 The gardens of Prestonfield House, that most stately of Edinburgh hotels, are home to peacocks. Yesterday afternoon, the First Minister of Scotland was the proudest of them all.  alex Salmond walked from his helicopter into the arms of his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, to the cheers of the party faithful. as the map of Scotland had turned SNP yellow throughout the day, so the sun finally cut through the fog and bathed the grounds in light. Mr Salmond proclaimed it "sublime".  He landed a little late, at 5.25pm, to allow the final results to come in. So as he disembarked, the waiting crowds knew that he had pulled off the remarkable fea 