Author Archives: MAJA

Scottish Painting ‘The Vanguard’ by John A MacWhirter Becomes ‘Western Cattle in The Storm’ on US Postage Stamp

Scotiana Posted on by

Mairiuna! upon watching a You Tube video about United States postage stamps, I discovered that one of the featured stamps, the $1 value of the 1898 Trans-Mississipi Exposition Issue, internationally known as the “Cattle in the Storm” stamp, was designed from a 19th century painting of Scottish painter, John A. MacWhirter. 🙂 Imagine…this stamp was considered for many years the most beautiful … Continue reading →

Melrose Abbey : a King, a Wizard and Sir Walter Scott’s Faithful Servant Buried There?

Scotiana Posted on by

While travelling all over Scotland we’ve discovered a great number of ruins and visited some of them, from the grandiose remains of castles, abbeys and churches, often set in dramatic landscapes, to the more modest and heartbreaking crofts and villages burnt during the infamous period of the Highlands evictions in the 18th and 19th centuries… We’ve also visited a number … Continue reading →

Scotland’s Storyteller Nigel Tranter Historical Epic: The Bruce Trilogy

Scotiana Posted on by

. Since we are speaking of Robert the Bruce I would like to introduce today Nigel Tranter, a very popular Scottish author who has written, among many other books of historical fiction, a trilogy about the great Scottish king. He died in 2000, at the age of 90.  He was a great admirer of Sir Walter Scott and indeed, we … Continue reading →

Robert the Bruce’s Heart Buried at Melrose Abbey

Scotiana Posted on by

In 2000, when we first visited Melrose Abbey, we did not know that the heart of Robert the Bruce, the famous Scottish King who defeated the English army at Bannockburn, on 24 June 1314, was buried there. Indeed, we didn’t know much about Scotland and its history for it was our first journey there, only seven days in June which … Continue reading →

Magnificent Melrose Abbey …

Scotiana Posted on by

Hi Mairiuna! Delighted to read your last post  🙂       As we have not had the chance to visit this architectural gem by night, as suggested by Sir Walter Scott in his marvelous poem ” The Lay of the Last Minstrel”, this little video created with the photos we took while visiting the site will inspire a certain “sense of place”…        … Continue reading →

Melrose Abbey: an Architectural Gem in the Scottish Borders

Scotiana Posted on by

Melrose Abbey is a religious, historical and architectural landmark in Scotland, one you must not miss when you visit the Scottish Borders, together with the three other very beautiful  Border abbeys : Dryburgh, Jedburgh and Kelso. They are in ruins but we love them all,  especially Melrose and Dryburgh where Sir Walter Scott is buried with other members of his … Continue reading →

Hunting Down Scottish Greenknowe Tower’s Ghosts…

Scotiana Posted on by

Mairiuna, as a continuity to your post on Greenknowe Tower, let’s put together a video, mixing the recording that Jean-Claude did of the sound produced when opening the iron gate (the yett) and the pictures we took while investigating this beautiful ruined tower in Berwickshire.  🙂 . Although local folk tales, as you mentioned, said this place is the most haunted place in the area, … Continue reading →

Greenknowe Tower: A Fortified House in the Scottish Borders

Scotiana Posted on by

It was the end of a grey and rainy summer day when we arrived at Greenknowe Tower, half a mile west of the village of Gordon and about 6 miles north from Smailholm Tower, as the crow flies. It is located on the A6105, close to the junction with the A6089. We had had a busy day, travelling in the … Continue reading →

It’s All About Scottish Cows..

Scotiana Posted on by

Moo… meuh…!  😉 Mairiuna, as I stumbled upon Animoto’s website and discovered that a fun video could be created in just a few easy steps 🙂 , I could not resist to sign up for an account ( they offer Free, Basic and Pro Accounts ) and experiment making a short video with pictures and video clips. Since we had many expressive photos depicting cows … Continue reading →

Smailholm Tower: A Walter Scott Trail Landmark In The Scottish Borders

Scotiana Posted on by

By the green hill and clear blue heaven. It was a barren scene, and wild, Where naked cliff’s were rudely piled; But ever and anon between Lay velvet tufts of loveliest green; And well the lonely infant knew Recesses where the wall-flower grew, And honey-suckle loved to crawl Up the low crag and ruin’d wall. I deem’d such nooks the … Continue reading →

The Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club

Scotiana Posted on by

‘I have read all Walter Scott’s novels at least fifty times’ (Byron) While we are longing to go back to Scotland, our quest for the author of the Waverley novels, which began in 2000 with the visit of Abbotsford, has never ceased to go on through our readings and it has taken a new dimension when, in February 2008, we … Continue reading →

Great Days of the Scottish Highland Games ..

Scotiana Posted on by

Blackford, near Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland Source: Spooky67 Flickr Hello again from Scotland, Janice, Marie-Agnes et Jean-Claude! With summer almost upon us, the first Highland games of 2010 has already taken place; next on the calendar is the gathering at Blackford (near Auchterarder, Perthshire) – the 141st Blackford Highland Games, scheduled for Saturday, 29th May. (Update: A complete list of Highlands … Continue reading →

Dryburgh Abbey, Sir Walter Scott’s Final Resting Place

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. Under the shade of more than centenary cedars, on a loop of the River Tweed, amidst the beautiful ruins of Dryburgh Abbey, lies Sir Walter Scott, the beloved man and great Scottish writer who, having done so much to celebrate his country, finally died like the heroe of one of his novels, with courage and dignity. Since his death, … Continue reading →

Save Abbotsford, One of the Best Loved Scottish Pilgrimages!

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Today people are discovering or rediscovering the great authors of the past. Walter Scott is one of them, a most famous one and not only in Scotland. In France, for example, a new translation of his books is under way, in the prestigious “Bibliothèque de la Pleiade”, each novel being translated, introduced, and annotated by a French university scholar. Henri … Continue reading →

Discover Sir Walter Scott’s Memorabilia Collection Inside Abbotsford…

Scotiana Posted on by

. Hi Mairiuna!  I’m back online and must tell you that reading your great post about Sir Walter Scott’s romantic home, Abbotsford, brought back to mind the great number of memorable, historical and valuable objects we saw when visiting the many rooms of his beloved house. Let alone the magnificent library which contains more than 7,000 books, I was amazed by all the memorabilia that Sir … Continue reading →