Talk of the Town: No stone unturned in search for seats

IT was the mystery of the disappearing stones which had an all too common explanation - careless driving.

Two stone blocks - too heavy for a person to lift - designed to provide seating for shoppers to enjoy the recently beautified Castle Street have been missing for several weeks.

Edinburgh Council has now revealed they are being repaired.

The blocks are thought to have been knocked over by heavy goods trucks driving carelessly up the pedestrianised street.

So at least we don't have to worry about a freakishly strong thief on the loose.

Dobbies finds Christmas can never come too early

CHRISTMAS events get earlier each year, but you can usually rely on Halloween and Guy Fawkes night to provide a reliable buffer - it's not until the pumpkins and fireworks are over that it's open season on snowflakes and sleighs.

But Dobbies Garden Centre is bursting fearlessly through that barrier by holding its Christmas charity evening on October 7, complete with demonstrations on how to decorate your tree and design the perfect Christmas cake.

Scrooges hold your tongues, however - it's all in a good cause, raising money for homelessness charity Foursquare and the Starlight Children's Foundation.

Find out more at www.dobbies.com

Weather team baby boom

THE forecast for the weather presenting team over at BBC Scotland looks set to be baby showers all round.

Judith Ralston from the Capital and her colleagues Gail McGrane and Gillian Smart are pregnant.

All three are said to be on "cloud nine" after breaking the news to colleagues.

And Mrs Ralston, who is married to meteorologist Fraser Ralston and already has one son, revealed she is due to go one better than her colleagues by having twins.

She said: "It has made dressing for work rather more challenging however as everything is very tight already.

"I will be investing in a new work wardrobe sooner rather than later."

Cheese will melt her heart

IT'S what men across the Capital have been saying (and hoping was true) for years.

New research today shows women secretly love cheesy chat-up lines.

Although many women would claim to find them naff, researchers for online casino mrgreen.com found almost three quarters of women in Scotland admit to liking lame chat-up lines, with five per cent even going on to have a long-term relationship with that man.

That cheesy line may not seem such a gamble in the future.