Peebles for Pleasure, Barbara Trapido for Sheer Enjoyment

I am reading Barbara Trapido's Frankie and Stankie, and am besotted by her style and content, as well as learning shed loads about what it was like to grow up in South Africa in the 1950s. It's not fair that people like her write as well as... er...people like her write. Demotivates the rest of us wannabees, who never will. Authors of her ability ought to be fêted as national heroes and be fabulously rich like footballers, except that then they might not be moved to write.

Talking of Frankie and Stankie, K has returned from Scotland with a Scottish accent - or so she claims. Somewhat limitingly it consists of only one phrase; 'Ah thank ye stank'. I suppose this may prove useful some day, although I'm not sure that it is quite authentic. Possibly it captures some localised intonation - Peebles, or somewhere. Just the job if she ever meets someone a bit rank in the Royal Burgh. But the Peebles town guide generously offers 'a warm Peeblean welcome' to all comers, so well-meaning visitors should really rise above any minor shortcomings in personal hygiene. Of which I'm sure there aren't.