Hi everybody, This incredible architectural “folly”, in the shape of a pineapple, was one of our big “coups de coeur” in Scotland. The Dunmore Pineapple is situated about one kilometre northwest of Airth and the same distance south of Dunmore in the Falkirk council area. We visited it on 25 July 2007. We were then based in Edinburgh … Continue reading →
Hi Mairiuna! It was truly a pleasure to read your post “The Wonderful Colors of Scotland: Blue…” , so much, it inspired me to gain more insights about blue tartans! The first thing that came to my mind was the blue tartan rug layed upon the corridors leading us through oddly-angled rooms and appartements when we visited the mysterious Cawdor … Continue reading →
Dear readers, Last time I opened our photo albums to share with you pictures of Scotland in its gorgeous spring yellow colour but YELLOW is only one of the many wonderful colours which give Scotland such an irresistible charm. Today, I would like to make you discover the country in its most lovely shades of BLUE, a fresh … Continue reading →
Bonjour Janice, Marie-Agnès et Jean-Claude – Hello again from Scotland! 🙂 I think you once told me, Janice, that our posts on Oscar Slater were among the most-read here at Scotiana – some people, I’m sure, may find it almost impossible to believe that such a shocking story could be true! Quite understandable though, for the truth of the affair … Continue reading →
There’s something magical in Scotland and, like Gandalf the Grey, Scotland can be grey but also radiant and multicoloured. In the morning you feel as if you were going to disappear between sea and sky in the misty atmosphere but in the afternoon the wind has risen and the ocean is of the deepest blue. The day after you … Continue reading →
Bonjour, Marie-Agnès, Janice et Jean-Claude – Hello again! 🙂 Ca va? – How are you all? We must have exchanged hundreds of messages in the last few years by email – and are now getting to know each other really well – so it seems astonishing that it’s over 12 months since our last Letter from Scotland! I recall … Continue reading →
While touring the Isle of Skye, in the magnificent Highlands of Scotland, we simply could not resist to stop and glance inside the mobile library bus that was parked away on an empty lot. It reminded me of the delightful and vibrant moments experienced, as a child, on the days the library bus showed up with lots and lots of … Continue reading →
(Kenilworth by Walter Scott, French edition adapted by Emile Pech, Boivin & Cie Editeurs 1929) Hi everybody, I’m still reading Sir Walter Scott’s Kenilworth, greatly enjoying this travel back in time to Merry Old England in company of a colourful team of characters (*) and following with much anticipation the fate of each of them and the twists and … Continue reading →
What a good idea, Janice, to have drawn our attention to Kenilworth, one of the famous historical novels by Sir Walter Scott. I’m a great admirer of ‘The Magician of the North’ and I’ve not forgotten our promise to read all his books when we visited his home at Abbotsford, I mean the books he wrote and not those contained … Continue reading →
Indeed, behind long-loved fables of gallants and fairy tales, are great stories, but … are they true? Let’s take for example the fable about Sir Walter Raleigh, a very handsome gentleman, quick-witted gallant, who’s story is said to have laid down his cloak over a mud puddle when Elizabeth I, Queen of England passing by with her retinue stopped near … Continue reading →
As a child touring Scotland I constantly nagged my parents to visit stone circles, brochs and standing stones. As I grew older I began to realise that many of these ancient sites had stories told of them and I found these stories as entrancing as the sites themselves. (Stuart McHardy – On the Trail of Scotland’s Myths and … Continue reading →
Did you know that shortbread is said to have been invented by Mary Queen of Scots in the 16th century? Although shortbread was prepared during much of the 12th century, its refinement is credited to Mary, Queen of Scots. She had a team of French chefs who took time to perfect the recipe. Originally, the cookie was large and round. … Continue reading →
Still roaming wild but for how long ? I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through. (Jules Verne) Dear readers, Nature in Scotland with its unique landscapes, rich fauna and flora, is one of our favourite subjects and today I’d like to draw your attention … Continue reading →
Novel Orkney Book Scheme Marks a 60th Anniversary Back in 1954 began a service of distributing books to avid readers in some of Orkney’s most far-flung islands by ways of library vans boarding and unboarding ferries. “…it is thought that it was the very first example of this type of service anywhere in the world” …” says Orkney library and … Continue reading →
