Moving time! As I was packing my books for the move, I came across my Sherlock Holmes beloved printed editions and found interesting to recall that Sherlock Holmes was inspired by Joseph Bell, a doctor and mentor to Arthur Conan Doyle. By the way, Joseph Bell served as Queen Victoria’s personal surgeon during her visits to Scotland. 🙂 Bell was … Continue reading →
“I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book’ (J. K Rowling) I can’t but agree with J.K. Rowling for this is exactly how I feel when I’m reading a good book, especially if it is a book about Scotland. As a great fan of this fascinating country it’s always magical for me to get … Continue reading →
January… February…what about sitting by the fireside with a good book when it’s freezing cold outside and the wind is howling ;-). Add to that a cup of tea, coffee or chocolate and you’ll begin to like winter! Unless, of course, you prefer to go out and face the elements. I must admit that when travelling in Scotland, even in … Continue reading →
When Janice and I made our promise to Sir Walter Scott to read all his books, we certainly did not realise the magnitude of the task 😉 How many books did the great Scottish author write, I could not tell exactly but what I do know is that there are many of them! 😉 Today, I can check off another … Continue reading →
‘Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself’.~ William Faulkner While skimming through the SCOTS Heritage Magazine tucked into the bookshelf, I was inspired to pick up a copy with a very colorful cover featuring Jamie Macnab, the 24th Chief of Clan Macnab. Not so much to inform myself about the … Continue reading →
Today, 15 August 2021, is a keydate on the Scottish calendar. It is the 250th birthday of Sir Walter Scott, one of the most popular authors in Scotland and his popularity goes far beyond its frontiers. As one of his French admirers, I could not help writing a few lines on Scotiana today. How I would like to be in … Continue reading →
Robert Burns : Our Poet at Ellisland Farm, 1788-1791 .. . Bonjour Janice, Marie-Agnes et Jean-Claude. Hello again from Scotland ! 🙂  We do hope that you’re all keeping safe. Margaret and I were very happy, Marie-Agnes, to receive a message from you just a few days ago, saying how much you liked the Burns poem “in English” that … Continue reading →
. A Work for Poets To have carved on the days of our vanity A sun A ship A star A cornstalk Also a few marks From an ancient forgotten time A child may read That not far from the stone A well might open for wayfarers Here is a work for poets- Carve the runes Then be … Continue reading →
‘I doubt if there be a more picturesque country town in Scotland. Small, clean, silent and respectable; it seems (subject, however, to one enormous deduction) the type of a place to which decent characters and moderate purses would retire for quiet comfort. The deduction arises from the dismal swaps of deep, sleechy mud, by which it is nearly … Continue reading →
