In the mid-20th Century, on the remote island of Swona in Scotland, the Rosie family kept animals including a herd of cows. As the decades wore on, their children moved away and the elderly stalwarts of the family stayed on and eventually died there. Moving of the cattle from the island would have been tooContinue reading “Poignant Thought: The Wild Cows on the Island of Swona”
Tag Archives: Scotland
Book Review: All that Remains: A Life in Death by Sue Black
* No Spoilers Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Scottish Forensic Anthropologist and Professor Sue Black’s memoir about her life confronting death won the Saltire Book of the Year in 2018. Forensic anthropology (in case you are wondering) is the study of human remains in order to solve criminal cases. I was very excited to read this book. YetContinue reading “Book Review: All that Remains: A Life in Death by Sue Black”
Book Review: The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris
This is an electrifying book about the history of surgery from the point of view of one of its pioneers, Joseph Lister. A humble and unassuming Quaker, Lister managed to rise up through the ranks of Edinburgh’s medical community and gained a reputation along the way for his serious dedication to experimentation and the empatheticContinue reading “Book Review: The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris”
Artists and Writers In Their Own Words: Jane Cornwell
Jane Cornwell creates soothing and emotional art that speaks to the soul I was accepted for Glasgow School of Art age 16 and I loved it… I have a notebook from school, age 5, with a little drawing of me standing at an easel. I’ve always had a compulsive need to draw, paint and makeContinue reading “Artists and Writers In Their Own Words: Jane Cornwell”
Book Review: One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery. Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Publisher: Black Swan Publishing *No spoilers. Set in Edinburgh during the height of the Edinburgh Festival, this is a mystery where various characters are intertwined and nested together in a complex and entertaining way. It begins with a road-rage incident that is witnessed in the CowContinue reading “Book Review: One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson”
Paperholm: A delicate ever-expanding paper universe
Paperholm is a tale of the dedication and tenacity of one very talented determined Scotsman named Charles Young. It all began in 2014 with 200 gsm watercolour paper and PVA glue. Young set himself the challenge of building a tiny paper model of a building every day for a year. Then 365 paper models laterContinue reading “Paperholm: A delicate ever-expanding paper universe”
A History of the Beautiful Highland Cow
Highland Cows or as they are commonly known in Scotland Highland Coos are an ancient breed known to have grazed the rugged Scottish landscape since the sixth century. Their genetic origins are still up for debate. They may be native to Scotland or introduced by the Vikings to Great Britain. One scientific train of thoughtContinue reading “A History of the Beautiful Highland Cow”
Ancient Word of the Day: Thule
Thule or Tile is a legendary island in the North Europe, which was first written about by Ancient Greek Explorer Pytheas of Massalia during his travels between 330-20 BC. Later, a Roman citizen named Strabo wrote about Thule in his treatise named Geographica c. 30 AD. Thule – is the great unknown. The land ofContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Thule”
Ancient Word of the Day: Uiscebeatha
Uisgebeatha: n Irish Gaelic uisce “water”, and bethu “life” or Water of Life. Another variation is the Scots Gaelic Uisge beatha. Pronounced Ish-ka ba-ha. This was a Gaelic name given by Irish and Scottish monks in the early Middle Ages to describe distilled alcohol. It’s a translation of the Latin aqua vitae ‘water of life‘.Continue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Uiscebeatha”
Ancient Word of the Day: Stravaig
Stravaig: v. to wander or amble without a purpose or destination in mind. Glad of the opportunity to explore and discover on foot, being unconstrained by time. (from Scots Gaelic) Stravaig derives from eighteenth-century Scots extravage, meaning ‘wander about; digress, ramble in speech’, in turn derived from Medieval Latin extravagari ‘wander, stray beyond limits’. Stravaig, in various forms, is foundContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Stravaig”
Content Catnip 