Welcome to our new free newsletter celebrating all that is going well in Scotland! Subscribe (for free) via the banner above.
MANAGER Steve Clarke and the Scotland squad jetted off to the World Cup in North America earlier this week.
Following their opener against Haiti at the Gillette Stadium outside of Boston in two weeks time, Scotland will then take on Morocco before facing off against Brazil in Miami.
It will be a tough ask. But the sight of the squad on the tarmac at Glasgow Airport filled me with a healthy sense of both trepidation, yes, but also hope.
The same goes for the Holyrood election result. Whichever way you swing politically, I for one am hoping for a productive session at the Scottish Parliament over the next 5 years. May it be less partisan than the last.
The next few stories from across Scotland – dating from May alone – also instill in me a large helping of hope.
Take this article I wrote about how families living in two Fife villages found out last week that they will no longer lose their homes .
We previously reported on how households in West Wemyss and Denbeath were told that they must leave their homes by private landlords Torah Capital, who bought the houses in September last year.
At the time, the company promised tenants that their leases were secure but then announced plans to sell the properties and issued mass eviction notices.
But now, the new purchase by Fife Council and the Scottish Government, will allow tenants to remain in their homes. A great result.
I just wanted an excuse to show you all this picture of a fossorial vole, first discovered in Glasgow in 2008.
Unlike other voles that generally live beside streams and rivers, the fossorial voles live in grassy spaces in the urban environment including in the East End of the city.
The v oles were moved to a safer area in recent weeks ahead of work to construct a new drainage system in the area . It made me smile as it is good to see safe and effective conservation work such as this.
Speaking of conservation, it is crucial that history such as that of Scotland’s (and perhaps the world’s) first black international footballer is remembered.
Andrew Watson captained Scotland to a historic 6-1 win over England in the 1880s but also faced a lot of racism and discrimination, and fought his way to break down barriers.
A play about how Watson (below) went on to play for Scotland’s national team between 1881 and 1882 will be told at the world-famous A Play, A Pie and A Pint.
Written by Joe McCann, directed by Martin McCormick, and starring Dayton Mungai in a one-man show, the “tour de force” production will surely be a must watch as it premieres this week.
I’m also sending my best wishes to Fife-based engineer Will Homer who is taking on a 215-mile coast-to-coast challenge for charity this week.
It will be Homer’s third consecutive year taking part in the BP Coast 2 Coast (C2C) fundraising ride, but it is the first time he is attempting it on a unicycle.
Gruelling indeed.
Finally, I’d like to highlight a great exclusive from my colleague Lucy about Scotland’s only music festival aimed at people with disabilities.
