Blue Bonnets to the border was the cry, apparantly, when several decades ago the Dumfries and Galloway (as it is now) region of AA launched a convention - they had found out that the English were coming en masse.........the name stuck. Apparantly the first convention was held in the Wee Free church Hall in Dumfries - no one had told the virulently anti smoking minister that AAs liked to have a smoke between cigarettes.........

BB is probably the least well publicised, least organised convention in Britain, but every year, the invaders from over the border storm into Dumfires for a spiritual weekend of sharing, meetings, metting old friends and lots of laughter.

This year will be my second time, but the first time since I moved to Scotland and my buddies from Sheffield arrived last night - Rico, Tony, Nadja and Lisa, bring supplied of Henderson's Relish, God bless 'em.

So here we go, here we go, here we go.........the invasion starts NOW!