Apparently, Inverness is the cheeriest place to live in the UK.
Happier, it seems, than the likes of Oxford and Cambridge or St Albans, says the hospitality agency Accor, helped by the trend of  ‘soft living’, i.e. when you’re generally stress-free.
Presumably, they didn’t consult Caley Thistle supporters before making this announcement.
Or tried to drive home from work when the city’s arteries are blocked by a single set of roadworks somewhere on the road network.
And luckily for Accor, its news came too late for the disappointment of the cancellation of this year’s Red Hot Highland Fling to skew the vote.
Out of action for a reason
Losing the annual Hogmanay party will mean many will now take in the bells watching live TV celebrations from the central belt or pre-recorded jollity with Jools Holland.
But there is a bigger picture to raise a glass to.
The main reason the RHHF is not going ahead is the limited access at the moment to both Bught Park and Northern Meeting Park.
Both are undergoing redevelopment and are out of action.
These two important venues, along with Inverness Castle which is also being refurbished, are currently building sites, but with the promise of being major attractions in future.
All are significant Inverness landmarks whose usefulness was in question to varying degrees.
Now they are nearing the stage of being reclaimed as local assets.
Parks where generations played
The castle has never been accessible to the general local, never mind the interested tourist who wanted to see inside a grand building but were not so fascinated by a sheriff and jury trial.
The Bught is where generations of street league, youth league, welfare and amateur footballers learned to play.
Where high-profile shinty matches, inter-school sports events and hockey games were held in front of the wooden grandstand.
But it was an outdated and under-used facility in desperate need of an overhaul.
Similarly, the Northern Meeting Park, fondly remembered by Invernessians for everything from school sports to the Inverness Tattoo, has seen better days.
Its prime location next to the cathedral and Eden Court, and now the drop-off/pick up spot for coach visitors, makes its upgrade just as important.
Both these developments, supported by the Levelling Up Fund, are due to open next March.
Together with the castle and its energy scheme, it represents a total investment of around £56 million.
The new-look castle, funded as part of the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, is due to open in mid-2025.
It is expected to lure around 500,000 visitors to Inverness as well as being a major local attraction.
New shinty exhibition at the Bught
The Bught is being transformed into the Bught Park Stadium Complex with refurbished grandstand and improved infrastructure for more large-scale outdoor events.
It will also feature a new pavilion with a hospitality venue and an exhibition, ‘Shinty’s Story’, to showcase the culture and place of the national sport.
The Northern Meeting Park’s grandstand will be upgraded and a new community pavilion is to be built.
In addition, it will provide enhanced sporting and cultural facilities and improved infrastructure for local and major events.
A new project, with the backing of lottery money, will harvest local memories to create interpretation panels to reflect its history.
The castle, the Bught and the Northern Meeting Park are major parts of Inverness history.
Their modernisation is long overdue. As well as maintaining green space near the city centre, their future roles will help the city enhance its offering to tourists.
But the investment also updates and increases amenities for the community rather than just preserving memories.
These are reasons to be cheerful and could help Invernessians retain their title in future years.
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