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 →
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 →
THE LIFE OF BEATRIX POTTER Hi Mairiuna! Your recent post Scotland, a great source of inspiration for Beatrix Potter joyfully took us on a journey into the marvelous book illustrations and lovely tales that we grew up with! Thanks for such a great travel back in time celebrating one of the best-loved children’s authors. As you now, I always delight … Continue reading →
Wishing You A Great 2012! Hogmanay is the Scots word for the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner. Its official date is the 31st of December. However this is normally only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of the 1st or, in many cases, the 2nd of January. There are … 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 →
Romania 2003 Easter Rabbit Stamp Mairiuna and Jean-Claude are traveling today towards the beautiful French Touraine’s region to visit family, and I would like to wish, on their behalf and mine, to all our loyal readers, a very Happy Easter! The celebration of Easter is a worldwide celebration and involves many customs and traditions. It’s a time of joy, relaxation … Continue reading →
I guess I will surprise no one if I confessed that Iain’s latest post about the “First Day of Golf…” got me running to my stamp albums to see if I could find some stamps featuring Scottish golf courses. You can imagine the smile on my face when I stumbled upon a Great Britain First Day Cover commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the world’s … Continue reading →
Mairiuna, I have a great Sherlock Holmes detective story to share with you today! To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Sir Conan Doyle’s birth, (1859-1930), the small island of Alderney, a bailiwick of Guernsey, issued a mystery set of 6 postage stamps beautifully illustrated by Keith Robinson. The mystery case, written by Keith Robinson, starts with the theft of an Alderney bull, a breed … Continue reading →
I sincerely hope Mairiuna that you are feeling better and wish you a very prompt recovery from this terrible flu that you are both, Jean-Claude and yourself, dealing with. 🙁 To uplift your spirits, let me show you my latest online discovery. It’s about “animated” movies of great poets, a very creative form of virtual animation that I happen to stumble upon this morning. As PoetryAnimations You … Continue reading →
Hi Mairiuna 🙂 I have “giant” news for you today and I’m all excited to tell you about it! You mentioned in your recent article Following the Blue Road on the Steps of Kenneth White in Quebec: Episode 5 , that it was difficult to identify the whale species that came breathing at the surface of the water while we were … Continue reading →
Hi Mairiuna! I have to tell you I had much pleasure reading your article about Robert Louis Stevenson, one of our favourite Scottish writers. Furthermore, it was great to see such a nice variety of beautiful book covers from the many different editions. As we are both on the lookout for new additions to our RLS bookshelf, we will be shortly be … Continue reading →
