Talk of the Town: The Gold medal for courtesy goes to..

PEACE has broken out between two Capital business rivals after what one onlooker described as a "gentlemanly gesture" involving a pair of swimming trunks at an Edinburgh health club.

At various stages rows involving kiltmaker Geoffrey Nicholsby and the Gold Brothers tartan empire have spilled into our law courts, which made what happened recently at the Escape Club all the more remarkable.

Preparing for a swim Mr Nicholsby found he had forgotten his trunks. Overhearing, fellow member Surinder Singh, of Gold Brothers, offered the use of his spare pair. Our mole tells us: "Thousands spent on lawyer's fees between these two factions and it all ends with a handshake and an exchange of swimwear."

A ghost of a chance of finding top tourist haunt

WHILE a connection with the spirit world is all well and good, it does have its limitations. Most Haunted medium Chris Conway, a Glasgow lad who, oddly, had never been to Edinburgh before last week, was baffled by our historic winding streets. Unable to find the Real Mary King's Close, where he was booked for seances, he phoned the venue to ask for directions.

The staffer who answered the phone asked: "I thought you were psychic? Don't you know?", to which Mr Conway replied: "No". We can only assume that while ghosts are happy to discuss their afterlives, they don't do directions.

Slap prang wallop!

A SURVEY by Accident Claims Scotland says 217 road accidents are caused daily by Scotswomen applying make-up and one fifth of Edinburgh lasses have admitted to applying slap while driving.

Martin Haggarty, managing director of ACS, said: "There are over 1,460,000 accidents in Scotland each year. We would advise all drivers to not undertake any activity which may distract them from the road."

No statistics are available to show how many males have been conforming to stereotype and causing prangs by picking their noses and refusing to stop for directions.

Ice work if you can get it

ICE hockey player Mark Garside is making heads turn as he helps Edinburgh Capitals climb the Elite League table and he's also proving popular on the music scene.

The 20-year-old from East Kilbride had a busy schedule at the weekend, launching his new CD in an Edinburgh pub on Friday night, then focusing on a massive home double-header with Elite League title contenders Belfast Giants on Saturday and Sunday.

Currently, it's all go as he also works two days a week in the Penalty Box ice hockey equipment shop in Edinburgh.

His CD, Moments in Time, had its first airing at The Mercat Bar. He said: "Music is part of my life and I can fit in gigs, working in the shop and playing during the season."