Blessed relief for Malawian squirrel

IT'S one of the smellier places for a rodent to forge its nest.

But a Malawian toilet was home-sweet-home to a squirrel discovered by an Edinburgh entrepreneur.

Duncan Goose, 42, lifted the toilet seat to find the furry mammal peering up at him.

Mr Goose was in the African country to check on the humanitarian aid projects funded by his company's One projects when he came to the animal's rescue.

He said: "I was concerned it was going to jump out and bite me, so I put the lid back down and left it for a minute.

"In the end I put a hand towel down the toilet, allowed it to climb up, put it in a laundry basket, took it outside and released it back into the wild."

No laughs at interview with tough questions

JOB interviews can be daunting affairs, with impenetrable application forms filled with challenging questions.

Not so at the Leith Agency it seems. In searching for applicants to join their HotDesk venture, applicants are asked: "Who deserves your last Rolo and why?" and "If the moon was made of cheese, what would you call it and how would you package it?"

Within all the mirth there are a few prescient questions, however, which could prove invaluable to the award-winning company - they have asked applicants to imagine a way of marketing a beer if all alcohol advertising has been banned.

May contain nuts …

IT IS perhaps a sign of the times that "unfashionable" foods such as tripe, trotters and testicles are making a comeback on menus.

Michelin-starred Tom Kitchin is encouraging consumers to minimise waste by using every part of an animal and experiment with new ingredients. He said: "Nose-to-tail cooking is something that I'm passionate about and I love experimenting with different and unusual cuts to maximise flavours."

Healthy combination

GOING green and getting healthy are two messages for the next generation now neatly combined.

As part of a Fruity Friday bike-to-school day organised by UK charity Sustrans, children at Oxgangs Primary School got to try out the Fender Blender - a smoothie machine powered by a bicycle.

It was a huge hit, and Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative which provided it should look at shifting a few more. What better incentive could there be for cycling to work than smoothie on arrival?