Added on Saturday 10 Nov 2007

I've been up to so much I can't seem to find time to write my diary, should be an October diary, but here we are into November. With hallowe'en and the big Fireworks already over. Still, good time to sit down and get up to date with what's going on in Glasgow, with the news just out that the City will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Fantastic!

It certainly has been a whirlwind of a month with lots of excitement. We went along to the launch of the Glasgay Festival at Kelvingrove Art Gallery, which was suitably flamboyant and very enjoyable. We met lots of interesting people including the writer Louise Welsh, whose novel Tamurlaine Must Die has been adapted for theatre and has been showing at The Tron during Glasgay. It's just about to finish but you still have plenty of time to catch Kylie:The Exhibition at Kelvingrove, a suitable back drop to a great party.

Next year I plan to be more organised and catch a many more of the Glasgay Events but this year I was traipsing around all over and only just managed to catch the first day of that other brilliant event - The Merchant City Festival. I spent one day there with Jim, Holly and Ryan and we enjoyed investigating the French Market, some great bands and spotting the live models in the shop windows on Ingram Street.

The reason my participation in the Festival was curtailed was that I took a long awaited trip over to Ireland to visit my relatives in Donegal and it was brilliant catching up with them and seeing all my friends on the Emerald Isle. I had a great few days jaunting around and then only time to catch my breath when I got back before Jim and I set off for Rome. I've written all about this on the site, well could not quite cover everything as there is so much to amaze you in this incredible City. We've got to go back because six days is nowhere long enough to find out about ancient and modern day Rome. Jim took hundreds of photographs and you can see some of these in his October and November photo diary

Back in Glasgow I've been spending lots of time with friends and family - especially as our Autumn weather has been so much better than our wet Summer. I met up with Anne at Il Caffe, my favourite spot in Anniesland, to tell her all about our trip and how her son Chris helped make our trip so special. I think we had our very last al fresco meal in Glasgow till next year but we enjoyed some lovely sea food salad and great coffee on a lovely sunny October day. I was back there again last week to catch up with Roy Beers - always full of the latest news on Glasgow West End's eating and drinking scene. (Remember that you can send in your own restaurant reviews - you can read what Rachel Steele has to say about The Lansdowne

Catherine Dooley has also been very busy adding to our restaurant reservations and we are happy to welcome on board - The Baby Grand, Cottiers and Pizzaz. I went along to visit Catherine and her little son Jack back at our old hunting grounds in Glasgow Street and we had loads to chat about. Particularly our new section on Glasgow Weddings - developed in response to popular demand.
John Lafferty and Basia Palka came for dinner recently and brought their wedding photographs so I asked if we could put the story of their wedding on our site - A Pedestrian Wedding.
I'm hoping that other people will be sending me their wedding stories so if this idea appeals to you just get in touch: [email protected]

If you are preparing to tie the knot you can also register your wedding list at Debenhams at Silverburn and get a £50 gift voucher.

I've also been busy catching up with Eleanor, Joan, Jackie, Rena and Marguerite and we all went along to celebrate a few birthdays at Hotel du Vin, where we had a lovely lunch. There is nothing in Glasgow to beat One Devonshire and I was delighted to be invited back there to sample one of their Wine Tasting Dinners - Anne and I had a super time finding out all about Italian Wines from Basilicata with Bisceglia. We've been out a lot with the children and John, Holly, Ryan and myself have discovered the pleasure of Dowanhill Park, which I understand is known by locals as "The Wee Park' - great fun with a particularly 'challenging' shute. That means I can't take my eyes of them but they love it. It's now their favourite afternoon out to go along there, play on the swings and shute, have a game of football with John and then we go for lunch to Little Italy or Patisserie Francoise. I was really sorry to hear that Zana, from Montenegro, who has been a waitress in the Patisserie for years, is off to live in Sweden. Good luck, Zana - you will be missed. I'll just have to pop in next door and have a chat with the lovely staff in Currie and Quirk's.

We took the children a little further afield when we visited Edinburgh Zoo with Jim's sister Anne, Scott and their children Sean, Nicola and Andrew and they all had a great time - particularly watching the monkeys and the penguins. Although Ryan is fairly insistant that his first love is snakes!

For lots of people the world over their great passion seems to be Maryhill and I went along to meet Ian Mitchell, who wrote the feature Unlocking Maryhill - which has attracted so many comments on the site. We caught up in Antipasta over a very pleasant lunch and Ian provided me with an interesting update on happenings in the North Glasgow Area - Maryhill Borough Halls - Progress Report and also an article on the East End - Dennistoun:No Mean Streets - taken from his book. This City Now: Glasgow and its Working Class Past, a smashing Christmas present, which you can purchase at Amazon

If you are expecting to be invited somewhere nice over the Festive Season you will find some great stuff in Simon Weir and Davina William's super fashion and football shop Zico's. Shop of the Month for November it is a fabulous place to buy gifts for the men and women in your life. Also want to wish congratulations to this enterprizing couple, who have just shot off somewhere warm and glamorous to get married. All the very best, Simon and Davina!

Somewhere else where you could be on the look-out for a special Christmas gift is the The Glasgow Group Christmas Art Fair - who wouldn't appreciate an original painting and this is also a nice day out.

On the site you can also have a look at Christmas Menus and Party Nights - so time to get yourself organized for a great Yuletide.

The time goes by so quickly and I can't believe that Celtic Connections, Scotland's amazing Winter Music Festival, will be back in town before too long. I went along to the programme launch a week or two ago and they really have a very special event lined up for 2008. It was nice to catch up with Grace Franklin and her friend Ruth Allen and I enjoyed a coffee and a chat with these two media women at the Concert Hall after the launch.

I've also been out and about watching Jim's band Loris and we had quite a little following along at The Liquid Ship, including his friends from Glasgow Caledonian University, his mum and dad, Arto Paleysian and Shannon, two Bostonians now studying in Glasgow and my friends Val and Matthew.

We also paid a little trip down to The Ettrick in Old Kilpatrick where we met up with Ann Morgan who is planning a little party to commemorate the life of Hamish Murdoch - so the band will play at that event.

Back in the West End I've had a couple of outings to OranMor and went along with Anne to see 'Between Dog and Wolf" from the Play, Pie and Pint Autumn Programme. Heavy stuff for lunchtime but we enjoyed analysing the play afterwards over some coffee in OranMor - with the help of Jackie and Isabell.

I've also been out enjoying these fine Autumn days and have had a few little outings on my bike along to Byres Road and Kelvinbridge. I popped in to JKJ on Park Road to have a look at Judith Kenny's great new designer jewellery collection and then had some superbly decadent drinking chocolate; just across the road in Sonny and Vito's. Then back to Anniesland the scenic route via University Avenue and Hyndland. Having said that, the other route along Great Western Road past the Botanics is

There's masses of new stuff up on the site including my latest Local Character and one of my favourite writers - Denise Mina

Helen Rose has been adding to her hillwalking diary and deserves a special mention as she has now climbed all of the Munros!!!

I'd also like to welcome Gary Conway - West End Artist and our latest blogger.

We have Barry Paton's Update from Rural France and Christina's Latest Film Crits

In response to the many requests we have received

You will find lots more on our What's New and remember to check out What's On - and if you are particularly fearless you may also want to venture onto our Discussion Forum.

Byres Road Cafe: a new networking section

In response to numerous requests we have just launched a new section of the site designed to encourage Glasgow Westenders to network with each other - it is myspace for Glasgow West End. It's called Byres Road Cafe - the more people who join, the more useful it will become.