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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On Friday I found myself turning on the radio in order to listen to silence. It was the best thing I could do, sitting at home where I work – in silence, to join the rest of the country’s act of remembrance.

It was strange, because quiet contemplation is essentially a solitary act, but somehow it works better when others are doing it too. So, perhaps unsurprisingly, bloggers have been in contemplation this week or so.

Lavender and Lovage reminds us of the touching poems by Rupert Brooke and John McCrae.

Black Stallion Photography has pictures of Edinburgh’s new Field of Remembrance. Scroll down for heartbreaking messages on some of the crosses.

Caron’s Musings is delighted with Tower Bridge opening.

Wot’s News? takes the occasion to consider Scotland’s position in future conflict and some more poetry, Wilfred Owen this time.

Fitbathatba brings a take on the entirely unnecessary FIFA/FA/poppy fuss.

On my blog, the poetry theme continued with Laurence Binyon and my memory of when Remembrance stated to mean something.

Yoga Blog considers the nature of silence.

In other news

Keith Easton learns a little about radio.

In Scots, Wulf Kurtoglu is books – with a review of Scotland in Science Fiction and a sneaky plug for his own book.

Lallands Peat Worrier considers Devo Max.

Sumptuous interiors from Yeah… Ok… Bye.

Science Has The Answer actually has a paradox – wine makes you thin but gives you cancer.

While it’s the day after chemo for Guinea Pig mum.

Blur of Woodsmoke really doesn’t like hardback books.

And if you had to pick one read to settle down with your cup of tea for then, Westcoasting’s wander round a ghost village is the one.

The photo is from Ros Gasson.

We’re looking for guest editors who fancy having a bash at putting together the roundup the occasional time. The real beauty of the ScottishRoundup is what other people bring to it, in terms of their blogging voice and internet finds. It takes about an hour and is actually quite fun… honest.

Every week, what gets rounded up depends on who has said what and who is doing the rounding up. This week’s offering is a harmonious medley of female voices.

If you’re feeling peckish or nostalgic, or both, Stephanie at Is It Just Me takes us back to her granny’s kitchen.

Then Fiona MacInnes writing at Bella Caledonia revisits Orkney in the 1970s in her piece Ghost Fishing.

Having a look at her girlhood is Kirsty from A Safe Mooring. She addresses the issue of her disinclination to practice her cello and other matters.

On the Plesirblog, the author reflects on the lessons learned in life and how to acquire resilience in the face of crocodiles.

And a woman’s life from childhood is where the girl effect takes place Sara at Saja Ltd is product of it.

Caron at her musings has a measured look at the case of one women accused, convicted and cleared of killing another and how the media treated it.

Waiting politely, but not in a chauvinistic way, for the women to finish, Mike Ritchie from Comes A Time has plenty to say about Theresa May, The Simpsons and Primal Scream.

For a little levity, Lena the Hyena has a collection of painted buses - much more fun than they sound.

At the Thumbcast, Iain Hepburn reviews Ewan McGregor’s new film Perfect Sense parts of which he saw being filmed in Glasgow.

Here’s a new section I’ve decided to call Blogs People Write For Their Jobs But Are Nonetheless A Good Read Anyway.

On Oxfam’s Scottish blog is a look at the Welfare Reform Bill

On the Archibald Photography blog there’s a look at taking pictures of kids.

Michael Hayes on Rookie Oven looks at the Twitter people new business start-ups should follow.

If you think the roundup should have looked different or missed something out, then let us know. Better still, get involved we’re always looking for guest editors.

Tweet

I thought the first week back would be a relatively quiet week for blogging with many people taking a break and recovering from the New Year festivities; however, there were plenty of posts worthy of comment this week.

Resolving

It’s always interesting to read the first blog posts of the year, often they mention new motivations or resolutions of some sort or other.

Caron notes how her daughter has forced upon her a sort of resolution, to encourage her to swear less and has created a list of financial penalties for particular swear words. The list drawn up, of course, contains no swear words but instead words which rhymes with them, some of the examples are:

Rhymes with rugger                                            20p
Rhymes with snitch                                             10p
Rhymes with white                                              25p

Kenny mentions that he intends to post a lot more frequently this year and starts off with an interesting article about the relationship between the length of an ad campaign and its success.“Through use of excellent concepts, great media which stretched from Tweets, Facebook, Youtube virals AND replies to user questions on youtube, they brought the meaning of consumer interaction right to the forefront of our mind. Is this what every advertising creative should aim for?”

A Wee Bit of Cooking reflects that the feeling of wanting to hibernate at this time year isn’t really a bad thing, I can agree with that perspective! I posted my own resolutions of the year, inspired by the word minimise.

Opinions and Setting the World to Rights

Perhaps it’s the start of the year but it seems there are a lot of people this week trying to put their opinions forward and get them heard by the right people.

Belinda, at Freedom to Choose (Scotland), posts on the subject of the proposed pylons between Beauly and Denny, having contacted the Minister for Enterprise with her opinions on the matter.

A burdzeyeview discussed his opinion of the recent Eastenders plotline: “Everyone is now talking about the plotline:  it will be a ratings winner, which was the purpose, and no doubt champagne corks will be popping.”

Ellen Arbison looks at the cuts in public libraries and the consequences of shutting more down: “For many people, especially those on low incomes, libraries are the only place to find a steady — and free — supply of nutrition for their brains. Surely as important as five-a-day for the body?”

Michael Traills gives an opinion on the recent hit and run incident involving an off duty police officer in Edinburgh, noting that: “The law applies to everyone regardless of age, sex, location or profession.  Every person should be treated equally and must be entitled to a fair ‘trial’.”

Other Interesting Points

Missy M’s recount of a recent trip to Pets at Home in Aberdeen has made me think twice about visiting the shop in case I run into any of the characters she has experienced.

Nine recounts the journey taken over the past year as she travels indefinitely throughout the world; this week Nine is also interviewed at a new blog Clear Minded Creative.

At The Words of the Lost Penguin, there’s an annual review of documentary films of 2010. Summarising this year’s finds: “If this year’s cinematic documentary offerings had a theme it was blurring the lines. There was a great deal of playing with – and down right manipulating in a few cases – audience perceptions, constructed realities and general blurring of the lines between fact and fiction.”

This week we also have a contribution from a YouTube video from Sandra Harrison showing Images around Scotland with music sung by Sandra Harrison.

It is great to be back doing a guest editorial for the Scottish Round Up team, I hope you enjoy the eclectic mix.

In the week where every broadcaster has been reporting on the snow, the cold or the traffic not moving because of the snow, it seems bloggers have got in on the act as well.  Love and Garbage has a live snow blog, well worth a read to get, well, erm live updates on the snow and Ken MacLeod demands to know what this strange substance falling from the sky is?

Carons Musings’ explains how West Lothian Council’s snow communications were excellent, having a dedicated helpline, website page and using facebook and twitter to maximum effect.

The snow meant that all Scottish football games bar one were off this weekend, so I blogged about the Edinburgh Capitals ice hockey teams proposals for all football season ticket holders – they beat the Belfast Giants last night and tonights face-off at Murrayfield ice rink is 6pm.

I have started writing match reports for Deadline News.

Alasdair McGill explains why he’s glad he broke his collarbone, as he continues to learn who his true friends are and there is a sort of challenge from Alasdair – you try to put your socks on with just one hand!

Love and Garbage has a post titled “Her illness” – please read this one if you do nothing else today, but you may well need a tissue!

From that tear jerk post to the other side of the compass, Andy G sends us an update from Campa World.

In Holyrood this week, Margo MacDonald MSP introduced her Bill, the End of Life Assistance Bill which was rejected.  Martin Kelly heaves a gentle sigh of relief, for now while Absolvitor explains why they would have voted against the Bill, had they been an MSP and Lallands Peat Warrior writes a balanced account of the debate and vote.

In Westminster the big debate is still about tuition fees, Caron has advice from outside the bubble for Lib Dem MPs while over at Better Nation they compare what devolution has to offer students.

We also saw St. Andrews Day this week and the Universalityof Cheese muses over Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s card while Michael Moore MP writes on Lib Dem Voice about strengthening Scotland’s future with the introduction of the Scotland Bill and A Burdz Eye View tells us of Scotland’s other Patron Saint.

The following day was World AIDS day, the internationally recognised day when we remember those we have lost to AIDS over the years, raise awareness of HIV and work to fight HIV prejudice.  Waverley Care explain their work and appeal for funds and help.

New-Right questions whether the National Conversation has misfired?  Bella Caledonia asks why Scotland doesn’t have a foreign policy?

Now onto music, Gillain Martin or Misssy M to us fellow bloggers wants us to meet not only Meester M but his band, The Lorelei and for those of us with an i-pod, we really should download some Christmas aye-tunes.  Sticking with music via a very loose musical link, into art, Alastair Braidwood explains how being an overnight success takes a long time.

Caron and Andrew both blog about former x-factor contestant Gamu Nhengu who sining with Aberlour Choir is trying to push Simon Cowell off the number one spot at Christmas – the single, Where will you sleep this Christmas? is released as a download on the 13th December.

The Edinburgh Reporter has a not so live blog on a night of horror.

Moving onto fairer votes, ie the referendum being held on the 5th May 2011 there is a great piece on Fairer Votes Edinburgh’s website explaing the Alternative Vote – Vote Early, Vote Often – I will leave aside my personal views on STV versus AV, that’s a whole round up of its own.

As bugs bunny used to say, that’s all folks, enjoy the rest of your weekend and if you spot any good blog posts let the team know at @ScottishRoundUp for next weeks round up.