Whatever your political beliefs, it has been an interesting time for Scotland over the past few weeks, with the eyes of the world on us. Will they/won’t they? has been the question on everyone’s lips throughout Europe and beyond.

As a nation more often portrayed abroad through the prism of tartan, haggis and whisky, it was refreshing for the rest of the world to be exposed to serious discussions about our culture and politics.

For a relatively small nation in terms of population, Scotland has given so much to the world and it was interesting to be reminded of some of our achievements in features and articles about our history.

Given the number of Scots who have settled in all corners of the world, the incredible shots of the ‘broadcast village’ set up around Holyrood to cater for more than 500 journalists and news crews from around the globe seemed fitting.

Ex-pat Scots all over the world are used to tuning in for the latest news from home, but it must have been unusual to be switching on the local news abroad and seeing Scotland dominating the headlines. Even in Scotland itself, it has been a novelty to see the Scottish news dominating the UK headlines.

With the Ryder Cup starting at Gleneagles, Scotland will be the focus of the sporting world’s media . As when The Open Championship was held last year at Muirfield, I’m sure many Scots abroad will be looking at the pictures of the beautiful Perthshire countryside and having a just a wee sigh!

So many visitors to East Lothian during The Open became instant ambassadors for Scotland when they returned home after a successful and hospitable stay in the county.

The recent increase in media coverage also gives those of us living and working here the opportunity to remind ourselves why we are living and working here when we see our country through the eyes of the wider world – something we may become increasingly used to as the ripples from the referendum continue to spread over the coming months and years.