Scottish Roundup

Before we crack on with 2012, it’s time for a little look back at the past year on the Scottish Roundup.

And while we browse, here’s a video made by our chum Misssy M

January 2011
Do you remember the resolutions from way back then? How did you get on? Caron’s daughter forced her to resolve to swear less. How did you get on Caron?

February 2011
A change of pace one Sunday as the Roundup had a poetic feel. Then there was the reaction to Jim Devine. And Burdz Eye View took us around the world.

March 2011
March began overseas again, but this time it was the situation in Libya that was causing concern. And then being Scotland it was four seasons in one day. Ending much more locally with a Granite City special.

April 2011
A toe-tapping month with Misssy M looking at what the music bloggers were up to. As there was an election looming the manifestos deserved a mention.

May 2011
So the election came and went, what did the bloggers think of the New Scotland?

June 2011
This month brought news of the tragic death of popular blogger and friend to many Andrew Reeves. The new year can’t have been easy for those who mourn him.

July 2011
The sun was shining, holidays weren’t far away and so music was playing … and perhaps a little time to read the red tops. And still with papers, the hacking scandal was just around the corner.

August 2011
The nation should have still had its shorts and sunhats on, but, instead, there were riots. And later in the month the unsettled feeling wouldn’t go as The View From The Hills had it.

September 2011
Before you knew it the holidays were a dim memory and it was the tenth anniversary of 9/11. So perhaps it was appropriate that bloggers considered liberty the following week.

October 2011
Business as usual with zombies, flowers and other matters. There were more female voices that month too. And the nights began drawing in with talk of beavers, obviously.

November 2011
We took a pause to remember this month, but then wrote about it. And one of our number appeared on telly.

December 2011
Before anyone got their decorations out of the attic there was a strike. And then the wind blew before Santa brought his sack of goodies.

I hope you enjoy a little reflection – the Scottish blogosphere never fails to impress me with its variety and quality. Let’s make 2012 even better.

Please have a look at Caron’s post from September about how you can help the Roundup. The more volunteers, the better.

Ho ho ho! It’s your virtual Scottish Santa, delivering a bulging sack of quality blog posts. Settle down with your mince pies and mulled wine for a look at the best of the week online.

As this is my first time editing Scottish Roundup, a quick introduction. I’m Ruth, and I blog as DorkyMum. I’ve recently left Scotland for Hertfordshire, but if you caught my recent Edinburgh A-Z you’ll know that it’s a place I still hold very dear in my heart.

Anyway… onwards! As every good gift giver should, I’ve tried to keep everybody happy this week, with a varied collection of posts.

We’ll satisfy the politicos among you first.

Bright Green ran two particularly interesting pieces this week; one from Adam Ramsay about the way Lib Dems are allowing Tory policy to pass, and one from Alyson MacDonald about abstinence education

Dealing with more specifically Scottish issues, A Burdz Eye View had a great post about the proposed Edinburgh bed tax, and The Drum was lamenting the loss of self-produced programmes on STV.

There were several different takes on the case of Alan Pollock – Big Man on the Train – but both Caron’s Musings and Mummy Central came to the conclusion that Big Man was out of line. Join in the debate on their comments pages.

Prompted by the close of the Equal Marriage consultation and a recently released report from the Centre for the Modern Family – but also appropriate given that holiday season is fast approaching – there were two lovely posts about the nature of family from Blur of Wood Smoke and In a Bun Dance.

Moving on to the world of Scottish entertainment, there are two treats this week for the comic lovers among you. Ali George over at 12 Books in 12 Months is attempting a graphic novel this month; follow her progress on the blog, which will also feature interviews with professional cartoonists over the next few weeks. You should also check out the latest from Paul and Al over at House to Astonish – a fortnightly podcast about comics which, as well as being hosted on their own site, is now also hosted on CBR – the second biggest comics website on the internet.

Finally, if you want a good giggle this Sunday morning, check out the Christmas special over at Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops. Poet and bookseller Jen Campbell used to work at the Edinburgh Bookshop; she has now moved to London but has continued to keep track of some of the stranger things that people come into her shop and ask for. Like, erm, snow.

Wishing you all a wonderful week, and a very Merry Christmas when it comes.

Early December is an odd time of year. It’s not quite Christmas, despite the best efforts of the shops to convince us otherwise. We’re still at work, not yet at the stage when we can skive off for the last few hours, eating mince pies and chatting about bread sauce recipes. So as we teeter on the brink of festivity, restraining ourselves from opening the brandy for a few more days, what better way to while away the time that with another Scottish Roundup?

You’re right. There is no better way. So let’s crack on. There are, basically, two subjects that the Scottish blogosphere (Scogosphere?) has been tackling this week, and the first is the wind. Or to give it its official title, Hurricane Bawbag. Deililly at Tiptilted starts us off with a rather touching memoir of her childhood as an latecomer to Scotland, and her gradual adoption of its culture. She sees the Hurricane Bawbag term as an example of the Scots humour and dexterity with language that she enjoys, and she’s not alone. A Burdz Eye View spent Thursday alone and unwell under a duvet, turning to Twitter to keep her informed and entertained. Love and Garbage went one step further, providing a valuable public service with her live wind blog, in which she charted Hurricane Bawbag’s progress from quite windy, windy and very windy up to its full power of very very very windy gusting to very very very very windy. The Met Office must have been looking on in awe.

And so to the second hot topic of the week, same-sex marriage. The consultation on this closed this week, prompting a flurry of blogs focusing on the matter. Up first is Mairi Campbell-Jack at Bright Green Scotland, who takes on Scotland for Marriage’s arguments against changing the law. She finds support from What’s in Kelvin’s Head? who reports that his congregation have sent in a response that’s in favour of the proposals.

Ellen at In a Bun Dance doesn’t explicitly tackle the subject of same-sex marriage, but her blog about the non-nuclear shape of her family is very timely, pointing out that families can come in all shapes and sizes. And MamaJ of the new blog, At Least Daddy Can Cook, is also thinking about relationships in an affectionate tribute to her friends, who have helped her through life’s ups and downs, including a battle with depression. It’s a good reminder of the really important things in life, and a counterpart to the rather depressing research that Better Nation has been reporting on, which found that more Scots would be likely to vote for independence if it made them £500 a year better off.

A sobering thought, which is just as well as there’s another week or so of sobriety before we can get properly Christmassy. So line up the Santa hats, fill the fridge with Cava and ready the mince pies: the seasonal starting gun will be firing very soon. Merry Christmas!

Sunset and Moonrise by Cupar, Fife

There was strike on Wednesday – and for many people the most pressing outcome was a day of childcare troubles and more evidence that Jeremy Clarkson is a pillock, if that were needed.

But the bloggers were troubled. Caron takes a look at the attitude to those on strike, and those at work. Nic Prigg does an eloquent job of explaining the position of fence sitter.

Meanwhile, drawing attention to the creeping sense of outrage the cuts are causing, Clinically Fed Up leads us to a new blog for the frothers (those frothing mad at it all) and as she says she’ll follow with interest “just in case the Independence referendum doesn’t go the way I want and I have to live with Westminster rule for another generation”.

At Bella Caledonia (recently included in The List’s Best Scottish Websites) , Andy Wightman ponders what will happen to the land under independence.

On current affairs told differently, Haunted by Music recounts the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes in ballad form.

Susan K Mann has also found a new way of telling stories, but, for her, social stories are helping her family.

Tartan and Turmeric is all stories too – her second novel launched this week. It’s set in Glasgow and Mumbai and looks at the business of medical tourism.

About a City is on a quest for a book, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist. Can you help?

One of my favourite stories this week was of something found… an old car reunited with its owner and given a new life.

And on the subject of blogging – Miss Smidge takes a moment to look at how much has changed – and stayed the same – during the life of her blog.

Meanwhile, there’s a blogging pledge at All Things Cuteable. It might be enjoyed by all those who find that the blogosphere can be a little intense occasionally.

This week’s photo comes from Scotland in the Gloaming.

Walking Wild's photo

A blogger who is familiar to regular readers, Lallands Peat Worrier came out of the shadows this week and appeared on the BBC’s Politics Show Scotland. Caron’s Musings has the video. How interesting to see someone you only imagine and find out how wrong you were.

Among her own highly recommended posts, Caron is also casting the spotlight on a campaign by BurdzEyeView to buy books for vulnerable kids. It’s shocking that in Scotland there are children who don’t have access to books – let’s do something about it.

Sticking with children’s books. Hestia’s Larder visits an exhibition of illustrations for children’s books that looks at the work of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler of Gruffalo fame.

Meanwhile, on equally tasty matters, a new shop opened this week in Glasgow causing much excitement in some circles. Julie Scrumptious talks about the new Wholefoods Market in Giffnock. She considers whether this temple for foodies can survive in an economic downturn.

Also seeming to buck the financial downturn in the retail market, H & M launched their Versace range. Transatlantic Blonde was there and used the post as part of her What I Wore Wednesday series.

Given that I’m not particularly interested in what I wear on any given day of the week, why do I find this so fascinating? It’s that thing about bloggers getting out from behind the keyboard and showing their faces. Joining in Transatlantic Blonde’s theme was Glasgow Mummy.

Getting away from the glitz, BigRab has an entertaining collection (I’m struggling for a suitable collective noun) of toilet humour.

Blogger Iain Hepburn now has a regular slot at The Drum. This week he looks at the role of key bloggers in the news.

With less than a month to go, you may as well give up attempts to ignore Christmas coming at us like a juggernaut. Rookie Oven announces a festive special for startup entrepreneurs.

Aye Tunes is after the quintessential Christmas song and Subrosa reckons she knows who’s going to be number one.

Yes, I agree this roundup is definitely more froth than dark, bitter coffee. No apologies though, it’s down to the editor of the day – and today it’s me.

If you want more gravitas and some proper political hard-hitters slugging it out, then step forward to take a turn at editing and make the roundup your own.

Meanwhile, still unapologetic – a plug. My book, Blogging For Happiness is published this week and you can get it at Amazon. Mental health charity SANE said: “Ellen offers a convincing argument for the benefits of blogging for good mental health”

The picture comes from Felicity Martin’s Walking Wild blog.