Try GOLD - Free
Ugly duckling PC makeover
Scottish Sunday Express
|January 04, 2026
A dowdy duck skulks amid vast rafts of winter wildfowl as if trying to dodge auditions for Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale.
A dowdy duck skulks amid vast rafts of winter wildfowl as if trying to dodge auditions for Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale. Outshone by glamorous drake pochards and goldeneye in glistening shades of garnet and iridescent emerald, the young female long-tailed duck is the ultimate "ugly duckling".
So easily overlooked, she suddenly makes a deep dive before resurfacing in open water. This provides time to study her dun brown drabness - she will never develop the stiletto tail feathers of the magnificent drakes - but also allows me to ponder a back story as remarkable as the fable.
This story is from the January 04, 2026 edition of Scottish Sunday Express.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Scottish Sunday Express
Scottish Sunday Express
Demand soars for medical cannabis
MEDICAL cannabis use has surged in recent years as people seek relief from anxiety, ADHD, depression and chronic pain.
2 mins
January 11, 2026
Scottish Sunday Express
MPs ready to debate snap UK election after petition
CALLS for a snap general election will be debated in Parliament tomorrow after more than a million voters signed a petition.
1 min
January 11, 2026
Scottish Sunday Express
Labour unrest sparks sterling jitters in City
STERLING will suffer from speculation over Keir Starmer’s leadership until at least the May elections, economists have predicted, with 2026 tipped to become another year where Westminster infighting sparks City jitters.
2 mins
January 11, 2026
Scottish Sunday Express
It's Strand and deliver as Jorgen bags cup hat-trick
JORGEN Strand Larsen netted a first Wolves hat-trick to help his side hit Shrewsbury for six.
1 min
January 11, 2026
Scottish Sunday Express
'The six-storey hotel, big enough to house a 350-person business suite, was completely dead'
The six-storey London hotel, which is big enough to house a 350-person business suite, was completely dead. The fairy lights flickered, but no one was home.
1 min
January 11, 2026
Scottish Sunday Express
LE BRIS IS IN SAFE HANDS AS ROBIN RAISES THE ROEF
ROBIN ROEFS was Sunderland's hero as Everton's FA Cup hopes came to a premature end once again after three woeful penalties in a shootout saw the Black Cats reach the next round.
2 mins
January 11, 2026
Scottish Sunday Express
Top teaching union calls for social media ban for U16s
ATEACHING union is calling for the government to ban social media for under-16s to improve concentration at school and lessen damage to mental health.
1 min
January 11, 2026
Scottish Sunday Express
Anne Frank Trust pays tribute to founder Eva
THE Anne Frank Trust has paid tribute to its co-founder Eva Schloss, who was also the famous diarist’s stepsister, following her death at 96.
1 min
January 11, 2026
Scottish Sunday Express
Seagulls bid to end years of Hurz at Old Trafford
FABIAN HURZELER hopes to “create new history” by banishing Brighton's FA Cup hoodoo against Manchester United today.
1 min
January 11, 2026
Scottish Sunday Express
LORDING IT YET AGAIN
IBERICO LORD put another marquee National Hunt prize on his CV with a 22-1 win in Kempton Park's Coral Lanzarote Hurdle.
1 mins
January 11, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size