Talk of the Town: Grubb's up, once the carol singers go

WITH a list of 13 different groups giving deputations and a lengthy agenda filled with big issues like trams, pay disputes, privatisation and budgets, councillors at the recent full council knew they were in for a long day.

It seems, however, that Lord Provost George Grubb was in just a bit too much of a hurry to get on with things.

Having invited along some local primary school children to sing three Christmas carols, Cllr Grubb said after the second song: "Thank you very much for coming along," only to be shouted down by councillors that knew there was still another tune to come.

After the final song, he then read through the expected timetable which, to the alarm of many, included "supper at 8pm" - ten hours away - to which one Labour councillor shouted: "When's breakfast?"

Criminals frozen out of action by wintry weather

WHILE most Edinburgh residents have been complaining about the snow and ice, one local blogger has been putting a positive spin on the winter weather.

Emily Dodd, who writes for the Greener Leith blog, has been making the case that Edinburgh's communities have been pulling together during the bad weather for the past few weeks.

She's now uncovered figures from the police showing a city-wide drop in crime while Edinburgh was snowbound of roughly a third, compared to the previous year.

Were all the wrong 'uns off sledging?

Burger is sprout of order

THEY are one of the less enjoyable Christmas traditions, but it seems the humble Brussels sprout is about to become cool.

Despite, or perhaps because of, Scotland having one of the lowest sales of sprouts in the UK, Edinburgh has been chosen as one of just three UK cities to "enjoy" the new Sprout Surprise Whopper from Burger King.

The festive treat features a traditional whopper with a "festive twist" of Emmental cheese and Brussels sprouts.

With this book, I thee wed

MORE news from Edinburgh's own little corner of Botswana.

Merchiston-based author Alexander McCall Smith has been working on the latest in the Number One Ladies' Detective Agency series - the 12th book, in fact.

In his Christmas newsletter, he reveals that The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party finally sees Mma Makutsi tie the knot.

"I must say that I am very pleased that she has got Phuti Radiphuti to the altar at long last," he writes.

Surely you could have got him there sooner if you'd really wanted to, Alexander?