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 →
Hi everybody, Today is September 21st, the first day of the autumn season though here, in the south of France, it looks like a summer day, warm and sunny! I wonder what is the weather like in Scotland now… Is it as beautiful as it was, 179 years ago, in that quiet and beautiful corner of the Scottish Borders … Continue reading →
Hi everybody! Hope this article finds you well and enjoying life. 🙂 We received a letter in reference with the restoration of Sir Walter Scott’s House in the Borders region of Scotland and thought it would be great to share its contents as it is a cause that is close to our heart. Samantha Hobrough is part of the … Continue reading →
. 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 →
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 →
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 →
. 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 →
Abbotsford! The Home of Sir Walter Scott! With hills, fields and woods in the background, like a fairytale castle, the old house emerges from beautiful gardens with its many chimneys, its crenellated turrets and crow stepped gables… No wonder Sir Walter was so deeply attached to Abbotsford. He designed the house in the same way he wrote his books, with … Continue reading →
We’ll begin the new year, on Scotiana, with our reading of Walter Scott’s Rob Roy, one of the most famous Waverley novels. The French and English audio files will be available for download as well. That’ll take some doing but Janice and I are very enthusiastic about sharing with you our reading of this great Scottish author! But first, and … Continue reading →
We can’t help returning to Abbotsford each time we go to Scotland to pay homage to the great writer. Sir Walter Scott’s presence can still be felt in each room of the vast house and along the quiet alleys of the beautiful park surrounding it. In some corner of the garden you may happen to fall upon the statue of … Continue reading →
Day after day, in our quest of Scotland, we go deeper and deeper into that fascinating country and like hungry pilgrims on a never ending path we discover new horizons at each turn. So, let us walk on, listening on the road to what people say and write there… If you could see my library, you couldn’t believe it. Since … Continue reading →
