DIARY reader Lisa Donnelly was about to walk into a city-centre Starbucks when she noticed a homeless man sitting against the bin outside, eating a small pot of porridge.

Lisa asked him if he would like a coffee. The man gratefully replied, “Oh yes, please, if you wouldn’t mind, if you just tell them it's for Michael."

Lisa walked up to the counter, assuming that the baristas knew what kind of coffee Michael liked.

"So I order my grande skinny latte," she says, "and tell them, 'Whatever Michael has', indicating the guy outside.

"His coffee turns out to be a Venti Caramel Macchiato, which was more expensive than my own drink."

As Lisa handed Michael his coffee, she admits she was torn between being mildly outraged and wanting to applaud him.

IT'S not always an easy life, being a TV reporter.

STV's Mike Edwards tweeted that he was out at the Red Road flats when a burger-van man accosted him. "You're that news reporter, aren't you? There's one of you I can't stand. Is it you?'"

And on the subject of the flats, in the light of that ever-so-slightly botched demolition, we liked one online commentator who observed: "The worst thing about living in a high-rise is when you get cold -called by a conservatory company."

AND still the reverberations continue from Alex Salmond's decision, for security reasons, to try to board a BA flight under the alias of Star Trek's Captain Kirk.

Reader Eric Hudson notes: "It's not just people like Salmond travelling under assumed names who have a story to tell. Being totally straight can sometimes have consequences.

"The late Jimmy Reid once told me that, on a conference visit to Poland, he signed into his hotel as 'Scottish'. An English MP behind him commented, 'Bloody Nationalist' - then signed the book himself as 'English'.

LIKEWISE, the row over the naming of Glasgow's new super-hospital - the one with 'Queen Elizabeth' in the name - shows few signs of fading. The latest idea for a new name comes from reader Ann Crawford. "Couldn’t it be called ‘Hospital of the University of Glasgow?" she suggests. HUG, for short.

COMEDIAN Andy Cameron, spotting yesterday's story about Glasgow's wine habits, relates the following story

"A hundred years ago," he begins, "two mates and me, let's call them Boabby and Frank (for that was their names) were refused entrance to Barrowland Ballroom because we'd over-imbibed - or maybe it was because our jackets didnae match our troosers, or because the doorman was in a bad mood.

"So we pooled our resources and bought two fish suppers and as we walked along the Gallowgate Frank produced a half bottle of Barchester 365 and offered us a swally.

"He was not overly pleased when I scoffed 'Red wine with fish? I don't think so.'

"Sometimes," Andy concludes, "coming from Rutherglen was a problem."

THE match commentaries at the Rugby World Cup have yielded the odd little gem. Martin Morrison watched as an Italian player came off during the Romania game with what seemed to be an unmistakeable injury. "X is coming off with an injury from what appears to be the head" - that would be that lumpy bit above the neck, I presume...