At the beginning of this year I entered the Scottish Community Drama Association's Full-Length Playwriting Competition. Despite the SCDA being a Scottish association, and the prize money being put up by Richard 'One Foot in the Grave' Wilson, the competition was open to anyone, anywhere in the world, and entries were read blind, with the judges having no idea who had written each play, or where they came from.

Naturally I didn't win.

But I did get a letter on May 27th, telling me that they'd received entries from nine different countries, and giving me the final shortlist of twelve. Which, needless to say, I wasn't on.

Well, four months later, I've received another letter from them in today's post, informing me of the two overall winners which have just been selected. I do love the way theatres keep me updated on the success of the plays which wiped the floor with mine. So I'm pleased to announce that having accepted entries from all over the world, and read each one anonymously with no clue as to the author's nationality, the two grand prize winners are:

Peter Whiteley from Ross-shire, and Jacqueline McCarrick, whose ancestry is clearly a complete mystery and can't be guessed at by looking at her name.

It's quite appropriate that the patron of the contest was Richard Wilson, because frankly I don't believe it.

Anyhoo, talking of things that smell fishy, today is exactly four years since I adopted my two little feline bundles of fur, Oscar and Chloe. One of whom is still alive. It's good to know that just four days after 9/11, with the world in a state of shock and turmoil, people like me were doing their bit to help by heading off to Colchester and picking up a couple of cats. I like to see it as an act of defiance towards Osama Bin Laden.





But anyway, seeing as it's her birthday, here's a photo of little Chlo. On June 8th she looked like this --->










Today, after the three hottest months of the year, when she really shouldn't have been growing any fur at all, she looks like this.
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Honestly, if I could market hair growth like that, I'd make a fortune.