Ö÷²¥´óÐã

As a breed, we gardeners are obsessed with the weather. And who can blame us when every move we make is governed by what comes from the sky. It was but a few weeks ago when we were sweltering under a scorching April sun, yet this past week has left us battered, bruised and bewildered by pre-summer storms, and today I have to close the curtains as I type, otherwise I can't see the screen for the glare of the sun. Yip, the Scottish-Summer really is a marvel to behold. But despite the hardships this erratic weather can bring, in a way it's rather comforting. It brings with it a sense of camaraderie, a sort of 'togetherness' where we're all in the same boat and ready to deal with whatever nature throws at us.

I myself didn't escape the horrors of the gales. A few months ago I bought one of those plastic greenhouse contraptions. You know the type with pictures on the packaging promising plump tomatoes and perfect hanging baskets. As I walked out of the discount store, box under my arm and change from twenty quid, I gave each passer by a knowing smile and a raised eye-brow which said 'I'll be self sufficient by Christmas', and before I even reached the car I wondered if I should supply my friends with weekly veg-boxes, as I guessed me 'n' Mr T wouldn't be able to eat all the fresh produce ourselves. Now, I'm quite a busy gal, what with the cats and the garden and 'stuff', and the mini-miracle-greenhouse lay in its box until the end of April's heatwave. About seven minutes before the first storm, I decided I should erect it and get planting. I feel I don't even need to tell you of the carnage that followed.

All I can say is the at their peak couldn't have come up with a more aerodynamic structure than this. I was securing the plastic covering to the metal frame when the first gust struck. There I was, like some modern-day- Dorothy, clinging on to my 'house' for dear life as it threatened to fly out of Kansas forever. Within seconds the whole thing took flight, swollen like a hot air balloon, with me refusing to let go of the bottom. 'Run, save yourselves,' I yelled, through the howling wind to Mr T, the cats and the man next door, who all gathered to watch; not one of them I may add, offering to lift a finger to help! Eventually I was forced to let go, and by all accounts the greenhouse was last spotted flying over the Chelsea Flower Show, like a majestic bird of prey, threatening to up-stage Diarmid Gavin's medal winning Irish Sky Garden.

But my spirits won't be down for long, this week I'm delighted to say, The Potting Shed is on the move. We'll be at on the 4th and 5th of June, so two chances to be in the audience, and as usual you can put your questions to our expert panel. Please pop over and say hello. And on the 30th June, we're recording an episode of The Potting Shed at the at 7.30pm. Information on tickets is available on our website.

Until then..happy gardening...
Theresa
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is a competition run by Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland and the . A selection of stories will be published in a Family Legends book. Over the next five weeks, we'll publish one story each week from the final selection. You can read more of the stories on the .

Catherine Simpson

Gran was like Robinson Crusoe; a solitary survivor, an unkempt outsider, a one-off. For a start, Gran was a man.

It didn't seem strange. We were used to saying 'Gran needs more baccy for his pipe' or 'Gran's having a shave'.

Instead of a tropical island, Gran had washed up in the old dairy where his wife used to make cheese.

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This week's guests in the studio were , , and . David arrived on his bike clad head to toe in lycra. He was off training after the show for one of many marathon cycle runs he's doing this summer. I certainly admire his will-power given the sixty mile an hour winds and horizontal rain and hail outside.

More than keeping up with David on the willpower front is my producer Della who's struggling on crutches after breaking her leg. Never one to let a mere flesh (or bone) wound get in her way, she's back at work, probably way too soon, with her stookie resting defiantly on the desk. She's determined not to let it render her incapable, though I suspect she is enjoying sending her presenter for cups of tea.

Thus week's special guest was , an ex CIA man who's just published a biography of Bin Laden. He knows more than most about the man as he headed the unit charged with tracking Bin Laden down. He's very bitter about successive administrations' failure to get him sooner and is particularly critical of .

Having spent much of his life studying Bin Laden and his writings, he'd clearly come to understand him but I had the feeling that that understanding had veered into the realms of admiration. Some of the things he said made me uncomfortable, a case of Stockholm syndrome perhaps. Listen to the longer version and see what you think.

Listen to Shereen, Sunday 0900 on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland

Just been sent this blog from the Out of Doors team.

We can be rather cruel to our presenters here on Out of Doors. Don't get me wrong, they have a dream job - they get to travel all over Scotland and do exciting things. But, they also have to do some rather scary things.

This week we sent Euan McIlwraith white water rafting - which he was rather pleased about. What he didn't know was that at the end of the raft trip he'd have to cliff dive. Not one of the activities that Euan, who's afraid of heights, necessarily had on his to-do list. His interview ends with a rather loud yell and then just one, unanswered question - 'Why?'

The view of the Moray Firth from the glider cockpit

And it's not always the dangerous stuff the causes our presenters' problems - Mark got a rather sore head after walking into a door frame. He was kind enough to email us the sound evidence, which won't be broadcast, with the following description: "This is what it sounds like when a 6 foot presenter, partially blinded by the bill of his baseball cap, smacks his head off a 17th century stone door lintel. Thought it might make you laugh." And it did make us laugh - loudly.

Mark's knees and some cockpit instruments

Over the next few months we'll also be broadcasting from Fife and the south-west and we're really keen to hear about any interesting things to do and places to visit. You can get in touch with us by emailing outofdoors@bbc.co.uk.

Out Of Doors is on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland, Saturday 0630-0800, repeated Sunday

FRIDAY 27th MAY

CONCERT
Clashmore - Carnegie Hall - The Budapest Café Orchestra

FOLK CLUB
The Cromar Folk Club - Tarland - The Aberdeen Arms - 8pm - *Tickets £5*

Isle Of Skye Accordion & Fiddle Festival
Portree - Charlie Kirkpatrick Trio - Royal Hotel - 7:30pm - *Tickets £4*

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Dog-tired newshound

Which brings me to one of our topics for the week. has found that if you live in a peaceful place it will also be a prosperous and happy place and not enough countries work hard enough at this. The world could save enough money to pay off all our debts if it was only 25 per cent more peaceful. Why don't we teach peace as a subject? We'll talk to the bloke who runs the index. And that links nicely to the opposite effect which is that inequality in society is ruinously expensive and socially divisive. Our economy and the way it's being run is exacerbating the gulf between have and have-nots and there is trouble ahead, according to the economics editor of the Times, no less. So it's no left-wing rant. We'll speak to him. He reckons Alex Salmond and Ed Miliband - now there's a team - may be on to something in talking about either the squeezed middle or in Mr Salmond's phrase, Children before State.

of course was in London on lobbying duty this week and met the foreign press. No, not the English media. We hear from two overseas journalists who were present and who are interested in political events here, one from Norway and the other from Catalonia. And we'll have a discussion about the Salmond agenda announced this week including his reference to our being filched. Is he right? We'll let you decide. If I can keep my eyes open I'll see you tomorrow at 8.

Here's this week's MacAulay and Co. events guide with useful suggestions of how to make the most of your Bank Holiday weekend. Listen again to today's show to hear about more events taking place around Scotland.

William Shakespeare: Daniela Nardini heads a quintet of Scottish actors joining the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scottish Symphony Orchestra in an abridged performance of Shakespeare's irresistible comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

Glasgow's Southside Festival was started a few years ago and is steadily growing. A few events have already happened this year but the Festival proper gets underway this Saturday with a procession, leaving from Shawlands Academy at 1100. And on Sunday why not have some Afternoon Twee at the Southside Festival's first and only Vintage Fair. It's being held at The Shed on Langside Rd from 1230.

And for music and laugh himself appears as one of Three Wise Men this evening (Fri 27) along with and . That's from 8pm at the Glasshouse, Queen's Park - and an added bonus for your money is the appearance of the Parsonage Choir.

The event will be dedicated to learning about some of our lesser known nocturnal creatures, moth and bats. After a short introductory talk, we will spend most of the evening out on the trails looking for bats, before returning to the moth traps to see what is about. The following morning (Saturday 28th from 10am) we will revisit the moth traps to see what has flown in overnight. The cost is £4 or half-price for RSPB members. Booking is essential and places can be reserved by phoning us on 01505 842663 or emailing lochwinnoch@rspb.org.uk

Launches in Glasgow on Thursday (27 May) and runs right through the summer to the 21st August. It is a free event being shown across three Glasgow venues - Tramway, GOMA and CCA. Contemporary Art at its finest with some well known Scottish artists having their work on display.

27-30 May. It's the Burns an' a' that! Festival 10th anniversary. Featuring 4 headline live music acts at Ayr's iconic town hall as well as a fringe programme of varied events this festival celebrates Robert Burns - the man, his music, his legacy.

Headline acts - FRI - X Factor Night, SAT - Hue and Cry, SUN - Finale evening with Dougie MacLean, Dougie MacLean and Capercaillie. Doors open 7pm, Tickets available on the door or by calling 01292 269793. Full details - .

This nursery in Glasgow's Anniesland are having an open day on Saturday 28th.
As well as lots of mums, dads and small people there will be a bouncy castle, fun & games, goody bags, info packs & light refreshments from 11am-3pm, all welcome.

Sat 28/Sun 29 This is the final event of the IRB World Series. South Africa won at Twickenham last week, New Zealand were crowned series champions and Scotland won the bowl competition. More exciting action ahead at Murrayfield for sure!

Much Ado About Music
with the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Saturday 28 May 2011, 7.30pm
Join the Ö÷²¥´óÐã SSO for a summer's night of theatrically inspired words and music!

Shakespeare's irresistible comedy Much Ado About Nothing is the star attraction, in an abridged, semi-staged performance featuring incidental music by Erich Korngold, most famous for his scores to Errol Flynn's swashbucklers Robin Hood and The Sea Hawk. The overture to Berlioz's version of Much Ado raises the curtain and there's a chance to hear rousing orchestral extracts from Humperdinck's rarely performed Königskinder (The King's Children), another fairy-tale opera from the composer of Hansel and Gretel. We are delighted to welcome five leading Scottish actors, together with students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, for this performance. The Ö÷²¥´óÐã SSO would like to acknowledge the help received from Anne Henderson, Casting Director National Theatre of Scotland.

Take your seats for a truly enchanting evening of glorious tunes, verbal fireworks and theatrical wonder.

Some secret Scottish beaches from Tom Morton Show listeners...and some beeches

No way I'm telling all your listeners about my secret beaches! David, Beauly.

Laggan beach on the loch at the eastern end is a cracker and also the largest exposed beach on a waterbody in Britain. Ally currently in Fort Augustus from Inverkeithing.

Favourite secret beach is Twechar Beach. John. Stirling

Dally Bay in Galloway, secluded seals swimming up to check out the dog and a gr8 crop of brambles every year that lilly the kid turns into fab jam. Ned.

Just north of Lochinver lies , possibly the most beautiful in the world. Almost deserted, gorgeous in every way. In fact just travel along the infamous Drumbeg Road, there's several that fit that description. Bit of a treck but worth it. Mark McCann, Drookit Inverness.

Achmelvich beach

Favourite beeches. I am hedging my bets with this one, but , they are near Meiklour, Perthshire. Awfae bonnie.
Eric

We have two places that we call our secret beaches by coburnspath in east lothian. The first is through a tunnel in the cliffs that brings you to the most secluded harbour, flanked by sheer cliffs with clear calm waters n clean sand. The second has to be approached by scambling over rocks and lady halls pool when the tide is out. Complete seclusion. Great for the soul. Anon

....and I recommmend the in Shetland. As well as and and and the West Ayre and...

Dear Bob

This has been a big week. In case I haven't made this clear; Happy Birthday and many happy returns. If you decide to retire then thank you for what you have done. It has given me so much pleasure to listen to your music from the age of eleven or so. It has been exciting waiting to hear what you will do next and there have been so many great memories.

It also occurs to me that you are seventy years old. I'm 53 and I know by your age I'd like to spend a fair amount of time in my garden, watching some football and doing a bit of painting. Perhaps you too would like to wind down, record and tour no more and spend your days enjoying the Californian sunshine. Who wouldn't? If you do then rest assured you have my blessing. Anyone who makes one great album is a rare talent. Getting three out there is a wonderful achievement which a few have managed. But managing to make great records over five decades is something else entirely.

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Here's another recipe from The Kitchen Cafe to be downloaded, kept and printed.

Download the recipe

On the day Bob Dylan was 70, the Tom Morton show asked folk to send in their Bobmoments. Here are a few:

I saw him at The Odeon, Renfield Street, glasgow but I think it was in 1965 (after the Manchester concert you mentioned). He did the first half solo and acoustic and appeared after the interval with The Band. Before he started with "One too Many Mornings" there were indeed cries of "Judas" and "sell out" from the audience but they were drowned out right away by most of the audience cheering him on. After "Brand New leopard skin hat" everyone in the cinema was with him. John McMahon

Went on a school trip, somewhat memorable but that is another story, anyway this involved a bus trip from the Highlands to Heathrow. The hippy teachers had their guitars and entertained us with Dylan songs (amongst others). I came home at bought Street Legal as this was the current album and have been hooked on the genius that is Dylan ever since. Street Legal is just a superb album. Norrie Maclean

The year was '65. The label was a bright orange CBS and the intro was high hat then glorius hammond by Al Kooper. You guessed it: Like a Rolling Stone. My fave musical moment ever! That track had absolutley everything! Graham

Saw His Bobness at the Barrowlands, after the last song (Like a Rolling Stone) which near took the roof off during the chorus singalong, he grabbed the mic and interacted with the crowd complete with a nasally rasp: "Hey, I've been played a long long time, and ain't nobody else ever managed to sing along with meeeeeeeeeeee". Priceless moment. Mark Copeland

I have seen Dylan twice. True to form one of them remains one of the finest gigs I have ever attended and the other one of the worst... Seeing my usually restrained Dad cutting loose to Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 at the 'good' gig will remain a favourite memory of mine forever... or until the newly revised rapture date. Danny Harrison

On this day in 1941 Robert Zimmerman was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He went on to become one of the most influential songwriters of the twentieth century.

We asked a few of the musicians who participated in the Celtic Connections Bob Dylan tribute concert (, , Eddi Reader and ) about their favourite Dylan songs and how he has influenced them. You can hear highlights from the concert during Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering tonight (24 May).

We also asked Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's Iain Anderson, who is featuring Bob Dylan on his show this week as both artist of the week and archive album of the week, Blonde on Blonde....

Iain Anderson

I remember a family friend who came to our house and raved about " Bobby " much to my displeasure because I then regarded his vocal skills with some serious doubt . And I also thought that he had leant a little heavily on Scottish sources without attribution !
However , in my more mature years , I have come to recognise his consummate writing skills as being truly exceptional . He is a poet for the 21st century.

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Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland has joined the world-wide Bob Dylan 70th birthday celebrations with a series of programmes this week about the man and his music:

Friday 20 May

Another Country with Ricky Ross - Rosanne Cash, Tom Jones, The Secret Sisters, Teddy Thompson are amongst the musicians who choose their favourite Dylan song.

Sunday 22 May

The Celtic Zone - Eddi Reader presents a special zone on her musical hero Bob Dylan, who turns 70. Includes documentaries and every track from his album Together Through Life.

Monday 23-Thursday 26

Iain Anderson Show - Bob Dylan is Iain's artist of the week and his featured album is Dylan's Blonde on Blonde.

Tuesday 24 May - Bob's birthday

Get it On with Bryan Burnett - Bryan's theme is Bob Dylan cover versions.

The Culture Cafe - Clare English revisits one of the most controversial eras of his career: The Gospel Years. His evangelical Christian compositions were a critical disaster at the time of release, causing anger and confusion amongst critics, fans and peers, but did they get it wrong? With historical insights and reflections on Dylan's gospel period provided by Bob Dylan's musicians, biographers, critics and friends, we re-examine this baffling but beguiling episode in rock history.

Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering - Mary Ann introduces highlights from the 2011 Celtic Connections Bob Dylan Tribute Concert.

Wednesday 25 May

The Jazz House - Stephen Duffy marks Bob Dylan's 70th birthday with jazz versions of Dylan classics by the Danish Radio Big Band, Barb Jungr and Nina Simone.

Friday 27 May

Another Country with Ricky Ross - Part 2 of Ricky's Bob Dylan special. Kris Kristofferson, Patty Griffin, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Mavis Staples, Justin Townes Earle, Ryan Bingham and Eilen Jewell all choose their favourite Bob Dylan songs to celebrate his 70th birthday. Record producer reveals what it's like to work ina studio with him. Plus Ricky Ross takes a look at the many Americana and alternative country artists that have covered the Bob Dylan songbook over the years.

There's more information about Bob Dylan on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã this week on the Scotland's Music blog.

Everyone may know who we are talking about since names are being bandied about on and in conversation, but, as I write this, broadcasters are still not allowed to name names.

So when the raised the stakes by publishing a photo of a Premier League footballer with his eyes blacked out, all we could do was state that fact and move on. We all knew who it was but the legal advice was we couldn't say.

It makes for some very nervous moments on live broadcasting. You're terrified you're going to develop some form of Tourettes and just blurt out the name. No-one did but I suspect it's only a matter of time before someone somewhere does.

The issue of privacy came up again as we talked about the former Head of the IMF, facing sexual assault charges in the US. Lots more stories were emerging in the Sunday papers about his womanising and allegations of previous attempted assaults. The French have very strict privacy laws which have prevented many of these stories coming out before. Is this an argument against super-injunctions? Is it an argument for the British tradition of "kiss and tell" journalism? Lots of soul searching in both countries.

My special guest this week is well used to dealing with complex moral dilemmas. field is Medical Ethics. She invented the first course in Law and Medical Ethics that she still teaches at Glasgow University. Sheila has one of those voices that I could listen to all day. She also has an extraordinary ability to dissect some very controversial and difficult subjects from cloning to end of life issues, providing clear, common-sense advice. They should get her on to .

Listen to Shereen, Sunday 0900 on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland

Peter McManus, the Senior Producer of our Religion and Ethics department sent us this email about Sunday Morning with Sally Magnusson, and the forthcoming ...

Sally's busy preparing for her new series of Sunday Morning with Sally Magnusson. Her guest for the first hour is who's been learning to how to let go in his new book Urban Worrier. They might also get a bit of help from Sally's other guest Professor Tommy MacKay who believes that psychology has the power to change the world.

The main event though will be a preview of this year's controversial General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. After two years of silence the assembly will return to the subject of whether to train and ordain openly gay ministers. It's an argument that has the potential to split the church, Sally will hearing from both sides before finding out what it's like when a Church fractures.

All that and Bob Dylan's 70th birthday will be celebrated through the music he made during his brief conversion to Christianity.

SNP Cabinet 2011

Just back from a break in Argyll. Did anything happen when I was away? Oh yes - a huge SNP election surge, an overall majority in Holyrood and a new cabinet confirmed. Well, even from and you could feel a wave of something sweeping the country. What was it?

Astonishment? Optimism? Fear? Suddenly it all felt very different. Ironically though, the SNP's game seems to be to play it down. It's true there are new demands winging their way to Westminster but the plan remains to listen - we'll see if that happens - and to manage. That wind of change won't fly kites of independence - it will be captured to create jobs and nurture recovery. It's as though the SNP is trying not to exult too much. They are stuffing their sleeve in their mouth to stop them laughing out loud. Did Alex Salmond shut the door and secretly let it all hang out in a deserted , twirling his jacket round his head and doing the splits in delight?

No, I admit, I'm struggling with the . But I bet the old gambler in him had a fierce grin of satisfaction and he may have recalled the words of one of his heroes the whom he quoted to me when he took on the party hierarchy for the leadership in 1990. He either fears his fate too much, or his desserts are small, that puts it not unto the touch, to win or lose it all.

We'll discuss strategy and the unravelling of the from campaigning force for home rule and coalition to parliamentary rump.
We examine the SNP call for control of the media and a new digital broadcasting station. But isn't that what the Ö÷²¥´óÐã already does? (I got an email from an SNP MSP this week saying: Looking forward to a Scottish Broadcasting Corporation!)

We take a look at the shock the arrest of Dominque Strauss-Kahn caused in France as well as explaining what the IMF actually does - apart from making cheap kitchens. And we're in Ireland where an old trooper has been wooing 'em with some British class and breeding. And well done Ireland for taking Queen Elizabeth to its heart. For all the bluster - and historical warring - the Irish as sentimental as a knitted tea cosy. Take a bow, Celtic cousins. Join me tomorrow at 8.

Read on to find out about dances and folk events happening in your area with our weekly events guide.

FRIDAY 20th MAY
CONCERT
Eastdale Island - Eastdale Island Hall - The Budapest Café Orchestra

Greenock - Arts Guild Theatre - Peter Morrison - Rodgers & Hammerstein Tour - 7:30pm

Peebles - Eastgate Theatre & Arts Centre - Duncan Chisholm

Portsoy - Folk At The Salmon Bothy - Folk At The Salmon Bothy - 7pm - *Tickets £7*

SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING
RSCDS - Glasgow Branch, Glasgow - Susan MacFadyen Duo

FINTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Fintry - Sports Club - Kosha - 8pm

SATURDAY 21st MAY
CLASS
Dundee, Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Fiddle with Karen Hannah - improvers' class - 11am

Dundee, Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library - Whistle with Helen Forbes - 12:30pm

CONCERT
Glasgow - Whitecraigs Tennis Club - Hot Jazz with Alastair McDonald - 7:30pm

Inverness - Eden Court Theatre - Duncan Chisholm

Lyth - Lyth Arts Centre - The Budapest Café Orchestra

CEILIDH
Edinburgh - Tollcross Community Centre, Fountainbridge - Minnow Ceilidh Band - 7:30pm - *Tickets £6 or £4 for concessions*

SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING
Elgin - Bishopmill Hall - Marion Anderson - 8-11pm - *Tickets £5*

Fife - Largoward Village Hall - Live Music - 8-11pm - *Tickets £5*

FINTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Fintry - Sports Club - John Beattie's Ruckstars - 8pm

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Every week the MacAulay and Co. team choose a selection of events happening in and around the country which feature on the Friday show.

Friday 20 May
. The 4th annual Southside Festival in Glasgow which starts on Friday 20th May.

The festival is a community based festival which attracts over 20,000 people to the various event. Music and art plays a large roll in the festival and this year we have the multi million selling Irish songwriter Eleanor McEvoy and Scottish chart toppers The Bluebells as part of this years live music at The Glasshouse, located within the grounds of the beautiful Queens Park.

Saturday 28th May is the main day of the festival with the Queens park coming to life with parades, stalls, art installations, live music, dancing, street performers and kids entertainment happening throughout the day.

20-29 May
. An event filled with Arts, Film, Music and free workshops.

Sunday 22 May
(includes open water swimming and is the same course as will be used for Glasgow 2014) -

Sunday 22nd May
. Finlaystone Country Estate hosts its fabulous 'Teddy Bears' Picnic and Dolls' Tea Party' on the lawns of Finlaystone House overlooking the River Clyde. An afternoon of fun and games for all the family plus 'Puppet & Magic shows' from the Alakazam Puppet Road show. In addition there will also be a giant Teddy Bear and a craft stall in the stable block. So give your Teddy and Dolly a treat for the day.'

Sunday 22 May
Garden open day at , Gogarburn, Edinburgh, from 10.30 am to 4 pm.
Featuring garden advice, plant sales, garden tours, Scottish Bonsai Collection on display. Children's gardening workshops, Eubee the snowy owl and live music.

Sunday 22nd May
. Loads happening, bike Auctions, child races, vintage Cycle Club demonstrations, cycle jumble stalls.

Sunday 22nd May
. Part of Scotland's Garden Scheme. 9 Village Gardens will be open to the public in Gartmore from 2 - 6pm.

Sunday 22nd May

The M74 Project Partners and the Contractor are making the M74 Completion route available on Sunday 22nd May 2011 to allow a one off opportunity to see the route prior to opening by cycling, walking and running along the route.

The event will start at the west end of the new motorway, at the Shields Road Car Park, Scotland Street, Glasgow and take participants onto the motorway to do an "out and back" walk, run or cycle to Polmadie Road (4 km round trip) or over the full length to Fullarton Roundabout (14km round trip).

Offers an ideal opportunity to raise funds for charities.

If you know of any events happening around the country why not share the details in the comments box.

Remember you can listen again to all this week's shows via the MacAulay and co. web page and catch up on 7 days worth of comical occurrences on Radio Scotland by downloading the Scotland's Funny Bits Podcast.

Here's another recipe from The Kitchen Cafe to be downloaded, kept and printed.

Download the recipe

On Friday you'll hear Bob appreciated and covered by the Americana community and you'll hear some sparkling great Dylan cuts. No adverts, no competitions just Bob Dylan for two hours. Next Friday? We're going to do it all again. After two weeks surrounded by US Radio I love public broadcasting. Hope you do too!

So I've decided the best way I can introduce the next two Fridays is to put out this essay I wrote for in 1992. Why they asked me to write it then I can't remember. But I disagree with very little that I wrote except we now know he was about to make 6 straight great albums. Just as well I got round to realising he was as good as I'd first imagined. So here it is unchanged; my younger voice speaking about the Bob I grew up with.

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Colin Kelly, who presents Morning Briefing on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland, has sent us a few words about the show. Here's what he says;

Colin Kelly
It's just over a month since I joined Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland as presenter of the new Morning Briefing programme and now I've got my feet under the desk I reckon it's a good time to tell you a little more about what I've been up to.

If you haven't listened yet, perhaps that's due to the 5.30am start time. I have the earliest of early starts and get out of bed at 3am (if you're up earlier let me know!) so I can be at my desk putting the programme together by about quarter to 4.

Colin Kelly at Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland, 2011

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On the 24 May Bob Dylan celebrates his 70th birthday, and to mark this occasion Ricky Ross will present two special editions of Another Country. I'm sure Ricky will tell you more when he writes his blog later this week, but in the meantime here's Rosanne Cash (who shares her birthday with Bob) telling Ricky about her favourite Dylan song...

You can hear more from Rosanne from 2005, on Friday evening.

Well folks I got through the first week of All Night Long quite merrily, helped by the lovely welcome I received from everyone across the station, and you the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland listener... Many thanks for all your kind and warm welcoming messages on the show.

Already I have heard from a wide array of night owls tuning in to All Night Long from bus & taxi drivers, lovers of late night music, students up late cramming for exams (good luck to all students this month and next!) to mums and dads up doing the nightly feeds - in fact we've even had our first baby on the show - not mine may I add!

A jubilant listener texted in within a week of giving birth saying both Mum and baby doing just fine and were listening into the show - a great way to introduce baby to lots of great music - that kid's going to have good musical taste!

I'm truly enjoying embracing Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's wide and rich music repertoire that the show incorporates...we're playing some great tunes from all corners of the globe including jazz & blues, rock & indie, folk, americana, country, traditional song and dance to celtic & world as well songs on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland playlist.

My own body clock has been in disarray itself this past week trying to adjust to my new nocturnal lifestyle which is inevitable after the first week, definitely down to the adrenalin of launching the show.

So all in all up and running and very much looking forward to the weeks and months ahead...catching a few gigs and looking forward to bringing you next week's potted history of our Artist of the Week, Bob Dylan....oh and looking forward to hearing your suggestions which you can email to ravi@bbc.co.uk for 'First Pressing' where I will be playing your all-time favourite vinyl classics...including this piece of vinyl from a local band... WOODENBOX from A Fistful of Fivers.

Vinyl copy of Woodenbox from Fistful of Fivers

Up All Night with Ravi Sagoo, Monday to Friday 0000-0530.

Tune in to Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland on Wednesday 18 May at 1405 and you'll hear an exciting new radio drama addressing the thorny topic of "". The play's called The Penalty and its writer, Colin MacDonald explains why he wanted to write a play on the subject.

FIFA's Head of Security conceded last week that the problem is significant, adding: "Our information is that we are talking about tens of millions of dollars in profit from each successful fix."

There is match fixing where a player is bribed to alter the result of a game. And there is spot betting, where punters will place money on something happening in a game: a booking, an ordering off, a penalty in a specific period of the match.

FIFA's investigators believe that match fixers are able to manipulate low profile international and club matches because of the huge amount of money washing through Asian gambling markets. It was while researching this that I came across a reference to gambling fixers from these markets targeting matches in countries with low salaries. Bribes, it is reasoned, are more tempting when you have little money.

The words "what if" popped into my head. What if you were a part-time player and had lost your job in the current recession? What if you had a family to feed? What if someone came along dangling temptation?

That's how I began to write The Penalty.

There have been criminal cases in Britain where football players have been punished by the courts for accepting bribes. And rumours abound of thrown matches or goals given away easily. I just wanted to go the heart of the matter and ask one question: what matters most?

Profit for criminals, or the vital belief that what you are watching on the field of play is honest. The answer, to me, is obvious.

The Penalty written by Colin MacDonald will be broadcast on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland on Wednesday 18th May at 1405.

Today sees the launch of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition for 2012.

The award exists to encourage young musicians to take up a career in traditional music, the winner receives a recording session with Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland, a performance at the Scots Trad Music Awards and one year's membership of the .

Interested and aged between 16 and 27 (inclusive)? If so you can find out all the details by reading the information sheet (pdf) and the terms and conditions, and downloading the application form. The closing date for applications is Friday 1st July 2011.

You can also check out photographs from the 2011 event including the winner, Orkney fiddle player Kristan Harvey at the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland Celtic Connections pages.

The Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2011 Award winner Kristan Harvey with Jeff Zycinski and Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland.

Take the Floor: Gathering Hall in Oban, Argyllshire

Read on to find out about dances and folk events happening in your area with our weekly events guide.

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Friendships come in many forms as well as shapes and sizes. Some of them go back years and some are quite recent, but what defines them all is the happiness and the comfort they provide through the good times and the bad. My guest on this week's show couldn't have anticipated what her friendship with a terminally ill patient in her care, would bring about - not just a living reality, but a lasting memorial. Laura Lee is now CEO of and she shares her story of how the conversations she had with Maggie Keswick Jencks about building somewhere that would offer support to anyone affected by cancer, resulted in fifteen such places.

I'll also be joined by a man who's certainly risen to the musical challenge of composing a new choral setting of the latin Mass. "A Diminshed Mass", composed by Alan Craig will be premiered on Sunday evening as part of a season of music celebrating the re-opening of the newly re-furbished in Glasgow.

Mary Contini of the famous Edinburgh food emporium - Valvona and Crolla, talks about an inspirational great-grandmother, and how her words of wisdom still resonate to this day...

I'm always interested in what today's youth have to say - I really welcome their view on absolutely anything, possibly because I remember my own frustration at not being listened to when I was their age - what's changed? In this week's show we're talking money and teenagers attitudes to it, and asking how close or indeed how far, their perceptions are from reality. Is it the responsibility of parents to instil values in their children, and how much do external influences affect their views. Interesting stuff in the current economic climate.

There's a review of a wonderful exhibition of religious art at Edinburgh University's New College, which is well worth a look, and we take a trip down memory lane with author Robert Irwin, whose book, Memoirs of a Dervish charts his route from the dreaming spires of Oxford in the 1960's to Sufi enlightenment in a monastery in Algeria.

We're still looking for your stories and songs, and this week I've included one of my own. Next week Sally Magnusson will be at the helm, but I'll be back with you again in the Autumn. So till then, keep listening and have a great Summer

I've been here in since Tuesday.

It's not always easy to understand or describe "The South". Downstairs in my hotel is an informal breakfast buffet arrangement which seems to mean that there are more people needing to sit than there are spare tables. I can't imagine wanting to talk to anyone over breakfast so I reluctantly asked to share a space with a bloke doing the crossword in . He recognised I had "an accent" and struck up conversation. Turns out his half-brother lives in Peebles and he was in town on business from Mississippi. We chatted about oil spills, hurricanes and the usual stuff and I remarked that I found the South part of the USA the most fascinating. I remarked that it was here that seemed to be the birthplace of where so much of the cultural America came from. It's a great place, I offered.

Nashville, 2011

When I asked him to explain he gave me some interesting insights. 'Most people think we're racist and everyone knows we're poor - compared to the north.' I realised there is a lot of truth in what he said. When I grew up in the seventies the south was understood by my generation through the words of Neil Young's Alabama. Now, I think - perhaps because of Randy Newman - but also because I've spent some time here that it's a much better place than that. Equally, the northerners are no angels. 'The KKK was started in Indiana,' my breakfast pal told me. Maybe it's good I didn't get that table on my own after all.

I picked up a great book last night down town. It's a portrait and mini biogs of classic country singers of the first half of last century. In the introduction Douglas Green makes an astute observation: 'Country Music may have existed before 1925 but it didn't become country music until the advent of the radio and new stars were born.' How true that is. It's the radio that is omni present in these great films from our movie club - , and (that one's for next year!)

And it is to the radio that I go most often when I'm here. The great station is on the medium wave. 'Some things sound better on AM.' I bet there's a few radio bosses would have killed for that cool strap line. There's a truth in it too. I'll play some radio highlights tomorrow including, Nanci Griffith, Faith Hill and the most important record store boss of in this town (apart from Jack White), Ernest Tubb.

We'll also have a visit from East Nashville's Diana Jones who will sing tracks from her new album and we'll get a chance to talk to her about the of a year ago which informed her great new record, 'High Atmosphere'. We're not forgetting Bob backwards. In the current edition of a Nashville listings paper there's a great piece about 'Blonde on Blonde' being the first time many people outside country realised what a great recording centre Music City was. Sadly this week's album is no Blonde on Blonde but is Empire Burlesque...still, some nice things to play.

I'll also tell you about my own adventures in Music Row which today take me to a writing session with , the man who wrote American Honey.

It all starts tomorrow at 2...that's my time....5 past 8 for you.

This Friday night at 8.05pm Another Country with Ricky Ross will be live from the home of country music, Nashville Tennessee. We'll have a live session from local resident Diana Jones who will be performing tracks from her album High Atmosphere. If you've ever wondered why Nashville is called Music City and why it's so important, tune in on Friday to find out. In the meantime Ricky has been posting photos on the .

Ricky Ross's photographs, Nashville Tennesse, 2011

Don't miss the chance to download, print and keep the latest Kitchen Cafe recipe which this week is from Lady Claire MacDonald. There's also the latest Kitchen Cafe podcast to be downloaded and enjoyed.

The Kitchen Cafe is every Wednesday, 1315-1400.

I suppose like many other people, when I look back on my schooldays it's with more than a hint of regret - not so much that I didn't work harder - but rather that I didn't fully appreciate the opportunities that were there for me. That message was further hammered home to me on this week's programme during my discussion with , founder of - a charitable organisation that feeds half a million children every day around the world. And it all came about after a young boy in Malawi when asked by Magnus, what he would like most in the world, replied, one good meal a day and the chance to go to school.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow with Cathy Macdonald

The challenge of living well below the poverty line, is one which is also addressing this month, through their "Live Below the Line" campaign, and trustee Morag Mylne was tasked with surviving on £5 a week - that's £1 per day - in line with what is the reality for some 1.4 billion people worldwide. She tells us how she coped.

Death and dealing with death is a subject many of us struggle to even contemplate - and it's something that's tackled in the next series of Ö÷²¥´óÐã's "Inside the Human Body" - it also forms the basis for my discussion with Hospital Chaplain Blair Robertson and Glasgow Caledonian Universities, Professor Hugh McLachlan.

Brian Hawkins talks about his role as Celebrant Training Officer for the , and we'll be hearing about a rather unusual star attraction, to be unveiled later this month at .

As a new film "" brings together the combined talents of father and son and , writer Chris Dolan talks about his own experience of making that extraordinary pilgrimage along the .

And as always we feature a good selection of music to ease you into Sunday morning>. Don't forget to get in touch with your own favourites too, as well as any stories that are connected to them, and we'll feature them over the next few weeks.

Sunday Morning with Cathy Macdonald - Sunday 8 May, 0705-0900.

A different kind of blog this week and it may not be to your taste. Let me explain. When I started with the Ö÷²¥´óÐã, news presenters tended to be a pretty po-faced bunch. There was an inbuilt Ö÷²¥´óÐã formality and although there were rebellious souls - and Mike Russell together on GMS for example - a certain sang-froid was still expected. That began to break down as new talent came in. Perhaps the most notable of the new breed was Eddie Mair, still for me, the best current affairs presenter on radio. One reason that I myself was put behind a mike on GMS many years ago was a studied irony that sounded less deferential at times and, I think, for my lack of fear in revealing details - little ones - about my life. This is regarded as a gentle hook for the audience. It leaves the impression that a listener actually knows you a little. You can easily take this too far. I remember a woman telling me she expected me to give her the news, not to pretend I was her friend. That lesson is particularly true on an early morning show where many listeners will still be in bed! So you have strike a balance by not thinking it's all about you. It isn't. And in radio the best tool of all is, obviously, use of the voice to subtly change tone according to the gravity of the story or the levity of the occasion. It is sometimes suggested the audience craves more information about the people they listen to so they can imagine what motivates them and informs them. So here's the bit you might not like.

Next week is a big one for me. I turn 60 and I will celebrate in Ardnamurchan with wife and family. Like many baby boomers, I shrug off advancing years as I've also coasted the 60's wave of optimism and good times. I really try not to count, preferring to recall my favourite year when I was 19 and still at my lanky-limbed, mop-haired, spunkiest, Rolling Stone best. But 60 does have to be marked. However this birthday is also the 10th anniversary of the death from cancer of my first wife, Alison. I still can't read that phrase without remembering the horror and fear of those times. She died early on the morning of my 50th birthday and the two events are linked inextricably. Nothing has affected me more than her death and nothing prepared me for finding a new wife and having a new family so rapidly afterwards. So instead of presenting this Saturday I will be heading up the A82 to the Corran ferry and along the shores of Loch Sunart. The new family will meet up with the grown up daughters of me and Alison and we will hike the three miles to the beach where her ashes are scattered. It will be a time of reflection and redemption. I wrote about Alison's death once 10 years ago and this is the first time since. It's why I suggested at the start that this might not be to your taste but for what it's worth, nothing has influenced me as much or done more to shape the man I am today than losing her and finding someone new. What it teaches you is that beneath the cynicism and behind the front we present to the world - whether behind a microphone or not - we have an enormous capacity both to come to terms and to love. Does it influence my broadcasting? I don't know. I suppose like all these things, it's the listener who decides. I hope this is not too much like Thought for the Day.

Do keep listening. Derek

Here is the new Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland Take The Floor events guide.

FRIDAY 6th MAY

ACCORDION & FIDDLE CLUB
Castle Douglas - Crossmichael Hall - Annual Dance With Roger Dobson - 7:30pm

CEILIDH, OLD TIME & SOCIAL DANCE CLUB
RSCDS - Edinburgh - Howard Street - Gordon Shand And His Band - Annual Ball

Edinburgh - Lauriston Hall - Ken Gourlay & Scott Leslie Ceilidh Band - 8pm - *Tickets £10/£8/£6*

FOLK CLUB
Aberdeenshire - Crichie - Village Hall - Ugie Folk Club - *FREE*

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At 12.30am on Monday 9 May a new overnight programme comes to Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland. Presenter Ravi Sagoo tells us more...

So the countdown has well and truly begun to the launch of a brand new show here on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland as the station goes round the clock from Sunday night onwards...I'll be going live with 'All Night Long with Ravi Sagoo' from Sunday nights to Friday mornings between 12.30 midnight to 5.30am.

Ravi Sagoo

Just been in the studio this past week or so having a few run throughs, really looking forward to playing lots of great music as this show truly brings all of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's rich musical repertoire together.

So if you're a fan of Another Country with Ricky Ross (well done Ricky on the Sony Nomination) or be it Jazz & Blues, Rock & Indie to Folk, Celtic and World music it's all there alongside the Radio Scotland Playlist.

Having guest presented Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering in the past and having worked behind the scenes on Traveling Folk in another life I'm especially looking forward to slipping in one or two numbers from these musical worlds.

Working lifestyles are very different these days from 9 - 5, cue Dolly eh? (She's coming to Glasgow come August can't wait!) Of course the 9 - 5 working pattern does still hold its own but if you're a fellow night-owl, be it through your working, social or domestic lifestyle then get in touch with all your stories on the show and perhaps any music you would like to hear by email at allnightlong@bbc.co.uk. For instance I'm looking for your nominations for 'First Pressing' where I will be playing listeners all-time favourite vinyl classics. My favourite piece of vinyl from my own collection is the great Frank Sinatra Live At The Sand's Hotel, what's yours?

This past year I've been working through the wee small hours with and that coupled with years of nightclubbing and a healthy dose of insomnia should set me up for my new nocturnal musical routine!

There are a few schedule changes coming up over the next few days. The changes focus on the overnight schedule with a new programme called All Night Long with Ravi Sagoo.

This new music programme has an impact on the Zones which from Monday to Friday reduce to one hour. Saturday and Sunday will remain the same Zone-wise with the full Comedy and Celtic Zones.

Weekdays (Monday to Friday):
0030-0300 All Night Long with Ravi Sagoo
0300-0400 The Zones - Arts Classical Jazz, New Music, History, Conversation, Culture
0400-0530 All Night Long with Ravi Sagoo
0530-0600 Morning Briefing
0600-0850 Good Morning Scotland

It may be raining now after all these endless weeks of sunshine but here are a few important pointers to re-establish your happiness quotient:

It may be raining but we're going to play Hank Williams.

It may be raining but we're going to play George Jones.

It may be raining but but we're going to play the longest song I have ever played on radio.

It may be raining but I am not going to play the bad stuff from Bob Dylan's "".

It may be raining but we have an interview and session with Shelby Lynne.

OK...that's enough weather. Let's flesh in a little detail here.

First Shelby. Did anyone go to the gig? I was never going to go to the gig but I did have the pleasure of doing a Shelby crammer course during last week. She really has got a lot of lovely stuff on record and is a very good album. If you are going to get one I would suggest you listen to her Dusty Springfield album (). It really is gorgeous. Interviewing Shelby was not the easiest thing I've ever done but I hope you'll enjoy the chat The nice thing is she seemed to like it! (Phew....)

Shelby Lynne with Ricky Ross

What else...I think you will like the music of Gregory Alan Isakov and he sounds like a re born Ryan Adams. His album is called This Empty Northern Hemisphere....check it out, as they say. We'll also have a track from the new album of a song-writer who has written a massive British No 1 hit single and lots of other great songs for artists including Morrissey, David Bowie and Ringo. You do the arith' as my good friend Biffo would say. All will be made clear round the wireless at five past eight on Friday night. Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland.

Listeners to Another Country with Ricky Ross are in for a treat this Friday night because Ricky's guest is American singer-songwriter (and sister of "Mrs Steve Earle", Allison Moorer) Shelby Lynne.

Shelby was in Scotland on Sunday night to perform at Edinburgh's in support of her recent album "Tears, Lies and Alibis". I was at the concert, and although I cannot claim to be an expert on her music she was brilliant. Accompanied by guitarist John Jackson, a giant of a man, especially when standing next to the tiny Shelby, the set was stripped back and intimate. Highlights included "Leavin'" and "You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me" which she recorded on her Dusty Springfield tribute album.

I for one am therefore looking forward to Friday night's interview and session on Another Country. Here's a short taster from the interview to whet your appetite...

You wouldn't think it was that easy to lose a large pineapple in a suburban-semi, but you'd be wrong. One minute I was holding it in my hand, ready to dice it into a lunch of fruity-loveliness, next minute it had vanished. I may be exaggerating slightly. It didn't quite evaporate before my very eyes - there was one wee part of the event which may have some bearing on the mystery. I was looking out the kitchen window at the time and noticed my Fatsia Japonica. The one I'd given up for dead at the end of winter, it was showing signs of life. Among the tattered leaves, brown and singed with frost bite, was a single green bud. And that green bud spelled hope. I had no choice but to race outside to examine it further, without, I may add, a care or thought for the aforementioned pineapple. When I came back inside it was gone.

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Don't miss the chance to download, print and keep the first ever Kitchen Cafe recipe which is from Tom KItchin. There's also the Kitchen Cafe podcast to be downloaded and enjoyed.

The Kitchen Cafe is every Wednesday, 1315-1400.

Unable to sleep? Someone's snoring getting you down? Got an overnight journey to endure? Then why not tune in to Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's overnight election results programme...(How am I doing?) It's not an easy sell, is it? Stay up all night to listen to an election. I've lost count of the number of these programmes I've done when a point comes - usually about 4 am - when somebody says out loud: Is anybody out there listening? But of course people are doing just that. It's amazing how many people are up and active at that hour...mums with babies, students reading, delivery drivers, supermarket shelf stackers, oil rig workers, the public servants we rely on like police, fire and health staff and many others in bed drifting in and out of sleep.

In the same way you can drift in and out of the programme and get our regular updates on the counts around Scotland, the trend of results, argument from the politicians, analysis from our academic experts and polemic from commentators. We even cover the results from Wales and Northern Ireland and the English council election (clues here about attitudes to the coalition) and of course the . Come to think of it - how will we fit it all in? The other big draw though is that my co-presenter this time is Ken Macdonald, as seasoned an observer as you'll find and definitely a political heavyweight. When , Ken and I worked together in Washington to bring the news to a Scottish audience so we should cope with Scotland. We go on air between 22:00, when the polls close, and 22:30 and then return at midnight and turn into the caffeine twins until Good Morning Scotland at 6am. You can send us messages and questions as we go along. Remember...you can hear it first on Radio Scotland (providing we stay awake).

Fridge Porn? Eh? The e-mail from Carine Seitz about her containing nothing but pictures of the insides of people fridges hardly registered when it first landed in my inbox but the more I sat and thought about it the more I was intrigued. I started quietly obsessing about the contents of my fridge. What would it say about me? What would people think if I let them have a rummage through the endless tupperware boxes of this and that slowly going off until the weekly (ha!) clearout? What would I like to have in my fridge to give off the right impression, indeed what should someone about to present a new food programme on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland ideally have in their fridge? Pate de foie gras? Prosecco? Scottish asparagus and a good visible chunk of local Blue certainly but chance would be a fine thing and anyway where would I stash all the kiddie yoghurts, unfinished corners of mouldering cheese and baked beans?

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It's the last week of the election as we hurtle to voting day like an out-of-control meteorite heading for a seismic impact that will wipe out politicians like the dinosaurs and change history forever. (calm down, dear...calm down - editor) Yes, it's the final pre-election outing for the Newsweek panel who have led the way by telling you what happened - after it happened. It's what we at the Ö÷²¥´óÐã call analysis. The worry for us though is that it becomes repetitive because the story has been consistent since we started weeks ago...the headline has been the SNP catching up with Labour, overtaking and, as far as we know, staying ahead. The Lib Dems and the Tories look to be in trouble but that's if you apply a universal trend when in reality, people also vote locally for local people and buck those trends. The low level but consistent rise of the Greens is another ever-present.

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