Talk of the Town: Turley's attitude is constantly sunny

HAVING faced up to four weeks of horrendous winter weather that has cost his council department more than £6 million, it would be no surprise if Mark Turley had something of a pessimistic attitude towards the weather.

However, during a council committee meeting discussing what the city can do in future to deal with bad weather, including which ratio of resources are allocated to the city centre and which are devoted to the southern and western areas, Mr Turley quipped: "Let's have that debate in the long hot summer."

Blog finds sporting hero forgetting his roots

FOR some, grand slam tennis tournaments mean an entertaining blog on the Tennis Scotland website from Judy Murray.

Regardless of how sons Andy and Jamie fare in Melbourne, Ms Murray, once of Comely Bank but more commonly affiliated with her Dunblane hometown, has started the tournament blog in great form with a pop at an English cricket team member who seemed to forget his South African roots.

Referring to how Ukraine-born but Perthshire-reared Elena Baltacha was tackling American Jamie Hampton in front of some Ashes heroes, Judy wryly noted "one whose initials are KP, asked "Which one's the Brit?". I resisted the temptation to throw the same question at his little group."

30-second rugby teaser

Sticking with sport, when rugby fans without pockets deep enough to fly out to New Zealand settle down to watch the World Cup in September they'll find that this year, for the first time, cameras will be allowed routinely into the teams' dressing rooms, a move which you might expect to lead to some explosive viewing.

The reality though is likely to be far more sedate - microphones will be switched off at all times and the cameras will cut after exactly 30 seconds. So, expect to see players sitting sedately, pulling off their boots and shorts for half a minute - as well as the odd bare backside.

Put marmalade to the test

IT'S not often you see Waverley station listed as an events venue, but there could be nowhere more suitable for the Edinburgh leg of Paddington Bear's UK tour.

The bear, famously found at Paddington Station by the Brown family, will drop into the station en route to the Marmalade Festival in Cumbria on February 12.

Anyone who wants to enter the festival's home-made marmalade competition can hand in their jars during his visit, which kicks off at 11am on February 5.