In the beginning, The Lord Almighty, sitting on His throne on high, turned to the Archangel Gabriel, and said,
“Gabe, I’m going to create Scotland today. I will make it a country of dark, beautiful mountains, purple glens and rich green forests. I will give it clear, swiftly flowing rivers and I will fill them with salmon and trout. The land will be lush and fertile, on which the people will grow barley to brew into amber nectar that will be much in demand the world over. Underneath the land I shall place rich seams of coal. In the waters around the shores there will be an abundance of fish and beneath the seabed there will be vast deposits of oil and gas …”
“Excuse me Sire”, interrupted the Archangel Gabriel, “Don’t you think you are being a bit too generous to these Scots?”
“Think so?” asked the Lord, “Wait till you see the neighbours …”