1 What is your earliest memory of Edinburgh? I remember feeding bread to an elephant inside the entrance to Edinburgh Zoo. During my first three years I lived directly opposite the zoo in Corstorphine.
2 What are your memories of school? I remembe
r IQ tests and Burns poetry competitions at Burrelton village school in Perthshire. I also recall sport, debating, inspirational foreign language teachers and girls with whom I should have been less shy at Blairgowrie High School.
3 Where is your favourite place in Edinburgh and why? I love North Bridge – a perpetually dynamic people and city-watching hub.
4 What are the best things about Edinburgh? Among my favourites are its history, some restaurants, the architecture, the views from Harvey Nichols' bar and the top of the Scott Monument.
5 What would you change about the city? I'd send traffic wardens – and, more importantly, their managers – on a course to teach them how to be human. I'd also order drivers to keep their buses clean and tidy.
6 Describe a perfect Edinburgh day/night out. I would cycle in from Dalkeith and enjoy a picnic in Holyrood Park before wandering around an art gallery. La Garrigue in Jeffrey Street would be my restaurant of choice for an early dinner before playing a gig with my band, The Baseliners, at a packed house at the Festival Theatre.
7 Which sports interest you? I enjoy football, tennis and rugby. I'm that rarity, a St Johnstone fan, as well as a former season ticket holder at Blackburn Rovers. I'm a keen tennis player – this year's ambition is to regain the senior men's singles trophy in Midlothian.
8 What was your most embarrassing moment? As a foreign correspondent for Reuters, having to admit that I'd been thrown out of a Middle Eastern country after a mere half an hour because of a visa irregularity is high on the list. I worked in around 40 countries and enjoyed some amazing experiences.
9 What is your greatest achievement? It has to be fathering and loving three children.
10 Sum up Edinburgh in three words Historic, romantic, home.
The full article contains 374 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
