IT'S BEEN a busy few weeks for Charlie Taylor, the Perth-based hairdresser whose entrepreneurial skills are becoming as well-known as her handling of a pair of scissors. Taylor, whose Charlie Taylor Hair Health & Beauty group now operates four salons frequented by the likes of Radio 1's Edith Bowman, opera diva Lesley Garrett, footballer Stephen Pressley and even Tiger Woods, will need to buy a bigger trophy cabinet after adding the Scottish Woman of Achievement award at the prestigious Association of Scottish Business Woman's Awards to her clutch of gongs.

And with all those illustrious clients, it's no surprise to hear that she has also recently been named Celebrity Hairdresser of the Year by the National Hairdressing Federation. Taylor, a member of The Entrepreneurial Exchange, is a three-times winner of the Scottish Hairdresser of the Year title and a strong believer in nurturing and developing her staff. We know where to take our crowning glory for its next short back and sides Although the early October weather has been quite kind to us, it is probably the general lack of sunshine this year that has led to 32% of Scots considering a home in warmer climes, particularly Spain. According to Clydesdale Bank, almost a quarter of us see buying a property abroad as a long-term investment while one in 10 would consider buying overseas as their best option to get a foot on the property ladder. But for those of us with concerns about the legal and financial issues involved, the Clydesale has launched a new Buy Abroad, Feel At Home package to guide you through the entire process. What's more, the lovely Amanda Lamb from Channel 4's A Place In The Sun has this advice: "Taking professional advice throughout the process and going into it with a full understanding of what you're doing is paramount."

So, Glasgow's licensing bosses reckon that knickers are best kept out of sight, refusing permission for lingerie firm Agent Provocateur, whose new shop in the city's Ingram Street is attracting considerable interest, to advertise on taxis. The ad, featuring drawings of assorted ladies' undies, masks, whips and even leather boots - plus the "Knickers to Glasgow" slogan - was deemed likely to offend with one councillor describing it as "sassy". Another suggested that it might be alright for Paris but "this is Glasgow", admitting that while he didn't have a problem with the mask he was, according to our sister title The Herald, "uneasy about the use of Knickers'". Meanwhile, the current advertising campaign for the store features actress Maggie Gyllenhaal who appears in a number of saucy but subtle poses - other ladies to have lent their name to the brand include diminutive pop princess Kylie Minogue and burlesque star Dita Von Teese.

Fishermen from across Scotland have been swapping their fishing nets for Marks & Spencer shopping baskets in support of Seafood Week, which runs until October 12. Top Scottish seafood suppliers have been meeting customers at M&S stores in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Braehead, providing tasty morsels of nutritious fishy things and, at the same time, describing their journey from sea to plate. Twelve fishermen who supply Marks travelled from as far afield as Fraserburgh to talk to customers about their life at sea, the varieties of fish they catch and sustainable fishing methods. Seafood Week's message in 2007 is to increase awareness of seafood and the health benefits of eating omega 3-rich oily fish, such as herring and mackerel, twice a week - so make sure you get your quota!