The annual countdown to Winter has been well under way for a few weeks now. First the schools went back – and Kirknewton. Then the X Factor returned to haunt our Saturday nights, with Strictly Come Dancing launching next week. The leaves will be off the trees before we know it.

Already, there’s not much honeysuckle left, so actually you might be better leaving the rest of this article for later while you go foraging to make Fi Bird’s wild honeysuckle jelly..

Kids, Craft and Chaos looks back on being a leader at girl guide camp.

FitbaThatba returns from sunnier climes to the cold of Aberdeen and wonders whether the football season should be moved to the Summer. You might also want to take him to task for the assertion that “women’s football doesn’t count because it’s not a real sport”.

Under the Bunnet manages to look forward to the Rugby World Cup and imagines a Scotland-Wales semi-final.

Misssy M recounts how she upset the rather fragile ego of a radio DJ. They made up, but Kate Harris, writing on Bright Green Scotland about how comedian Russell Kane responded to her Twitter complaints about his sexist remarks, did not have such a happy conclusion.

This week has seen politicians trying to set the scene ahead of the new parliamentary term which starts tomorrow. I wrote about Secretary of State for Scotland Mike Moore’s polite request for some details about what independence would mean in practical terms for wee ordinary mortals and The Burd responded with six questions of her own for Moore.

The Edinburgh trams saga had some more moments of high drama as reported by Living on Words Alone.

In the week the Lockerbie Bomber was found in fragile health in Tripoli, The Lockerbie Case pays tribute to Jim Swire.

Rookie Oven is worried that we’re learning to be consumers rather than producers of new techonology.

Lallands Peat Worrier looks at the Scottish Government’s consultation on equal marriage and notes how it’s the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who’s embracing the idea on behalf of the Government and not either of two ministers who actually have responsibility for the area.

Transatlantic Blonde highlights how domestic violence has been glamorised in an advert for a Canadian hair salon, while the Burd looks at how Nadine Dorries’ abortion amendments might affect women in Scotland if they were passed.

Jamie Glackin writes about the foundation set up in David Cairns’ MP’s memory on Labour Hame.

Kirsty Connell explains on Better Nation , which, incidentally, celebrates its 1st birthday this week, why we need to concentrate on improving mental health.

After all that serious stuff, we need some therapy. So, if you’ve made your Honeysuckle Jelly and want to turn your hand to crafts, why not head out and look for some duck shaped stones as Nature Kids suggests. And In a Bun Dance writes about how blogging (among other things) brings a little extra romance into her life.

Well, maybe not the most original headline of the week, but you would think that nothing else had gone on than the scandal engulfing News International, the Police and politicians. Scottish bloggers have certainly taken a robust look at this one this week, but lest we think it’s all that matters at the moment, I want you to focus on Cicero’s Songs gloomy forecast for the world economy. He’s taken on Murdoch as well this week, but his piece on impending global financial meltdown chilled me to the bone, particularly as I’ve found him to be right on many occasions in the 25 years I’ve known him. A cheery thought for a Sunday morning, particularly as there’s very little any of us can do about it.

The hacking story has received widespread coverage and put the spotlight on journalistic practices across the board. Love and Garbage, takes on the Observer on the subject of blagging. Shuggy smells out some hypocrisy on issues of privacy and liberty. The Burd looks at the implications for the inter-relationships between Scotland’s power players. Paul Kavanagh over at Newsnet Scotland analyses the key players’ words and deeds on the first Sunday without the News of the World. In a Bun Dance, though, reminds us how important good journalism is to our culture.

In other news, Lallands Peat Worrier is concerned that Alex Salmond’s defence of Scotland’s legal institutions may harm them while Joan McAlpine takes on the idea that Scotland couldn’t have survived the collapse of the banks as an independent state. A Scottish Liberal, however, won’t be taking up Alex Salmond’s invitation to join the SNP.

SNP MSP Mark McDonald, writing on Better Nation, takes on those who complain about people being too young to be in politics.

Working parents have been in the news this week. I wrote about how Nick Clegg had been slated by the Daily Telegraph for the sin of taking his kids to school. In a Bun Dance asks if baby talk in the office is appropriate, which may interest Is there a Plan B? as she returns to work after the birth of her baby. She discusses her slightly mixed feelings on the occasion.

Greener Leith looks at the debate on regeneration in the area.

A Diary of Injustice in Scotland complains that people who actually use the courts and solicitors are being shut out of the Scottish Government’s review on civil justice.

The Snooker Blog carries news of Scotland’s exit from the World Cup – but we did get to the quarter finals.

If you haven’t decided where to go for your holidays this year, The Shoogly Peg says Japan needs you. World famous cyclist Lance Armstrong has come to Scotland though and is posting photographs of his Highland adventures.

If you’re fed up with repeats on the telly, Islay Blog suggests you watch this video of a model aeroplane flight between Ireland and Islay.

And, finally, FitbaThatba has had a You Tube video go viral with not that far off quarter of a million views.

If you’re reading today’s selection thinking I’ve missed a fabulous post, why not volunteer to edit one Sunday? The feedback we’ve had from people who’ve done it is that they have generally enjoyed it, and we do try to hold your hand through the process and give you what we hope is a good balance between autonomy and guidance. If you don’t have time to edit, then please nominate your favourite blog posts. No one person has the time to go through the entire blogosphere in any given week, so the more posts you readers put forward, the wider the selection we can offer. Contact us by the panel on the side, or tweeting @scottishroundup or e-mailing scottishroundup@gmail.com.

Events this week have meant that I haven’t had a huge amount of time to chase up nominations for the best posts in Scottish blogging this week – but, thankfully, you lovely readers have kept them coming in on a wide variety of topics.

There’s been plenty political controversy this week, but I thought it might be good to start with National Volunteer Week for which Volunteer Edinburgh interviewed a different volunteer every day.

A new community initiative for a wind turbine for Leith and Portobello has attracted 200 backers in just a few days, according to Greener Leith.

Bloggers have not exactly been queuing up to congratulate Stagecoach’s Brian Souter on his knighthood. In fact, Bright Green Scotland and A Scottish Liberal are quite strongly opposed.

Constitutional issues are still causing voices to be raised and tempers to be lost. This week Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore suggested that if an initial independence referendum only asked for permission to negotiate, there should be a follow up one on the final deal. I thought he was right. The Better Nation team were split and Lallands Peat Worrier explained the legal sided of it in scholarly fashion.

The Supreme Court controversy continues with Scots Law Thoughts being unimpressed with the Executive’s language. Lallands Peat Worrier thinks that there are problems with the way our High Court of Justiciary deals with human rights cases and that we should be putting our own house in order.

A Shoogly Peg suggests that it’s not issues over courts or referendums that could anger Scots sufficiently to choose separation, but that FIFA could make it happpen.

Love and Garbage has his own highly unique theory about the Blair/Brown plotting.

The other half of the Better Nation team have been on a jolly fact finding mission to the European Parliament in Strasbourg for which they have produced a number of posts, but this first one is a light hearted look at 5 random things they learned on their first day.

Willie Rennie, the new Liberal Democrat leader, also decided to support minimum alcohol pricing, a move that pleases me
but not my friend and colleague Keith Legg on Climbing Russell’s Mountain.

This is the week that Labour Hame burst into our consciousness. Tom Harris MP has returned to blogging at this group blog which aims, I guess, to rival the likes of Bella Caledonia and Better Nation.

The Burd makes her suggestions as to how best to reform Holyrood. Clue, it doesn’t involve printers and faxes.

Bright Green Scotland suggests that nobody should have to choose between femininity and feminism.

And Michael Traill suggests we could even use social networking for FOI requests.

Bella Caledonia were very excited about the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Giggle Beats, funnily enough, looks at the comedy on offer.

Fringe Report has an overview of the biggest Fringe yet.

And Set in Darkness looks forward to Rock Ness.

We have a heart warming story of how a bee was restored to health on Taexalia.

My friend and fellow blogger Andrew Reeves’ funeral took place on Friday. Tributes had been paid to him across the political spectrum and I have been pulling them together. Knowing how much he loved the area around Newhaven Harbour, and how he’d photographed it many times for his Blipfoto blog, I was particularly pleased to see this short film on Greener Leith of the area, showing a windy sunset, in the nominations, and I’ll leave you with that.

So, the title of this week’s Roundup is a Bob Dylan song, appropriate in the week of his 70th birthday. Mike Ritchie chooses his favourite Dylan work.

Blowin’ in the wind has a certain resonance in the week that Scotland was hit by gales – and in many ways it’s seemed like there is a metaphorical turbulence in our legal and political system too. Time will tell whether those are destructive gales, or the sort of autumnal breeze that makes away for new life in Spring.

When Barack Obama said on Wednesday that Gary McKinnon’s fate was now in the hands of the British legal system, many of us in Scotland sighed. An overseas visitor can be forgiven for not getting that Scotland and England have separate legal systems, but can solicitors in England? And should the UK Supreme Court have the right to judge on Scots cases?

Superinjunctions have been in the headlines this week after the Sunday Herald last week broke ranks and identified Ryan Giggs as the footballer at the eye of the media storm the day before he was named in the House of Commons. Love and Garbage has some advice for the celebrity with a secret while Random Thoughts on Scots and other law looks at the wider issues.

The other big legal story of the week was the UK Supreme Court’s decision on Nat Fraser, who has been in prison for the murder of his wife Arlene since 2003. While the First Minister has vociferously argued that the UK Supreme Court has no business interfering in the Scottish Legal System, The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University argues that such rulings make our legal system fairer.

The Lockerbie Case reports that the lawyer for the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six has expressed doubts about Megrahi’s conviction.

Going back to the US President’s visit to these shores, A Scottish Liberal found his big speech a bit underwhelming, while The View from the Hills examines our relationship with our friends across the water.

Much of the media reported this week that the Church of Scotland had approved the ordination of LGBT ministers. Kelvin explains in more detail why that’s not quite accurate and looks at the way forward.

In politics, this was the week when the SNP unveiled its plans for Government. The Burd is concerned that it’s not doing enough to tacke poverty. We’ve had politicians who have taken up blogging, but this week two bloggers who have taken up elected office gave their maiden speeches. Kezia Dugdale and Joan McAlpine both wrote about their experience.

The new Government has made clear its intention to tackle sectarianism by introducing legislation before the new football season. Lallands Peat Worrier is not convinced by the Justice Secretary’s performance on Newsnight.

Scottish Labour are going through a process of soul searching after their election defeat. The Burd looks at Labour’s burning questions, including “since when did Labour politicians wake up every morning with the avowed intention to stick it to the Nats?” Meanwhile, John McAllion, over at Bella Caledonia, wants Labour to put Scotland, not Westminster, first.

Gerry Hassan argues that the BBC is not reacting appropriately to the political change in Scotland.

Unpaid internships have become part of some university courses. That Guy from Easterhouse points out in practical terms what this means for him. Anyone who thinks that students have enough money to live on should read this – he talks about only being able to afford one meal a day.

The interestingly named G’s Spot, whose author lost his father to Dementia last year, argues that inappropriate use of sedatives in Dementia care robs people of dignity.

In the week a Canadian couple decide to keep their newborn child’s gender a secret so as to avoid them being constrained by social norms about gender, Transatlantic Blonde looks at how parents avoid or perpetuate gender stereotypes.

Bella Caledonia looks back at the work of Gil Scott-Heron who died this week while Liberal Landslide looks back at the sacrifices made by his grandfather.

Ellen from In a Bun Dance has been off to post revolution Tunisia where she complains about the weather. Poor Snapdragon has more right to complain as she had a right mess to clean up after the gales. Let’s just hope that when Ellen does the Moonwalk in two weeks’ time, the elements are kind. She’s a veteran of the 26 mile walk and has published her tips for surviving the event. If any Roundup readers are attempting the event, or know someone who is, please pass them on.

The Highland Games season is underway and Set in Darkness has video footage of Bathgate’s event yesterday.

Andrew Reeves shows us his pictures of Portobello beach taken on a rare day off.

In sport, Doctorvee looks at the centenary of the Indy 500 and G’s Spot compares FIFA’s set up to the Godfather.

This is the week when Guardian Edinburgh shuts down and looks back at the stories it’s covered.

And, finally, if you are a fan of poetry, you might find something you like on Wee Fictions.

Next week you will be in the capable hands of Mr Andrew Page. We still have a fair few slots to fill in – I’m currently preparing a rota through to the end of September. Do you fancy showcasing your favourite Scottish blogs? Let us know via e-mail or Twitter.

Well, Scotland seems to have changed quite a lot since the last Roundup. The Parliament where no party was supposed to dominate now has a majority SNP Government. Some time in the next five years, we will have a referendum on independence which, whatever your perspective, has to be at least a little bit exciting.

Nobody would have predicted in March, when Labour had a significant lead in the opinion polls, that the SNP would overtake them in a political tidal wave that swept away half Labour’s front bench from its west and Central Scotland heartland. Over at The Steamie, I had a stab at working out how they’d done it.

It’s been a pretty heartbreaking time for those not in the SNP. Labour, Tories and the Liberal Democrats all lost their leaders. Willie Rennie is the first of the new generation of political leaders to take office. Climbing Russell’s Mountain tells us a bit more about the man.

It was fabulous to see Yousuf Hamid make an all to brief return to the blogosphere to outline, on Better Nation, what Labour must learn from the kicking it received from the voters.

The Greens had hoped to make a breakthrough, but again returned just 2 MSPs. Suitably Despairing is gutted, and looks at where they go from here.

The passage or otherwise of the Scotland Bill through both Holyrood and Westminster. The man between Alex Salmond’s demands for more powers to be included within it, and Westminster Labour and Tory’s reluctance to see any greater powers devolved is Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore. Olly Grender writing at the New Statesman, profiles the Liberal Democrats’ fifth man in the Cabinet.

Lallands Peat Worrier looked at the traditional oath taken by MSPs as they were sworn in.

The diversity, or lack of it, in the new Parliament is discussed by The Burd at her new perch at Better Nation.. She’s still going strong at her old one too, writing about how it is, sadly, very much a Man’s World.

Just to show that constitutional matters don’t have to always be about independence, Philosophical Zombie, who once worked in the House of Lords, discusses its reform.

Sadly, this week saw the funeral of Inverclyde MP David Cairns who died on 10th May at only 44. He has his own unique place in Scottish history as the law had to be changed to allow the former Catholic Priest to stand for Parliament. Many Scottish bloggers will have interacted with him on Twitter, where he was a friendly and incredibly funny stalwart. Tom Harris MP, a close friend of Cairns, wrote this heartfelt tribute that made many of us wish we’d known him better.

This coming week, the Church of Scotland will finally make its mind up on how it feels about same sex relationships. Andrew Page looks at the issues

And Morally Bankrupt warns of advice centres under threat in Glasgow.

Away from politics, Slugs on the Refrigerator asks why, when she has a 24/7 job, sometimes it doesn’t seem enough. Still with maternal angst, Mummy do that advises us to throw off the guilt when it comes to breastfeeding.

In a Bun Dance asks if she is a feminist.

Clinically Fed Up requests that you ask for permission before you use her photos and tells us a little bit about copyright.

Congratulations to MisssyM, who’s been nominated for an award – and if you missed the story the first time it was on here, do read it again. It will make you laugh.

If you’re still here to read this, then it looks as if predictions of Armageddon for yesterday were a bit wide of the mark. Kelvin has a few words to say on the subject.

And welcome back to The Catgirl after a year’s absence.

If you’ve missed us over the past few weeks, would you consider taking some time out to help us produce Roundup. We are a very small team and always welcome more volunteers. There are two areas where we need help. The first is to take a turn at compiling the weekly Roundup. The more people we have to do this, the bigger a variety of blogs we can feature. Everyone has their own favourites and their own perspective of the best of Scottish blogging. It will take a good couple of hours of your time on a Saturday or early Sunday to put together a Roundup. A member of our Admin team will send you the nominations which have come in via Twitter or the site, or via e-mail, and you can also add a selection of your own.

Joining the admin team is the other way you can help. It involves helping to compile the rota of weekly editors and to support them in producing their Roundup. It involves collating nominations via Twitter etc and passing them on. The more people we have willing to do this, the more manageable the workload is. Ideally, each admin editor would do a stint of around a month at a time.

If you are interested in either or both of these roles, please let us know on scottishroundup@gmail.com or via Twitter (@scottishroundup).

And, finally, if you’ve been madly politicking these last few weeks and are looking for something escapism to occupy your mind, you might want to try Scotlans Treasure Hunt