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How to write a novel
The title of this post might lead you to think I’ve got something clever to say about how to write a novel. I don’t really, but I thought I’d take a break from my attempt at writing one to write a post...
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Blog of the Year Award 2012
Two of my fellow bloggers have been kind enough to bestow upon me the Blog of the Year Award 2012, which was jolly nice of them. Both Meg Travels and All Things Boys saw fit to nominate my blog, and I...
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Collessie: a hidden gem
After taking tea in Cupar the other day, my delightful assistant and I stumbled upon an attractive and interesting little hamlet, tucked away off a main road. I was driving through it, slowly taking in...
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Intriguing Sights No.2
This particular intriguing sight first met my eyes about a year ago, and came into my world again just before Christmas. One day in December, delightful assistant no.2 (the pater) had been off doing...
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Trudging through treacle
There are times in my life when attempting to write fiction is akin to what I imagine it’d be like to trudge through a lake of cold treacle wearing a space suit lined with lead. I know that there are...
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The Falkland Islands
By a sort of happy accident several years ago, I ended up in the Falkland Islands. I’ve recently been revisiting the place in my mind, because it features in a book I’m writing, and although I...
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Intriguing Sights No.3
A bit beyond the graveyard at Bendochy in Perthshire, there’s an Intriguing Sight parked up on grass just off the road. At first sight it might not seem all that intriguing. If you’re familiar with the...
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Fruit cake and fruit scones
In a previous post about the tasty contents of my Christmas box, I missed out the fruit cake component because I hadn’t yet tried it. I can now report that the cake has been consumed, and slipped down...
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Sometimes bad news is good news
When you’re trying to write something that’s proving very awkward, blogging can be a great respite. Today I’ve been attempting to rewrite the synopsis of my first novel, which has been something of a...
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The Findhorn Community
In global terms, Scotland is a small country. (In terms of size, it’s apparently smaller than Austria, Tasmania and the US state of Maine.) Although I’ve spent virtually all of my life in Scotland,...
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Iceland
“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of the living.” – Miriam Beard Some places leave a lasting impression on the visitor and, for...
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Crocodile cake
One of my favourite tearooms, the Macmillan Coffee Shop in Perth, is soon to close for the season. I’ve been popping along there as often as I can recently, to make the most of it while it’s still...
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Travelling Diaries
Have you ever had a migraine? According to The Migraine Trust, it’s the most common neurological ailment in the western world. There are more people suffering from migraine than from diabetes, asthma...
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A competition for using your imagination
In 1997 a book was published by an unknown author living in Edinburgh. It was to become a publishing sensation, but since nobody knew that at the time the first print run consisted of a mere 500...
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Words of wisdom
As I’m sure many other people do, I write down quotes that amuse me. Many of these come from the mouths of the two delightful assistants, aka my mum and dad, and I record them in this book: A plain...
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Sir Terry Pratchett
Sir Terry Pratchett, author of the phenomenally successful Discworld novels, as well as a number of first class children’s books, died yesterday aged only 66. I was first introduced to his writing...
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