I wonder, sometimes, why I bother defending vaping.

There’s the important principle of choice, of course, but it amazes me how often the vaping lobby shoots itself in the foot.

Tannadice Park, Dundee.

It may not be the most attractive stadium (some might say it’s a bit of an ugly duckling), but there are few places I’d rather be on a Saturday afternoon.

On this day 20 years ago former Labour minister Mo Mowlam died, aged 55.

Three years earlier she featured on the cover of the first issue of The Politico which also published a review of her memoirs, Momentum: The Struggle for Peace, Politics and the People. Read the full review here.

On a recent trip to Scotland I stopped at a service station off the M90 in Fife. I was looking for an ATM because I needed cash.

I found one, inserted my card, entered my PIN number, and asked for a not insubstantial sum of money. What happened next was a first, for me at least.

Twenty-two years ago the BMJ published a study (still the largest of its kind) that cast doubt on the claim that passive smoking indoors poses a significant risk to the health of non-smokers.

This week the anti-smoking group ASH disingenuously claimed that ‘current smokefree laws are insufficient to protect staff’ and the smoking ban should be extended to outdoor areas as well.

Just back from a seven-day cruise to the Norwegian fjords with stops at Haugesund, Skjolden and Stavanger.

A fourth port of call was cancelled because of Storm Floris which followed us across the North Sea, bringing with it heavy swells and strong gusts of wind.

I’m sorry to hear that radio presenter James Whale has died. He was 74 and had been ill for some time with cancer.

Over a 55-year broadcasting career, Whale worked for TalkSport, LBC, and various BBC stations. Most recently he had a late night programme on Talk (formerly Talk Radio).

This time last week I was in Scotland watching Dundee United play UNA Strassen in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League.

Incredibly, for the first time in their 116-year history, United played the match without a single Scottish player in their starting line-up.