Talk of the Town: Rankin gives fans a dressing down

HE is a keen user of Twitter, but it seems even Ian Rankin has his limits when it comes to his followers.

The Edinburgh author currently has 25,000 followers on the site, but admitted that some of the most recent might not be the devoted Rebus fans he is used to.

With their sexy profile pics they could perhaps have been the kind of groupies rock stars adore but, as the author quickly spotted, they weren’t exactly the real deal.

In a cheeky nod to the semi-naked spam followers, Rankin noted: “Checking profiles of some recent followers, a lot of young women seem to have good middle-management jobs, but work in overheated offices.”

Doggy dating day to collar the perfect love match

WE were all “awwed” out by romantic children’s cartoon Lady and the Tramp, but this is a new scheme that is certain to get tongues – and tails – wagging.

A doggy dating day is being planned at the Dogs Trust West Calder ahead of Valentine’s Day in order to find the perfect match between pooch and owner.

The free event will take place between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday. Anyone with a lovelorn labrador or heartbroken Highland terrier is welcome to attend.

All fright on the night

IT used to be a classic cinema event in the 1980s – a whole night in the dark watching horror films.

Regular all-night fright fests have long been a thing of the past, although the annual all-nighter held as the centrepiece of the Capital’s Dead by Dawn horror film festival is still packed every year.

Now insomniac horror fans will have another place to while away those late-night hours, after the Cameo announced it was to bring back the scream-a-thon.

The cinema will be showing a collection of classic horror films through the night on November 27.

With the owners claiming the venue is “officially haunted”, it might not just be the films that have the audience screaming their way through the night.

Little shop of horrors

IT is supposed to be the dream pastime for women everywhere, but it turns out a large number of Edinburgh ladies hate shopping just as much as men.

A new survey has revealed that one-third of ladies get themselves “in a flap” whenever they go to the shops.

Of course, the survey by the Co-operative group focused on the experience of the weekly food shop. Talk of the Town humbly suggests most ladies would feel a lot more at ease on a leisurely hunt for the latest designer handbag.