Category Archives: Scotland

October 30, 2019 · 7:20 am

The Healing Paths of Fife ~ in Aid of Kirkcaldy Foodbank

Why Does The Kirkcaldy Foodbank Need Our Help?

I love living in Scotland, particularly in Fife, and yet I am increasingly aware of the inequalities in this region and have volunteered to make up food parcels for Kirkcaldy Foodbank for well over two years now. What I find most astounding is that the need is growing. Universal Credit, piloted in an area of high deprivation, has compounded the difficulties families and individuals are facing and the Foodbank is struggling to keep up with demand. Given no government funding they rely solely on generous donations of food and money.  This got me thinking:

What else can I do to Support Kirkcaldy Foodbank?

I decided that I could do more and so:

During November and December 2019

any royalties for copies of ‘The Healing Paths of Fife’

sold on Kindle worldwide will go to

Kirkcaldy Foodbank

Click on photo for universal Amazon link to The Healing Paths of Fife

Here is a video which gives you glimpses of The Fife Coastal Path, the journey I walked on and the unusual folks from history who I met along the way and enjoyed a wee blether with.

The Healing Paths of Fife Video

Facts about Kirkcaldy

“Kirkcaldy Area is among the most deprived areas of Fife, with 23 of 80 datazones in the area
featuring in the 20% most deprived for Scotland (SIMD 2016). Across Kirkcaldy area, 15.3% of the
total population is income deprived (compared to 12.4% for Fife), while 13.0% of the working age
population is employment deprived (compared to 11.0% for Fife).”

quote from Local Area Strategic Assessment 2018

“Kirkcaldy Children are the Poorest in Fife

quote from Fife Today 2018

Please Click on the link to buy ‘The Healing Paths of Fife’

I have had wonderful feedback about this fantasy/memoir of mine, and so I ask you to spread the word. It is only £2.99 in the UK and $3.72 in the USA. If you’ve read it already then please spread the word. If not please buy it for a good cause and let me know what you think.

 

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October 1, 2019 · 7:21 pm

Book Review ~ The Chessmen by Peter May

I bought the paperback of The Chessmen by Peter May at the Kildonan Museum in South Uist, a perfect place to pick up a novel set in the bleak but stunningly beautiful landscapes of The Outer Hebrides.

Fin and his mates grew up together in the close knit communities of the island of Lewis, the place where the famous Chessmen were discovered; an island where each group of peoples have their unique identity. In their late teenage years before uni the friends were completely absorbed with music, forming a band which went on to success. 

Fin arrives back on the island of his birth from a broken marriage and personal tragedies, leaving behind him his career in the police, only to find himself in the centre of mysteries, even murder. His new job to catch poachers on the estate brings him in direct conflict with his oldest and dearest friend. 

This novel is full of flashbacks to the past, which help the reader to understand the complex issues of the present. Fin’s detective mind makes it impossible for him to leave alone the attempt to unravel each mystery, putting his and other lives in grave danger. 

A brilliant book! The evocative surroundings wrap around Peter May’s colourful character, whose nicknames describe each perfectly ~ from boy to adulthood.  I couldn’t put The Chessmen down and must now go back to read the first in this series.

 

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September 17, 2019 · 7:06 pm

Never believe the weather report ~ The sun shines in Scotland too, you know!

Friends from down south come to visit us in Fife, or travel with us further north or west, but we often hear the phrase ‘We don’t come to Scotland for the weather.’ We get phone calls invariably asking, ‘what’s the weather like?’ We can almost hear the disappointment or lack of belief when we say ‘Oh, it’s a lovely afternoon,’ or ‘it’s sunny here today,’ or ‘it’s a beautiful evening.’

I cannot quote a poem by Pauline Prior-Pitt for copyright reasons but I’ve written one of my own, inspired by reading her lovely book of poems ‘be an angel.’

 

Do You Remember the sun my friend

White sandy beaches stretching far, as froth tipped rollers race.

Layers of blue, purple, green ~

sea, cliffs,

lochs, headlands,

inlets, islands,

out to the misty beyond.

Sun kissed onyx rocks, blackness gleaming after rain.

Blue sky

piercing greyness, 

 framing mountain peaks,

dispersing wisps of cloud.

The stillness in that sheltered place where all our being glows with warmth.

 

Do you remember the wind and rain my friend

or do you remember the sun.

 

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