Talk of the Town: Dillon puts heart and sole into role

HE’s perhaps the most unlikely sporting mascot of all time.

But that hasn’t stopped Dillon the shoe-loving Armadillo from Edinburgh being unveiled as the latest backer of Glasgow’s 2014’s “Sport Your Trainers” campaign.

The cute and cuddly little creature was more than happy to pose next to a pair of specially branded Glasgow Games trainers, worn by Edinburgh Zoo’s head of animals, Darren McGarry.

Dillon is one of two Southern three-banded armadillos at Edinburgh Zoo, and keepers said that as well as being constantly on the move he had “a slight fondness for shoes”, making him perfect for the job.

Painting a grim picture of some famous faces

THE interior of the National Portrait Gallery is known for its iconic images of the great and the good.

But that’s not all that can be found, and for anyone looking to learn about a host of besmirched Scots and their dark secrets, the gallery has created the “The Fur Coat an’ Nae Knickers” Trail.

The tongue-in-cheek trail guides visitors around portraits of “greetin’ faitherless bairn” Mary, Queen of Scots, as well as Robert Burns, Queen Victoria, James Hogg, Prince Charles Edward Stuart and “Big Banana Feet” funnyman Billy Connolly.

And, as the gallery itself advises, ye winnae want tae miss a gem hidden in this midden.

Ladies living it large

IT’S most certainly a girl thing.

While a boys’ night out consists of bad jokes, a few beers and the football, more than 30,000 women across the UK will be taking their version to a whole new level. Many of them right here in Edinburgh.

Billed as “Glasgow’s most popular fashion and lifestyle event”, Girls’ Day Out is coming to the Capital for the first time. There’ll be cocktail bars, dancers and fashion shows at the Royal Highland Centre from May 11-13.

The men in their lives will no doubt be left at home to do the dishes.

A dram pricey nip

A WEE nip goes down a treat most of the time.

But you’d have to be very good to yourself to splash out £15,000 for a bottle of the hard stuff. That’s what two whisky connoisseurs might just do at Bonhams auction house tomorrow when two rare 50-year-old Glenfiddich bottles go up for sale.

For anyone considering it, Bonhams’ whisky specialist Martin Green has tasted the tipple and says the bottles are well worth the hefty price tag.