Talk of tyhe Town: Well, that week was pretty dram good

But just in case we were running short of reasons, World Whisky Day is now here to stay, having involved 20,000 drinkers across the globe on its launch.

Celebration of the nation’s favourite tipple will become permanent worldwide on May 18 and the organisers hope the day will act as a focal point on the calendar for people to consider coming to Scotland to join celebrations in the home of whisky.

“Millions of discerning drinkers enjoy a dram and there is a taste of Scotland in every glass,” crooned food and drink minister Richard Lochhead.

It’s good to listen

AS regular readers of this column will hopefully agree, we’ve got pretty good chat in the Capital. And now we’ve got the proof, after the results of a new survey on listening were published.

It shows that just a third of us in the Capital admit to switching off during the first 30 seconds of a conversation – far fewer than our counterparts in England, Ireland and Wales.

And if you doubted the results, they’re backed by non other than everyone’s favourite TV clinician, Dr Hilary Jones.

Now . . . what was that they said about switching off?

Beaver fever at Botanics

ANIMAL-LOVERS were being invited to join in some “fun, beaver activities” at the Botanic Gardens this weekend.

Given that the events were being held during the day such activities may include “being asleep” (beavers are nocturnal), or maybe cutting off branches and trees with only your front teeth and using them to build semi-aquatic living quarters?

How about slapping water with your large, flat, scaly tail to signal danger to others? Staying underwater for up to 15 minutes is not advised,

In fact, those who headed down to the Botanics had a chance to join a beaver tracking trail and use a GPS handset, feel a beaver pelt, and help make a giant beaver habitat.

Something fishy here

DEEP Sea World has a bizarre new arrival that doesn’t seem to fit the perceived mould of an aquatic animal.

Ten mudskipper fish that appear to be more at home on land than in water are settling into their new surroundings at the attraction.

The fish are able to “breathe” on land through specially adapted gills and like climbing on grass inches above the water level.