In our front yard we have a burgeoning, blooming mini forest that encroaches on our house. Part of this wildness is a feijoa tree that drops a bounty of hundreds of oval-shaped bright green feijoa fruit onto the forest floor. I then need to scramble to grab all of these treasures before they are subsumedContinue reading “Food: Autumn’s bounty and feijoa relish”
Category Archives: A Day in the Life
Travel: Magnificent Milford Sound, New Zealand
A few years ago we went to Central Otago on a trip. It really was a magical time away, At that stage we both had highly stressful jobs and we were really needing to get away from everything. Probably one of the best places in the world to blow the cobwebs out of your worldContinue reading “Travel: Magnificent Milford Sound, New Zealand”
The Gloaming Part 4: Tam O’Shanter
When chapman billies leave the street, And drouthy neibors, neibors, meet; As market days are wearing late, And folk begin to tak the gate, While we sit bousing at the nappy, An’ getting fou and unco happy, We think na on the lang Scots miles, The mosses, waters, slaps and stiles, That lie between us and our hame, Where sits our sulky, sullen dame, Gathering herContinue reading “The Gloaming Part 4: Tam O’Shanter”
The Gloaming Part 3
It is the time when crimson stars Weary of heaven’s cold delight, And take, like petals from a rose, Their soft and hesitating flight Upon the cool wings of the air Across the purple night. It is the time when silver sails Go drifting down the violet sea, And every poppy’s crimson mouth Kisses toContinue reading “The Gloaming Part 3”
The Gloaming Part 2
The sky puts on the darkening blue coat held for it by a row of ancient trees; you watch: and the lands grow distant in your sight, one journeying to heaven, one that falls; and leave you, not at home in either one, not quite so still and dark as the darkened houses, not callingContinue reading “The Gloaming Part 2”
The Gloaming part 1
THE GLOAMING COMES, THE DAY IS SPENT, THE SUN GOES OUT OF SIGHT, AND PAINTED IS THE OCCIDENT, WITH PURPLE SANGUINE BRIGHT. ALEXANDER HUME, Poet, Scotland. 1599
Featured Artist: Jen Muir’s Photorealistic Pet Portraits
Jen Muir is an illustrator currently residing in Scotland where she crafts intricate, sublime and whimsical watercolours and pencil drawings. Although she’s always loved making art, Jen begun working as an artist when she took a year off University to do a visual communications course. “I usually use watercolour and graphite for making things, butContinue reading “Featured Artist: Jen Muir’s Photorealistic Pet Portraits “
Travel: Baby seal on Mahia Beach, New Zealand
While visiting family on the east coast of New Zealand we came upon a little baby seal or what the Scottish would call a selkie (a water spirit) lurking precariously close to the road. She was laying in a clump of harakeke flax and staring up at us with wide, black shiny eyes. I wasContinue reading “Travel: Baby seal on Mahia Beach, New Zealand “
Travel: The Royal Palace in Madrid
It was broiling and steaming at about 38 degrees in Madrid that day. Looking out over the vista of Madrid during the peak of the siesta period it seemed that all the traffic had stopped and all of the sensible people in the city had retreated inside, except for the tourists like me of course.Continue reading “Travel: The Royal Palace in Madrid”
Travel: Walks along the Water of Leith, Edinburgh
The Polish Bear and I went on a lot of adventures together while living in Edinburgh. One of our favourite walking trails was the devastatingly beautiful Water of Leith. This natural body of water crosses over the Forth and Clyde Canal, which I’ve written about extensively before. The Water of Leith snakes its way throughContinue reading “Travel: Walks along the Water of Leith, Edinburgh”

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