Bonjour Marie-Agnes, Janice et Jean-Claude ! 🙂 Hello again from Scotland ! How are you all today ? . A few weeks ago we saw Remembrance Sunday, which in Britain has now for a hundred years been observed on the second Sunday of November. In recent times though, it has become common also to commemorate Armistice Day, recalling the … Continue reading →
Trick or treat, bag of sweets, ghosts are walking down the street… for tonight it’s Halloween! The dead rise again, bats fly, terror strikes and screams echo, werewolves howl, and phantoms prowl as Halloween is upon us. But really…what is Halloween all about? Well, back in the 16th century, the name Halloween was derived from a Scottish shortening of All-Hallows … Continue reading →
There are many fabulous castles in Scotland but some of them, like Fyvie Castle or Drum Castle which I introduced last time on Scotiana, well deserve to be visited again and again. We discovered Fyvie Castle in 2006, re-visited it in 2007 and again in 2015 but we would have nothing against visiting it again. What a castle! Situated as … Continue reading →
While surfing on Twitter, I stumbled upon a video from Peter Mansbridge (documentary film producer – Toronto – Canada) which tweet captured my attention: “Okay, so I got a little carried away in Scotland today doing a little Canadian history. Here’s a teaser for you.” I watched the video and was delighted to hear about a Canadian-Scottish link in the … Continue reading →
Drum Castle is certainly one of the most beautiful and interesting castles we’ve visited in Scotland and when we went back to Drum for the second time, in May 2015, daffodils were still blooming here and there in the magnificent wooded park and the effect was truly magical! But there’s more than that. I remember pretty well our first impressions … Continue reading →
In my ongoing quest of postage stamps relating to Scotland, I stumbled upon this enigmatic russian stamp issued in 1979 to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of John Maclean, a Scottish schoolteacher and revolutionary socialist of the Red Clydeside era. I googled his name and discovered that he was born in Pollokshaws, on the southern outskirts of Glasgow, from parents … Continue reading →
22 May 2019 Today is the 160th birth anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but not everybody knows that the father of Sherlock Holmes was born in Edinburgh. A beautiful bronze statue of the detective stands in Picardy Place at the top of Edinburgh’s Leith Walk just opposite the birthplace (demolished c. 1970) of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is a literary … Continue reading →
24 April 2019… I will never forget what two Australian ladies, or should I say “pilgrims” for these friendly ladies were actually visiting the country of their ancestors, emphatically told us one morning, as we were sharing one of the best Scottish breakfasts we’ve ever had, in one of our favourite B&Bs situated near Scone Palace : “How we envy … Continue reading →
Would you be surprised if I told you that the lawn mower was a Scotttish invention? I was! Even though I knew that Scottish ingenuity is source of numerous inventions. Lawns were first kept clean and tidy by having animals graze on the grass, or by the use of scythe, sickle, or shears to hand-cut the grass lawns. But that … Continue reading →
Such is the atmosphere of the melancholy valley of Glencoe that it still seems to be haunted by what happened there so long ago on that fatal day of 13 February 1692 when 38 members of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by government forces billeted with them. The friendly and unsuspecting villagers were slaughtered at five o’ clock in … Continue reading →
Whether or not you are an amateur of Formula I races, you’ll love Iain & Margaret’s last “Letter from Scotland” in which our dear friends tell us about the fascinating story and tragic destiny of Jim Clark, nicknamed “The Flying Scotsman”, one of the greatest motor-racing champion in the world and a national hero in Scotland. Bonjour Marie-Agnès, Jean-Claude … Continue reading →
Dear readers and friends, One of the greatest joys that brings us this end of the year is the opportunity to wish you a very joyful holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year! Let’s welcome 2019 together. We are approaching the big night that marks the arrival of the New Year and in Scotiana’s team native countries, France, … Continue reading →
“Heap on more wood! The wind is chill ; But let it whistle as it will, We’ll keep our Christmas merry still.” (Sir Walter Scott – “Christmas in the Olden Time” from Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field, 1808) With hardly one month left until Christmas, it’s high time for us to look for little treasures to put under the … Continue reading →
There are many books devoted to the subject of Scottish invention and discovery, as well as scores of websites listing Scottish inventions and discoveries with varying degrees of science, but one category caught my attention: the invention of fictional characters. As per Wikipedia, more than forty (40) fictional characters were invented by Scots. Here are just a few of them: … Continue reading →
We visited Clava Cairns, a very well-preserved Bronze Age cemetery, in May 2015, at the time when broom is blooming everywhere in Scotland. No need to say how lovely the Scottish landscape can be then. After cloudy beginnings, the day had turned sunny and the sky was of the purest blue. In the morning we had re-visited Brodie Castle and … Continue reading →
