Boo bags biggest fags haul in Scotland

SNIFFER dog Boo has set a record for the most illegal cigarettes seized by a trading standards team in Scotland. East Ayrshire Council teamed up with the police to raid three premises in Kilmarnock. Boo sniffed out 447,000 cigarettes, worth an estimated ÂŁ134,000. Training for Boo, a three-year-old Labrador-German Wirehaired Pointer cross, was funded by…

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St Leonards School celebrates exam results

PUPILS at St Leonards School in St Andrews are celebrating this week after receiving their International Baccalaureate (IB) results. The independent school set a record average points score of 36, out of a possible 45 points. More than a quarter of its leavers scored 40 points or higher, placing them in the top 7% of…

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Wine to Dine – August 2022 – The Shetland Chef

Wine columnist Peter Ranscombe selects five seafood-sociable bottles to swim alongside the recipes from The Shetland Chef. WHAT always sitcks in my mind about dining on Shetland is the quality of its seafood. From crab and lobster to mussels and scallops, it was so exciting to see the range of dishes on offer. With his…

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What’s up with whisky: June’s review

Mark Littler returns with his monthly look at the world of whisky auctions. WELCOME back. It’s been a month of highs, with plenty to talk about in the world of whisky investing. Last month we signed off with speculation about The Macallan jubilee bottling and, against all expectations, it is now pretty fair to assume…

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Jousting sells out at Linlithgow Peel

LINLITHGOW Peel hosted its first jousting tournament over the weekend since the start of the pandemic. Organiser Historic Environment Scotland (HES) all of its tickets for the show, which is part of the public body’s summer events programme. Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries, which is also managed by HES, will host a jousting tournament on 30…

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Why do authors use pen names?

THE reasons why writers use pen names is the theme for a new exhibition at the National Library of Scotland. “Pen Names” opens at the library on George IV Bridge in Edinburgh on Friday. The exhibition draws on material from the library’s archive to cover a range of writers using pseudonyms from the 1800s to…

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Guided wellness walks launched in the Cairngorms

GUIDED wellness tours have been launched in the Cairngorms by the entrepreneur behind an Aboyne lodges and bothies business. Gordon Drummond, who runs Cairngorm Lodges and Cairngorm Bothies, has begun guided walks around Loch Kinord and Loch Muick. Drummond said: “I hope that those who take part in the walks will indeed get a great…

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Frankie Boyle on debut novel shortlist

COMEDIAN Frankie Boyle is among six writers shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize. The debut award was launched in 2019, with two of its previous winners – Claire Askew and Deborah Masson – going on to make the longlist for this year’s main McIlvanney Prize. The judges for this year’s debut prize are Arusa…

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Jute: its hidden history revealed

THE hidden history of jute is being explored in an exhibition that’s opened at the Victoria & Albert Museum’s branch in Dundee. The display tells the story of jute workers in Bangladesh and India. Artist, curator, and writer Swapnaa Tamhane has taken inspiration from the archives held at the University of Dundee and Verdant Works,…

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Orkney and Cairngorms to host outdoor art

ORKNEY and the Cairngorms have been selected to host “Green Space Dark Skies“, a series of massive outdoor artworks. Volunteers – including paddleboarders and kayakers – are being recruited to hold lights in the Cairngorms national park on 11 August. Residents on North Ronaldsay will hold lights on 16 August to form astronomical symbols and…

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