Recently, I came across a very interesting article published by Holly Kirkwood in the magazine Country Life. In this article Holly Kirkwood draws our attention to the so-called “peel-towers”, a type of construction typical of the Scottish Borders. “There are more than 100 peel towers in various states of repair and ruin scattered the breadth of the Borders“, she writes. … 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 →
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 →
Gotta tell you all today about an article that recently caught my attention. Written by John McEwen, it was featured in the Scotman’s ezine . The title “How the Scottish capital helped inspire a force of nature” triggered my curiosity as “Everything Scotland” is always of great interest. 😉 John McEwen starts his article by announcing the new publication of John … 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 →
Hi everybody, Holiday time and time reading too 😉 We’d like to wish you a very good summer, whether you go on holiday or not. Why not take advantage of this leisure time to read this or that old volume by one of your favourite authors that has been waiting for you since ages in a dark corner of … Continue reading →
In books lies the soul of the whole Past Time:the articulate audible voice of the Past, when the body and material substance of it has altogether vanished like a dream. (Thomas Carlyle) Hi everybody, Day after day, we’re adding colourful pieces to our great Scottish mosaic and when we aren’t roaming the beautiful roads of Scotland we … Continue reading →
. Blooming rhododendrons at the entrance of Hoddom Castle, in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland © 2006 Scotiana Just try to imagine what it can be to get asleep and wake up in the shade of an old castle, to be immersed in the silent atmosphere of such a place when the only sounds around are the murmur of the wind … Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
‘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 →
. 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 →
