Talk of the Town: Rankin files a full report on lunch

THE world of publishing rarely opens its inner-workings to the wider world.

Author Ian Rankin has given his Twitter followers an insight into this secret world, however, updating them on what appears to have been a very productive lunch with his publishers.

Fans were able to learn, for example, that among the topics of discussion were new book jackets, his next novel and upcoming apps.

After numerous requests the best-selling crime writer even provided details of the lunch, at upmarket restaurant Ondine - "booze, fish soup, booze, um, fish I think, booze, treacle pud, booze, coffee. Amnesia".

He then added: "I think I remember signing a contract of some kind...."

Don't skip this chance to win a trip to Amsterdam

IT'S a classic schoolyard skipping game - and now a nationwide search to discover Britain's best team is coming to the Capital.

The top local team will hop, skip and jump all the way to the grand final in London with the chance to win a city break to Amsterdam .

Entrants are being challenged to record a 30-second video clip of their team 'Double Dutching' and upload on to blog.easyjet.com/double-dutch to face the public vote. Deadline is midday on March 2 and the competition comes to Edinburgh on March 19.

Slice way to spend a night

THEY say the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

And a Capital pizza parlour has taken that maxim all to literally by whipping up a heart-shaped cheesy treat for Valentine's Day.

Papa John's in Leith is offering a pizza the romance for those couples wishing to curl up at home on February 14.

Each pizza, available in XL and XXL sizes, is decorated with pepperoni to portray a cute heart.

A singletons group are believed to have been left "cheesed off" at being snubbed by the offer.

Polls apart

IT is an age-old complaint set to remain for the foreseeable future.

But while most school pupils would happily spend their time moaning about their homework rather than actually getting on with it, it seems their parents have a different view.

Just fewer than 40 per cent of parents in Edinburgh believe their offspring are actually given too little homework.

The results come from the city council's online newsletter, FACe.

We have to wonder if the 35 per cent of "parents" who believe their children get too much homework might in fact be pupils in disguise.