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sounds about right. unfortunately the hydro is one of the better places in terms of deals. other places you could try would be Bolts (in the Tollclock) or George Robertsons (across the road from the Golden Coach). You'll probably find though that they are very much more expensive than sooth, and not that interested in matching prices - "freight charges" apparently. Littlewoods certainly used to deliver anything you wanted to your door for £3.95. They had a nice little disclaimer that said delivery to the isles might take longer than the quoted time - it was very hit and miss, sometimes you got it quicker than you thought you would, other times it took ages longer. I think most of the sooth shops would deliver, just watch what you're going to pay for delivery.

We bought all our cars from the Central Garage in Brae until we moved Sooth. We had a C2 from them last, and had no major problems with it, other than a fuel filter not working properly, which wasn't a big deal. Their overall service is brilliant, no other word for it. The C2 was a great wee car - slightly inconvenient when you were taking passengers in the back as they have to climb in through the front door, but that's just minor. There's a surprising amount of room in them - I got a flat packed dining room table and 6 chairs in our one with tons of room to spare, and I think we managed a washing machine too at one point. We had an SX model, which had the stereo, air conditioning etc, and it was very comfortable - we did look at the basic model too, but it was really basic. As to the comments about Citroens - we've had a Saxo, a C2 and now a C3 over the last seven or eight years, and the only problems we've had have been minor. Hope this helps.

Was speaking to someone last night who works with people with learning disabilities. Under the single status, they stand to lose £3 an hour. Surely it's people at the sharp end who should be seeing the increases? Having seen what this person does day in day out, I can understand entirely why they are not happy at the prospect. Sadly, they are saying that if it goes through, they will be looking for something else. It's not about the money, it's about your job being valued, and taking that amount off an hour sends a pretty good message about how valued your work is compared to others.

Fjool - have you tried contacting the banking ombudsman about the Smile carry on? Doesn't matter how many times I read it, I just can't work out how they could get away with that. There was a rep from the ombudsman on watchdog and he seemed to be pretty anti bank attitude, so you might get somewhere with that. Only other thing I can think of is contacting some of the national press. bad publicity might do wonders...

That says it all!!!!!

I don't see any difference between horse, cat or dog and cow, pig, sheep or hen. It's all meat at the end of the day. Mind you, I grew up on a farm so maybe I had the reality of where meat came from brought home to me at an early age? I think if more people actually realised where meat came from, and what is done to it before it turns up in the nice packet in Tescos, the quality of meat available would improve drastically.

there's also Choi-Kwan-Do in Clickamin - it's similar to Tai Kwon Do. They're very happy to accept beginners - their website is here: http://www.shetlandckd.org.uk/ Have a look at some of the notice boards in Clickamin, they're usually pretty good for information. If you're really brave, there was a climbing club on the go at one point - they used to hang off the cliffs at Eshaness of an evening.... Good luck!

The new one for (I think) Trident chewing gum. It's just a really rubbish advert. Worryingly though, I am finding myself getting more irate every time I see it and I don't know why....

Saw Blood Diamond at the weekend. Very good indeed. Great cast, good plot and no cop out at the end. Made you think too. Pity that Forest Whitaker pretty much has the Oscar sewed up for his Idi Amin - DiCaprio should have got something for either this or The Departed this year (and don't get me started on how he was cheated for What's Eating Gilbert Grape...)

Hula Hoops! Saw a small child with a packet the other day and the stress he was under trying to eat them off his fingers without biting himself was priceless!!

Thank you! Tried the microwave method last night, very nice indeed! Next question - what is the correct name for carrots and neeps mashed together? I always thought it was clapshot, but according to the BBC website, tatties and neeps together are 'Orkney clapshot' and they don't mention carrots at all?!

I like both vegatarian and meat haggis, but didn't know you could do anything other than boil them - could someone tell me how long you roast them for / what temperature etc?

I always mind my granny telling me that she had her left arm tied to her side at school so she had to learn to write with her right hand. That would have been in the 1920s I think?

and will learn to spell Njugle in future - sorry!

Agree with Nugle - they're using a council service so should pay for it. A lot of people who might not want to own / run a car need to have one precisely because the public transport system is not developed enough to cater for their needs. If anyone deserves a reduction in council tax it's them! But I do think that people who do not use council services as much (eg people who mostly recycle so use refuse collection less) should get some form of reduction from that part of the tax. Some sort of "pay as you use" type thing?

I'm left handed, and don't think it adds to any talents I might (or might not) have in the slightest. It does give me a bit of an advantage at badminton / squash / tennis if I'm playing someone right handed though, if only because I have a better backhand than forehand (nothing to do with leftiness, just one of those quirks of fate) and generally they're not expecting that. Tin openers and scissors are still the bane of my life though. Bah!

This really gets my goat. At my place of work there are currently three or four different fieries doing the rounds, and people are struggling in with each one. I don't know much about biology, but from past experience all this means is that the three or four will turn into ten or twenty as they all intermingle, and basically every department is going to be running with people off until about March. Some managers are really good and send you packing as soon as they realise you're not 100%, but most just let you carry on, and unless they actually find you unconscious at your desk, don't give a monkey's. They don't seem to get the economics - if one person comes in and passes on their lurgy, you're going to lose an entire department a couple of days later...

I must've been very, very good indeed this year, that's all I'm saying!!!

currently resisting the temptation to head to Macros where they're offering a case (that's 96!!!) creme eggs for some ridiculous price. Our local shop has given up all pretence and sells eggs all year round. Does take a few pence off this time of year as last year's ones are almost out of date. Did I dream it, or did someone invent Grandparents Day last year for a particularly slow chocolate selling month???

My current favourite Xmas tunes are either the Beetlejuice Review version of 12 Days of Xmas (it starts with 'on the first day of Xmas my true love gave to me a trip to the mortuary'...) or the Twisted Sister covers of Xmas standards done the TS way... For those of you old enough to remember 'We're Not Gonna Take It' (and Mr Snyder's make up) I'm delighted to tell you that they are still going strong... (sadly so is the eye shadow...)

Don't see why they can't be locked up for a substantial period of time. Getting in a car and driving it after having a drink is exactly the same to me as someone who heads out carrying a loaded weapon. You might not intend to hurt anyone, but the likelihood is that you will. To save any confusion though, make the limit zero. Apologies if this offends anyone, but it's a subject I feel very strongly about.

in the dunrossness kirk at a wedding with my best mate standing next to me. she is an exceptionally good singer, and there was a wife somewhere behind us who could no more hold a tune than I can. My mate started to sing in the same dodgy key as this woman, then went an octave higher, but still out of tune... I was at that awful stage of trying so hard not to laugh I was crying silent tears. Then I caught best mate's eye, and that was it, gone... Only redeeming feature was that best mate, her man and my man all started too, so everyone just thought we were weird!

was it a bad gig, or is it just the most embarrassing one you've been to?! Most embarrassing was some second rate irish bloke in the same vein as Daniel o'Donnell, which I got hauled to by my mum and dad when they came to visit me in Dundee once. It didn't help that i was the youngest person in the audience by at least 25 years, and every time he started a song i was overcome by massive fits of the giggles...

Mine is most definitely Aphex Twin in the US of A. Why he bothered to turn up I don't know. In fact, considering the main thing on stage was dressed as a pink bunny rabbit, I am still not entirely sure he did turn up. He played a 35 minute set, the lights came up, and we stood around waiting for the second half to start..... 20 minutes later I decided I really didn't like him that much, especially his talent for ripping people off...

I asked my mam (with not much enthusiasm) what she wanted for Xmas this year. She said she neither wanted nor needed anything, but she would set me a challenge to find her something for a fiver, because the whole Xmas thing has got out of hand. We eventually came to the decision that we're each making a donation to a charity for the other as well as the fiver challenge. And it's the most Xmassy I've felt in years.