As Edinburgh International Film Festival shifts its focus towards first and second-time filmmakers, there has been a collective call to encourage others to get out and make movies, regardless of financial circumstances. Filmmaking at Edinburgh from Uncultured Critic

To whoever nominated this- thanks, it’s a welcome and different addition to The Roundup. Spooky tales from the gallows from Shootin Fae the Shin

Bella Caledonia mulls over the legend of William Wallace.Wallace, by contrast, was a gey complex case: myth folding on myth. The closer you got to his own day, the more mythical he got: Wallace in Flesh and Stone

Yeah Okay Bye on cheese etiquette  Yes, there is an etiquette surrounding cheese!

Caron from caron’s Musings believes that very often  common sense is flung out the window when it comes to “child safety”. Caron muses over the bureaucracy that could close a nursery in Fife. Despite my own over-anxiety as a mum, I realise that swaddling children in red tape is neither sensible nor effective.

Big Rab at the always wonderful Ben Lomond Free Press looks at the prolofereation of the word aspirational and asks what it really means.

Bright Green Scotland wins the best post title of the week award for sure.Why I superglued myself to the Royal Bank of Scotland

Three Scots political bloggers have joined forces to start a new blog . It’s called Better Nation and the contributors are bloggers you will know from SNP tactical Voting, Malc in the Burgh and Two Doctors. A fine pedigree.  Read their posts  here and here for a sample .

As a Mum and a dog owner the horrible news that a girl was attacked by three dogs in Dundee certainly got me thinking about responsible dog ownership.  Ellen asks what can be done to stop a repeat of the terrible attack by dogs on Rhianna Kidd in Dundee ?

Absolvitor discusses the news that the City of Edinburgh Council are embroiled in a complex legal fight to evict a community organisation from premises in the Craigmillar area of the city in Eviction and Equalities in Edinburgh

The Absurdist champions our libraries in the face of underfunding, under-use and, to make matters even worse, a severe drubbing from Quentin Letts on Radio 4

Let’s sing-a-long-a-Lallands-Pat-Worrier

Love and Garbage is even more excited than before about the trial of Tommy Sheridan now that Andy Coulson has been called as a witness

Andy G ends his stint at the tapas bar in Edinburgh but comes back with some stories.

Dark Lochnagar deals with groundbreaking, expensive  and fairly obvious scientific research

My real life person has  a new blog which allows me to write about kids stuff and this week’s post is about something that every Scottish mother has to cope with. Not sleep deprivation, colic or reflux, but the arrival of the Health Visitor

Photo-blogging

And now to what’s fast becoming my favourite part of the Roundup- the Blipfotos. So many of our established Scots  bloggers have a Blipfoto account as well.

Rab does

I do

David  Lewis does

Adelaide Green Porridge does

Andrew Reeves has a Flickr account

And some others just blog in their Blips. Like…

Meeester Feature

Alive and Kicking

Beefy Lorelei

Daisy Glaisy

In My Life

Stewart Bremner

Eco Dad

Wingpig

Lady Findhorn

Joe Blogs

Scobes

Red

Ben’sView

It’s  a Dobb’s Life

That’s yer lot for this week. Lallands Peat Worrier takes over the reins of the Roundup for the next wee while. Keep blogging and nominating through this site, by Tweet on  Twitter @ScottishRoundup and via email scottishroundup@gmail.com Thanks to everyone who has nominated whilst I’ve been administrating. See you out there in Blogland.

Misssy M

Bellacaledonia wants a debate on Scottish independence and says the time is right for the discussion. http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2010/08/26/they-have-no-mandate-reclaiming-scotland-part-1/

A Burdz Eye View takes the opportunity of the news that Jack McConnell is leaving politics to reassess his legacy. http://burdzeyeview.wordpress.com/2010/08/28/hit-the-road-jack/

Lena the Hyena blogs about some people’s vitriol towards Kenny McAskill over the Lockerbie bomber release. http://lenathehyena.wordpress.com/2010/08/22/think-tank-director-the-baroness-and-the-shriek-of-english-bigotry/

Philosophical Zombie talks about the spirit level debate and asks, why can’t we be more like Singapore?  http://philosophicalzombie.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-society/

Alex Massie reviews Alistair Beaton’s Caledonia. at the Edinburgh Festival http://www.spectator.co.uk/alexmassie/6229495/oh-caledonia.thtml and says “There’s a great play to be written about Darien. This isn’t it.”

Whilst Ellen goes for the more lowbrow end of the cultural scale and makes no apology for it. Her (and her family) review the first episode of this year’s X Factor http://living.stv.tv/health-fitness/family/193698-x-factor-is-hitting-the-spot-in-my-family/ and she has trouble knowing how to talk to her postie on her own blog: http://bundance.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-cant-i-handle-truth.html

The Absurdists tries out the sports pages to see what all the fuss is about: http://theabsurdistshequeen.blogspot.com/2010/08/scottish-football-news-is-breath-of.html

A sad tale of sartorial disaster from me, Misssy M, this week: http://misssymartin.blogspot.com/2010/08/tales-from-hood.html

Yeah Okay bye is on a blog marathon this week. www.yeahokbye.blogspot.com I’m not going to pick any one post in particular because they all pretty much want to make you take a sledgehammer to your house and start rebuilding it. Choose your own favourite.

Claire O’Gallagher on the BBC learning Scotland has memories of Edwin Morgan visiting her school. He did a lot of that- my own sister met him at secondary school and I was taken on a school trip to the theatre where he read his poems to schoolchildren. A great Scot. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/scotlandlearning/2010/08/edwin-morgan.shtml

And now to what I’m hoping to become a regular feature- Blipfoto blog posts. This week the Blipfoto “Life Turns” Video was premiered at the Edinburgh Festival. Did your photo make it in. Watch it here. http://www.blipfoto.com/lifeturns/

And this week Blip highlights are here:

Meeester Feature on The Mither Tap http://www.blipfoto.com/Meestermartin

Daisyglaisy meets some strange characters in Oldmeldrum’s new square: http://www.blipfoto.com/view.php?id=700480&month=8&year=2010

Alive and Kicking is up early with the dew http://www.blipfoto.com/view.php?id=700138&month=8&year=2010

This’ll make us feel better about the rain, David Lewis is blipping in Canada http://www.blipfoto.com/view.php?id=700463&month=8&year=2010

Snapping Aboot has some new additions to his family http://www.blipfoto.com/view.php?id=699630&month=8&year=2010

There were some great nominations this week but not a lot to choose from, so we need more of you to be nominating or putting yourself forward. If you want to be included you can nominate your own stuff, you know- it’s OK to blow your own bassoon. Just email us or send us a message on twitter. Follow us @ScottishRoundup on twitter. Email us at scottishroundupp@gmail.com

This week in Scotland sees the first anniversary of the release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber, Al Megrahi on compassionate grounds. Predictably the UK media have jumped on this date and well, the fact that he lives on. But are Scots bloggers doing the same? It seems the media coverage of the anniversary is getting our goat more than anything.  SNP Tactical Voting takes exception to the London Evening Standards coverage. And the Lallands Peat Worrier analyses public opinion. Forget about complaining about Al Megrahi being sent home, Rolled up Trousers calls for a new inquiry into the bombing itself.

In party political news, we’re all wondering if Charles Kennedy is about to defect. Gordon MacMillan at Hurry Up Harry has the latest insider info.

I wonder what was the last straw for Kennedy?  Surely the council housing announcement this week won’t have sat well with a lot of Lib Dems. The news that there may no longer be a council house for life has also caught Demitrius’s attention

And Caron looks at the coalition’s latest bombshell about taking benefits away from those addicted to drugs

Malc in the Burgh marks the first 100 days of the Tory/Lib Dem coalition

Subrosa looks at why for thousands of soldiers the Iraq troops withdrawal is a long drawn out process with an end even further in sight.

Obituary

Sadly two great Scots  died this week, poet Edwin Morgan and writer and activist Jimmy Reid. Here are some blogger tributes to them:

Go lassie Go on Edwin Morgan

Quotables put together some Edwin Morgan quotes to commemorate Edwin Morgan’s life

And if you’re a Gaelic speaker you can read this commemoration on BBC Gaelic Blog

Joan McAlpine tells us about Jimmy Reid’s funeral.

Bella Caledonia talks about Jimmy’s life as a Scottish socialist

And Gallus Glaswegian feels the loss of “the greatest MP we never had”.

Families and Friends

Hopeman Man finds a photo of his dad and brothers that brings back memories and prompts him to think about his dad and grabbing a moment in time.

Phil’s Phrase a Day continues with other gems from his daughter. Do you remember getting this involved in a book?

Talking of books, writer Nicola Morgan continues to give authors and wannabe authors tips on writing that bestseller. This week she considers what gets readers turning pages.

And of course this was the week that most Scottish kids went back to school. My son, Indy, went to the “big school” and it got me wondering why I was so nervous for him- could it have been memories of my first day?

And Big Rab’s girl trotted off to secondary as well, and this got him thinking about whether school days really are the best of your life. I defy anyone over the age of 35 to not recognise some of these school day memories.

On the subject of Ellen is thinking along the same lines  and is still upset about the removal of school milk by Mrs T .

Sadly one of Aberdeen’s best live music venues has sadly closed down. Here is a eulogy to Moshulu from someone posting on Aberzine who has a host of great memories of the place. Me? I’m still upset about the Venue closing down in 1988.

Design, Photography and Art

I thought it was about time we started to look at the expanding world of microblogging on Blipfoto. There are some great little photo blogs out there by an army of Blippers. Here are some that caught my attention this week for Scots Blippers:

Meeester M and the story of the Turra Coo

In keeping with the Back to School theme here’s DaisyGlaisy take on the first day back.

BeefyLorelei has possibly the coolest garden ornament I’ve ever seen

Rising early for a shift at the hospital Dr Ben shares his morning view when most of us are still in bed.

It’s a Dobb’s Life snaps one of Aberdeen’s hothouses of talent, Captain Tom’s studios and rehearsal rooms.

Moving away from Blipfoto, on the design front  Plan B thinks about the design of her home, Yeah Okay Bye looks at the architectural drawings of Laura Barnard and a new blog from a jewellery maker who used to be an electrician in His Majesty’s  Theatre. How did Hamespun get here from there?

Monty Python spoke the truth when they sang…“Finland, Finalnd, Finland. The place where I’d quite like to be “  A wee bit of cooking goes to Finland. No cooking though, she was presumably enjoying Finnish food, which is world reknown (anyone who’s ever been to Finland is laughing right now)  Her photoblog is here

And finally on the culture front, Scots Whayhae previews the Edinburgh Book Festival.

Something for Everyone

Mr Farty looks at the miracle properties of water and has a fight with science experts who dispute his methods

Mike Ritchie’s PR blog talks about dealing with a client who admits to knowing nothing about their public image.

Scot goes Pop talks about this decade’s Gold Blend type advertising saga: The BT ads . Bring back Maureen Lipman’s Beattie, I say.

And another ad makes Real Street think about pride and Islam.

ShopaHolly gives us a top ten of her favourite meals. And knowing her, they’ll be thrifty too.

And this bizarre story just in Bogey man volunteers at soup kitchen. He says he wants to give something back. Bless him.

And if you’ve not got enough of football in a summer full of it then head over to Scotzine for a fix and read their fan’s account of the Athens v Dundee United game .

Oh and finally folks,  it’s that old chestnut . Indeed I was a victim to it myself at London Fields Lido the other week along with countless others visiting our English cousins this summer. It’s the curse of the Scottish banknote. Absolvitor- gives us the facts before we make false assertions!

Can I have a Jerry Springer Final thought moment? Indulge me. Every time  my blog is featured on the round up I get loads of new visitors, which is great. But does anyone ever comment on any of the new blogs they visit? Do us a favour, if you read any or all of the posts in this week’s or any weeks roundup- say hello, leave a comment. And keep the nominations coming in for next week.

If anyone wants to edit next week’s roundup let me know, as I am Roundup Mighty Overlord for the next few weeks.

Cheers Scots bloggers and readers!

Misssy M

My  secondary mission is to make the featured posts as diverse in content and subject matter as possible. We’ve got subject matter from news, cookery, health, parenting, personal stories, walking, tourism, interior design, photography technology and football.

Between the Hammer and the Anvil on Israel and Palestine

“Okay, let’s look at this from an unusual angle and see what we get out of it. Let’s say you were a cartoonish, Ahmadinejadesque lunatic fixated on destroying Israel. How would you go about achieving your goal?”

Read the full post here: http://flyingrodent.blogspot.com/2010/05/self-clowning-lunatics-strike-again.html

The Ben Lomond Free Press on Cumbria tragedy

“In 2006 who wrote this?

‘If legislation was a guarantee of greater public safety, this country would be the safest nation on earth.’”

Read the full post here http://bigrab.wordpress.com/2010/06/05/knee-jerk/

Caledonian Comment on media coverage of Cumbria Shootings

“Whatever these reasons may turn out to be, there are already the first signs of a disturbing media witch hunt beginning to be attached to this tragedy. ITV national news started it last night, voicing speculation not only about the late murderer’s mental state and access to firearms but also, most disgracefully, whether Cumbria police had “acted quickly enough” and whether they had been ‘up to the job’”.

Read the full post here http://www.caledonian-comment.com/?p=11226

Auld Reekie Rants on first dates

“Sadly, it dawned on me after about an hour that the girl I was after was not there. My mate Stuart was and we were both determined to make our final night at Linksfield a success. As the evening wore on, however, we remained probably the only two lads who hadn’t danced with anyone.”

Read the full post here htp://auldreekierants.blogspot.com/2010/05/31-may-1978.html

Martel Maxwell on WAGS

“A survey shows girls who used to count being a teacher, doctor or lawyer as something to aim for now want to marry rich and spend the spoils.”

http://www.martelmaxwell.com/#/blog/4538477181

Bletherskite on a trip round Loch Ness

“My son was excited to find a full knights costume in the shop which he wore the whole of the day, mostly with the visor down. He charged around the castle shouting “ATTTTAACK” everywhere he went.”

Read the full post here http://ht.ly/1SCs0

Lena the Hyena on Aberdeen City Councillors

“Molluscs – These are soft-bodied creatures and similar to arthropods are protected by hard outer shells. Mollusc elected members become shorter and fatter when confronted with an adversary and for many they retain this form for the remainder of their existence. This group holds a reputation for its slimy behaviour when challenged but often its most effective deterrent is its ability to bore.”

Read the full post here http://lenathehyena.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/aberdeen-city-councillors-a-biological-classification-2/

Islay Nat History

Photographs from Islay  http://islaynaturalhistory.blogspot.com/

Hopeman Man on David Bowie’s visit to Hopeman  and World Cup memories

“I wasn’t there that day but one hot summer afternoon in the mid-80s, David Bowie walked into the Hopeman cafe and ordered a cone. ‘Can I have an ice cream cone,’ he said in a David Bowie voice, for it was him …”

“The man in the Viking helmet sits next to me and lays down his crutches. He points at his leg in plaster and starts talking. I nod sympathetically, pretending to understand him. I don’t speak Swedish. Then I realise he’s speaking English….”

Read both posts here http://www.hopemanman.com/?p=452

…and here http://www.hopemanman.com/2010/06/my-world-cup-rescue-mission/

AnnieB celebrates an inquisitive mind over the traditional markers of success

“Last night everyone was upstairs so I was greeted by an empty hallway. On the wall next to the door was a framed certificate awarded to my friend for having ‘An Inquisitive Mind’”.

Read the full post here http://theskinnydippingchapter.blogspot.com/2010/05/inquisitive-mind.html

Little Mummy on her choice of voices for Sat Nav

“I can’t believe Nokia are suggesting I record my child’s voice so that I may receive directions from the little darling when she’s not present. Well let me tell you Nokia, I hear enough of her little voice thank-you-very-much…”

Read the full post here http://www.littlemummy.com/2010/05/28/satnav-voices/

Excellent photoblog Clinically Fed Up

See all posts here: http://clinicallyfedup.com/

Tim Nunn gets a visit from an often unwelcome bird

“Of course I shouldn’t resent the magpie its kill. If the young bird had left the nest too early its chances of survival were minimal. Even if it were a survivor it was still destined to be part of the food chain one way or another.”

Read the full post here  http://www.timnunn.com/2010/05/magpie/

Lisa Gordon Scott’s design and interiors blog Yeah OK Bye will make you want to rebuild your house

“Think of all the stuff you own that has emotional or historical significance,” says Court. “It’s just a matter of finding ways to incorporate them into your surroundings. This means you’ll end up with a home that’s distinctly yours, and not just a replica of a homewares catalogue.”

Read all posts here http://yeahokbye.blogspot.com/

Barry Dewar discusses Tweeting etiquette

“When you visit Facebook people speak relatively normally for instance but on Twitter, the prevalence of multiple hashtags, @s and shortened links make it pretty much impossible to read for the uninitiated.”

Read the full post here  http://barrydewar.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/mind-your-language/

Plan B has only been living in Scotland for 4 weeks- and is a wee bit homesick

“I am suddenly conscious that if I wander into town here, the only person I am likely to meet who knows my name is the postman, and he’s not going to care whether he sees me or not.  And although I hope, and believe, that both L and I will find new friends here, and that I will become part of this community, it is going to take time and work.  And the longer it takes, the worse the nostalgia will get. “

Read the full post here  http://isthereaplanb.blogspot.com/2010/05/return.html

Mummy Do That on bringing up bi-lingual children

“So I hope that whether or not you raise your children with more than one language, you will enjoy this selection of posts. Hopefully it’ll encourage some to start or continue the bilingual journey with their children, or you may get some new ideas how to make the trip that little bit more exciting for yourself and your children. “

Read the full post here  http://mummydothat.blogspot.com/2010/06/lets-hear-it-for-multilingual-kids.html

ShopaHolly on a women’s health issue that must be read by all of us in possession of a “hoohoo”

“I ummed and ahhed about whether or not to write this post due to it’s personal and somewhat graphic nature. However, I feel it’s for the greater good to speak up about these things so here goes.”

Read the full post here  http://shopaholly.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/when-vaginas-go-bad-a-totally-safe-for-work-post-that-doesnt-contain-pictures-of-broken-hoohoos/

In a Bun Dance on a kids’ book that is misunderstood

“You can see it’s a tale of cunning and the triumph of good over evil. Not in the slightest bit racist really. The boy in the story is little, called Sambo and he’s black. And, er, that’s it. More of a lesson about taking responsibility for your new clothes.”

Read the full post here  http://bundance.blogspot.com/2010/05/tigers-coming-to-tea-and-turning-to.html

A Place to Stand asks HOW MUCH for a new bridge??

“Holyrood is preparing a bill to build a new Forth crossing costing £2.3 billion(at least so we are told). The previous bridge, which was larger than this one, cost £19 million which, after inflation, is £320 million. This price is also comparable with other such projects around the world. So why the difference? “

Read the full post here  http://a-place-to-stand.blogspot.com/2010/05/forth-bridge-fraud-i-accuse-hoyrood-of.html

Writes of Way is in Jura
“As well as chewed up wrappers, the surfaces were covered in mouse pee and poo. Leaving food behind in a bothy is a bit of a negligent thing to do, but we thought perhaps the last visitors just forgot. However, a little later we discovered some broken bottles on the beach, which really pissed us off. “

Read the full post here  http://writesofway.com/

Needled is walking again in Islay

“Loving Islay as I do, I find myself strangely emotional when I think that it is now also now somewhere that will forever be associated with this important stage in my recovery: the moment that I first saw myself as a walker again. So to anyone who is toiling away at the lonely work of improving their mobility,”

Read the full post here  http://needled.wordpress.com/

Islay Blog has the full Islay Blog Round Up

“It won’t come as a surprise that the Islay Festival features in many blogs this week “

Read the full post here  http://www.islayblog.com/2010entries/20100531-roundup124.shtml

Dear Scotland writes a letter to England to read just before the World Cup

“I am Scottish – and I won’t be supporting you at the World Cup. I will be supporting Algeria, the USA, and Slovakia. Or maybe Slovenia – I can’t remember which one is in your group.”

Read the full post here  http://dearscotland.com/2010/06/03/dear-england/

A Wee Bit of Cooking does tomato curry

“With so much going on, I hadn’t been very adventurous in the kitchen, instead relying on simple dishes, old favourites and more than a few takeaways.  Last weekend, however, I got my cooking mojo back and had a super Sunday trawling through cookbooks old and new then tearing up the kitchen trying out new ideas.”

Read the full post here  http://aweebitofcooking.co.uk/2010/05/18/simple-tomato-curry/

Words to Good Effect does all things plume related

“…this is what “plume” has come to signify for us all in 2010…”

Read the full post here   http://wordstogoodeffect.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/la-plume-de-ma-tante%E2%80%A6/

I hope you’ve enjoyed discovering some new Scottish blogs and if your blog was featured why not nominate your favourite Scottish blogs next week.

Blog on!

Misssy M

Yes, it was just me. I come home from foreign shores and hit the blogosphere to find out that not only has Stephen Gately died, but that my postcards will be getting home two weeks behind me if I’m lucky and they’ve let the racists on the telly in the first time since Carol Thatcher got the boot from The One Show or they stopped letting Prince Philip near a microphone.

First off, the postal strike. Andrew blames the Scottish Government for adding the the Post Office’s woes.

As for Nick Griffin on Question Time there was no one post that said it all- you were ALL talking about it. Moridura does a post mortem on the show. Mr Eugenides agrees with Mathew Parris’s assertion that freedom of speech is more important than worrying about the repercussions of giving the BNP a primetime platform on Question Time. Big Rab over at The Ben Lomond Free Press was not impressed with either Nick Griffin OR the other panellists on this week’s Question Time either. The Big Dollop echoes the freedom of speech argument for Nick Griffin appearing on the show. I have lived my life by the theory that one should ALWAYS get the mature lady’s opinion on anything, as my mother will testify. Luckily Subrosa gives “the mature lady’s” point of view on Griffin’s QT appearance: But what about mature men, don’t they have a say? Yes they do. The Angry Old Man puts the blame for an increase in BNP’s support squarely at Labour’s door. They might as well take it, they’re to blame for everything else anyway. I suspect they are even behind those horrible Irish twins still being in X Factor, the gits.

Still, I should watch what I’m writing and so should you all, I may say. We’re all being thoroughly scrutinised according to The Jury Team.

Clairwil looks at plans to make Trafalgar Square in London more Islamic. Nelson never struck me as the kind of man that liked his ladies covered up. It’ll never happen.

Meanwhile, Sgniteerg looks at where he thinks we are now on the question of Scottish independence.

Some people were not watching Question Time or worrying about the state of things. Or at least if they were, they weren’t blogging about it. Author and writer’s guru Nicola Morgan is the Simon Cowell of authors (in my mind, anyway). She gladly gives free advice to aspiring authors, being a successful author herself, but she won’t pull her punches, so fragile egos should watch out. Here she fiendishly dissects a tirade from a Struggling Author.

I’m all for bursting into spontaneously bursting into song and dance like I’m in a Busby Berkeley musical, it’s what has made me such an interesting neighbour. But now, apparently if you whistle a merry tune at work, or burst into song in the street, the Performing Rights Society can fine you. What, even if it’s not by Cliff Richard? Pirate Party has the lowdown.

Mr Farty continues his long running series of Computer Terms illustrated. Surely a coffee table book is in the offing?

Jaggy looks at the Boy in the Balloon incident but from a perspective of Internet versus TV. It’s like Batman versus Superman. But who won?

Aye, the nights are fair drawing in, so they are. Cat over at The Cat Girl Speaks adds dark nights to her dread-list of the months to come, but gets treated at the shops to help ease the pain.

Where the Mountains Meet the Sea has some beautiful seasonal photos up to remind us all that dark nights may be the downside of Autumn but beautiful landscapes are the best aspect of this time of year.

Over at Doctor V’s place, Duncan is on the verge of starting a support group for motorsport fans.

That’s all for this week. But, before the hounds are released ….One thing I found when editing the blog round up is that many bloggers out there are too shy and self deprecating to nominate their own posts, but you should. Fill in that wee form over there and blow your own trumpet. One correspondent messaged me to say he’d like to nom his own stuff but “it’s not political”. So I feel it’s incumbent on me since I’ve got the keys to the Round-Up penthouse this evening to say- the Scottish Round Up now has no categories, we accept all types of blog nominations from political, to travel, to humour, to personal, to photographic, to fiction to whatever you want to blog about.

Happy blogging, people!