Talk of the Town: If at first you don't succeed …

AFTER Scottish Secretary Michael Moore's controversial suggestion Scotland would need two referendums before it could have independence, First Minister Alex Salmond was obviously looking forward to answering the regular question at First Minister's Questions about when he will next meet the Secretary of State.

"I met him yesterday and I'm meeting him again today," said Mr Salmond.

"It's part of my two-meetings strategy - if I don't get the answer I want at the first one, I organise another one."

Listen, it WAS like that when I were a lad

ON Wednesday, we brought you news of the new deep-fried jam sandwich to be served at Treacle in Broughton Street in honour of jam week.

However, John Lawrie wrote: "These are nothing new. When I was a boy and stayed with my aunt in Marchmont during WW2 these were made regularly for my cousin and I for our supper, two slices of bread, crusts cut off, spread with marg and jam, cut into four little squares, dipped in batter then deep fried and, if my memory serves me, they tasted almost like dough-nuts,which were hard to come by with food rationing, but they were very good."

Happiness is …

Boom times lie ahead

GARDENERS tidying up a heavily overgrown flower bed at Deep Sea World uncovered more than they bargained for.

As well as an anchor (quite apt) Nick Hughes, the maintenance manager, and a team of gardeners also found a cannon.

Nick says: "The cannon was buried close to the surface and weighs a ton. Once we've been able to find out a little more about it, our plan is to move it so that it can be given pride of place in the new sensory garden we're working on."

Better pickings next year

TALKING of tidy-ups, it was a dirty job but thousands of volunteers in the Capital got stuck in to help keep the city clean.

Figures from the latest Keep Scotland Beautiful's national spring clean campaign show more than 97,000 took part this year, 14,000 up on last time, with 7,715 of those in Edinburgh.

Volunteers picked up thousands of juice and alcohol bottles and cans, crisp bags and fast food wrappers. Every one of them deserves our thanks. Organisers are looking to reach the 100,000 mark. What are you waiting for?