Talk of the Town: Nuns praying for a millionaire miracle

AN ORDER of nuns are praying that the property market crash won't become a habit as they try to sell their convent for a second time.

St Margaret's Convent in Strathearn Road, owned by the Order of Ursulines of Jesus, was put up for sale two years ago for offers over 1.8 million, but remained unsold.

Now the ten-bedroom baronial mansion – complete with its own chapel and a walled garden – is back on the market at offers over 1.5m.

This time, though, there are also plans for the garden to be sold off separately. Selling agent Rettie & Co has had an architect draw up plans for how a development of six two-storey terraced homes in the garden would look. The B-listed house could also be split into four apartments.

The convent – at one time home to 16 nuns – is being sold as the number of novices entering the sisterhood has dwindled. Surely a bit of divine invention will speed things along.

Arrows point the way to take a peek at Pegg

BURKE and Hare star Simon Pegg was settling into Edinburgh yesterday after revealing to his fans on Twitter that the film crew would begin shooting the blockbuster on the Royal Mile.

The celebrity tweeter told followers: "Think we're filming on the Royal Mile. Look for the lights and trucks if you fancy taking a peek."

In an earlier message, he also told the world how much he had missed Edinburgh's hilly cobbles.

There was also a much more old fashioned way for fans to find out where the cameras were rolling – a number of arrows left on lampposts for the film team which pointed to the site.

Painful waiting

IF YOU thought you were joining a long queue the last time you had to go to accident and emergency, statistics prove you are right.

According to Accident Claims Scotland, an accident occurs in Scotland every 30 seconds and more than 4,000 people go to A&E every day – that's more than 170 every hour, or two every minute.

Now ACS, an accident management firm, has launched a search for Edinburgh's – and Scotland's – most accident prone person with a 1,000 prize for the winner.

Hard work goes up in smoke

IT'S good to know that the reams of paperwork produced by the council on a regular basis are proving useful.

After a community garden clear-up near the Royal Edinburgh on Saturday, they came to start the bonfire, but there was one thing missing.

One of the participants tells us: "There was no paper to light the fire, except for a copy of the City of Edinburgh allotments strategy. So the allotments strategy has helped community gardens already."

Oh dear – all that hard work going up in smoke.