Where adders and wild haggis live side by side

Brickbats down, bouquets out: I thought this morning's The Living World was wonderful. 

It dealt with the unexpected topic of adders living along the shoreline of Loch Lomond, and did so by having an enthusiastic presenter, Trai Anfield, guided around by a very engaging expert, Chris McInerny.

There was no background music. There wasn't even a mention of climate change. Bliss.

As they say in all enthusiastic radio reviews, 'I was enthralled', and I learned a lot. 

(I'm resisting all urges to write a pun-based joke about 'slippery adders', 'bonnie banks' and the Royal Bank of Scotland's dodgy finances here.)

Besides Britain's venomous viper (and, no, I won't be making any cheap cracks about Yasmin Alibhai-Brown either), there are also slow-worms and Common Lizards living around Loch Lomond's shores.

I can't say I spotted any of them when I was there last year though. I saw lots of midges, and the Loch Ness Monster. (She told me that she's been living in the area for several decades now; which is why no one can find her in Loch Ness. She shares a house with Lord Lucan, Shergar, Elvis and Gordon Brown.)

There's a pleasant write-up about the making of the programme on Trai's own blog, entitled 'Adders, Adrenalin & Unblinking Red Eyes'.