We saw the New Year in amid a throng in Melville Square. Soon after the bells the Flambeaux emerged from behind the Royal Hotel

Although we all know that pet lives are so much shorter than ours, it can be a shock to lose a dog from the family, as we have experienced this summer with our beloved Braan.

Ben Lawers is the tenth highest Munro in Scotland. Its altitude provides a suitably harsh habitat for a wide range of arctic and alpine species of plants that are otherwise rare in the UK.

Written by the ecologist at Mar Lodge, this book described what has been done to restore nature on the National Trust for Scotland estate.

The UK has abandoned many good things by going down the road of Brexit. Among them are closer ties and better understanding of our European neighbours.