch in the early 19th century.
A survey of tourists visiting Glasgow has shown that the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is the top building for being photographed. George Square and the City Chambers are second, followed by Wellington's statue (usually with a traffic cone on his head), the Mackintosh designed School of Art and the Clyde Auditorium (better known as the Armadillo, because of its shape). But some visitors leave disappointed - Glasgow doesn't have a castle.
Taigh Dhonnchaidh, the Ness based arts and music centre is presenting a festival celebrating the shared Gaelic song tradition of Scotland and Ireland. F�is nan �ran offers participants the opportunity to attend workshops and lectures from some of the top traditional singers and academics from Scotland and Ireland. There is the opportunity to experience first hand the Gaelic song tradition and culture in a heartland of the Scottish Gaidhealtachd. Participants will also be able to discuss and experience the common Scottish/Irish musical heritage. F�is nan �ran will be held at Taigh Dhonnchaidh and other local venues in Ness, Isle of Lewis and Western Isles of Scotland. It runs from Thursday 10th April to Saturday 12th April. For further information visit 
Glasgow Art Fair is the UK's largest art fair outside London. It has been running in marquees in the city's central George Square since 1996 and 16,000 attended in 2002. That's set to rise again this year as the number of exhibitors increases, including for the first time galleries from Portugal, France and Poland.The Art Fair also forms part of Raw: Real Art Weekend, a series of special visual arts exhibitions and many other events programmed at 17 venues across the city. All this, plus exhibitions, film screenings, performances, open studios, artist talks and events at venues around Glasgow including the Tramway, Gallery of Modern Art and Glasgow Print Studio amongst others. The event takes place over 10th -13 April. For more details see 
On paper, Rangers are 9 points ahead of their nearest rivals Celtic, but the Scottish Premier League leaders have played three games more than the Parkhead club. Hearts are in third place, 22 points behind Celtic. The SPL splits into the top six and bottom six teams after next Saturday's matches, each section then playing the other teams in their group. Currently Kilmarnock, Dunfermline and Dundee are in the top half along with the league leaders. At the foot of the SPL, Motherwell have 24 points from 31 games and Dundee United have 25 points from 32 games.
After Scotland's 2-1 defeat of Iceland in the previous week in the Euro 2004 qualifying rounds, there were hopes that the Scotland international football team could consolidate their position at the top of their section in their next game against Lithuania. But the Lithuanian team had already shown they were no push-overs by drawing with Germany. Scotland manager Berti Vogts said before the match that he would settle for a draw, but such an optimistic outcome was not to be. Scotland suffered as usual from a lack of firepower at the front and as Lithuania pressed in attack in the second half, they won a penalty and scored from the spot. It may have been a "soft" penalty, but particularly in the second half, Scotland made little impact on the Lithuanian goal - there were only two shots on target during the whole 90 minutes. The loss does not mean that Scotland will not qualify at least for the play-offs, but it does make the task that much harder.
