A CHILDREN’S tea party could be the perfect excuse for grown-ups to reach for the baking tray and treat themselves to the “cream of the cupcake”. With naughty names like Bite My Cherry, Chocolate Maltesers and Lemony Lustres, tucking into a delicious cupcake could be as tempting as a trip to the sweet shop.

CRAIG Wilson, award-winning chef and proprietor of Eat on the Green restaurant, will be entertaining the crowds in a Ready Steady Cook-style challenge at his Food & Fun Day in Udny Green tomorrow.

MAY is to be celebrated for its abundance of wonderful produce. Here are a few of my favourites:

I’M ASHAMED to admit that I had fallen victim to the old cliches about Switzerland – land of army knives, chocolate and cuckoo clocks, and ski-ing in winter. It barely figured in my list of European must-dos.

WHEN unwanted cats, or ones which have to be rehomed due to unforeseen circumstances, are given to Cats Protection, it doesn’t normally take long for them to be offered a permanent address.

ONE of the trademarks of today’s celebrities is a dazzling smile, so perhaps it’s hardly surprising that many of us now regard a full set of gleaming white teeth as an essential – and synonymous with success.

COMPANIES in the UK are experiencing an IT skills shortage, with many struggling to secure the staff they need to drive forward important initiatives.

WHILE Aberdeen remains the focal point of Scotland’s oil and gas industry, it’s not just the Granite City that currently enjoys the benefits the thriving sector can help generate within local communities.

IF THE thought of working in a profession where you’re stuck behind a desk for eight hours a day doesn’t appeal to you, then it will be worth paying a visit to a special event being held in Aberdeen.

YOUR career doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Gone are the days when people stayed in the same job their entire careers. In fact, recent studies indicate that the average worker will switch careers, not just jobs, several times over the course of their life.

Name: Andrew Scott.

FRANK Sinatra described him as “one of the major singers of our time”, while Judy Garland called him “the best jazz singer in the world”.

HANS Christian Andersen’s wonderful tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes has thrilled generations of children and a distinctly Scottish take on the old favourite is now continuing that tradition.

THE last time I stood just below the summit of the Cairngorm mountain range, I found time to admire the spectacular views, have a snowball fight with the kids and do a bit of relaxed sunbathing.

Could the internet be the final frontier for mobile phones? They’ve already snapped at the heels of digital cameras and made MP3 players sweat; could they have laptops in their sights? Here are some of the top contenders

LISA Riley is very glad she’s not a rotter – or at least doesn’t get offered parts in which she has to play the role of someone you’d rather cross the street to avoid. The former star of Emmerdale and Fat Friends is used to total strangers approaching her and, without asking, giving her a big, friendly hug.

MARK Millar is literally a giant of the comic book world.

TOP EVENTS

GRATUITOUS fun is what BMW’s M cars are all about, and none more so than the M3 Convertible. First available as a Coupe, then a four-door saloon, and now with a folding hardtop, all three body styles boast the same unapologetically powerful V8 engine.

THERE ought to have been a line drawn in the sand when it came to how much power it is sensible to squeeze out of a family estate. Perhaps there was once. It’s certainly a distant memory now, having been wheelspun into history by an onslaught of high-powered executive wagons.

KTM’S new generation of LC4 bikes was launched a year ago and now three more models have been introduced into its single-cylinder family – the 690 Duke, 690 SMC and 690 Enduro.

CRIMOND Raceway is synonymous with the name, Jim Clark.

WHEN Jill and Paul Holroyd bought Old Fetternear School in the small hamlet of Fetternear at the beginning of 2002, they were faced with a major renovation project.

THE very thought of moving house is stressful in itself.

DARE I suggest that it is now time to crack on with seasonal gardening jobs? We are now into the fifth month and I’m looking forward to divesting myself of the semmit in another few weeks.

AS FINE properties go, Val and Stewart McHattie’s ranks highly.

AS A child, Bill Black’s mother used to prop him up on the counter of their local Co-operative store in Commerce Street.

IF YOU like the idea of living in a converted property but would like the hard work to be done for you, this development on the outskirts of Elgin is the perfect choice.

THE Livingston family have lived at St Anne’s, a grand property in Inverugie, on the outskirts of Peterhead, for 21 years.