Talk of the Town: Forgetful couples left in awkward position

THERE is no doubt that Edinburgh is one of Europe's most romantic cities, with the views of the Castle on a crisp winter's evening, taking a stroll arm in arm down the Royal Mile, gazing into each other's eyes at the top of Arthur's Seat and, erm, going to the Travelodge.

Apparently so, if an unlikely list of lost property from the hotel chain is to be believed. While its properties throughout the UK have discovered everything from a rocking horse to a Bengal kitten left behind, in Edinburgh several copies of the Kama Sutra fill the lost property cupboard.

Shop staff show an ice touch to elderly customer

TALES of the Capital's snow heroes are still trickling in.

Neil Wylie tells us that the staff at Easter Road Scotmid went beyond the call of duty for his elderly father during the cold snap and are still doing so.

He says that while 83-year-old Thomas was housebound by the snow and ice, staff were delivering his groceries to his home. Then, when he was taken ill after Christmas, a shop manager turned up at hospital clutching a box of fruit. Since returning home the shop has continued to deliver his essentials to his door while he recovers. Now that's good service.

It is a happy new year

EDINBURGH'S always topping the tables for quality of life, and did so again this week in a poll to find the happiest city in Britain.

The survey, carried out by an egg company, found that 79 per cent of Edinburgh respondents were happy with their home life, bringing the Capital out on top of UK cities polled. Happy? It's kind of hard to believe in the first week of January. Grumble, grumble.

That's no weigh to do it

SCOTTISH Rugby's penny pinching, certainly during the amateur era, was legendary but the "Mandarins of Murrayfield" surpassed themselves in a tale recounted by the authors of Behind The Thistle, a new book in which internationalists share experiences in the dark blue.

For example, Frank Coutts died recently but not before recalling how, in 1946, he was among the first players whose heights and weights were to be measured.

Stepping on to the Murrayfield weighing machine he was greeted by then SRU secretary Harry Simpson with the words: "Where's your penny, Mr Coutts?"

As well as putting their bodies on the line in matches, Scotland players were expected to cough up the 1p to operate the weighing machine for programme details.