IT is fair to say that the last two weeks have been a whirlwind - but in a thoroughly good way.

Being elected by the Scottish Parliament as the First Minister of Scotland was the biggest privilege of my life and I am now totally focused on doing the best job I possibly can - on behalf of everyone in Scotland, no matter your politics or point of view.

A couple of days later, being able to appoint a Cabinet equally divided between men and women - knowing that each one of the ministers appointed is there entirely on merit - was also a very special moment.

Indeed, I was extremely pleased to see my new Cabinet praised by the United Nations as a role model for others to follow.

And then last week, I announced my Programme for Government for the year ahead.

The Programme is unashamedly focused on the big issues that matter.

Over the next year, we will introduce legislation and policies to improve educational attainment, help more people from disadvantaged backgrounds get to university, support businesses, invest in the NHS and tackle delayed discharges in our hospitals and reform the system of land ownership and use in Scotland.

There will also be measures to tackle domestic abuse and reduce crime. It is an ambitious set of proposals that will demand all of the energies of government to be behind it.

We also saw last week the publication of the report on new powers for the Scottish Parliament.

I welcome it - and pay tribute to Lord Smith of Kelvin who oversaw it - but I make no secret of the fact I think it should go further.

Under the proposals, control of 70% of our taxes and 85% of our welfare spending - as well as responsibility for policies like the minimum wage - will stay at Westminster.

I think we should aspire to more than that if we want to have the powers we need to create more jobs and tackle inequality.

So, just as it was the power of our votes in the referendum that got us to this stage, so too can the power of our votes in the General Election take us further.

A strong vote for the SNP will put pressure on the Westminster parties to deliver on their promises.

So in many ways, the last couple of weeks have been very positive.

However, I must end on a sad note.

Saturday was the first anniversary of the dreadful tragedy at the Clutha.

I was privileged to attend a service at Glasgow Cathedral and saw for myself just how deep the grief of the bereaved families still is. I hope they drew some comfort from what was a very moving service.

And as they still suffer, I hope they know that we are all thinking of them - and of those who are still recovering from injuries.

Glasgow will never forget that terrible night and, on this anniversary, we send our love and support to all those who were affected by it.