Category Archives: Scotland

A Birthday Party al fresco in the January Sunshine

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The Wee Shoppe Kinghorn

On Wednesday we went back to the roots of our Scottish adventure and our total change of life’s experience. A little bird told us that it was Moira’s birthday and though The Wee Shoppe is not usually open on a Wednesday there were whispers that there was going to be a wee celebration.

The Wee Shoppe will always have a special place in our hearts. It is where we were first welcomed into the Kinghorn community, made friends and learnt the joy of blethering.

This was a beautiful winter’s day (around freezing!), with the sun shining on Kinghorn Harbour, as we set out chairs and a table on the concrete hard in front of the Wee Shoppe. There were nine of us drinking tea, eating hot sausage rolls and birthday cake.

With everyone smiling and laughing it took me right back to those early days of 2014. Great memories. Lovely people. We are so grateful to be here!

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The Healing Paths of Fife tells our story in prose, poetry, fantasy and historical background and it was where I ‘met’ renowned author Nigel Tranter and he imparted some advice to me about the dangers of writing about a place I had only just discovered.

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Filed under Fife, Fife Fantasy, Memoirs, Scotland, Scottish authors, The Healing Paths of Fife

Scottish Book Review ~ CORRAG by Susan Fletcher

Although Susan Fletcher is not Scottish, this last review of 2018 is so entwined in the heart of Scottish history and tragedy, that it holds a special place in my admiration. (added to which it is well researched.)

CorragCorrag, called ‘Witch’ by some, fled Hexham in England and headed north, to avoid capture and almost certain death. Following instinct and through many trials along the way she stumbled upon Glencoe, where she made her home. Due to her knowledge of herbs and plants and her power of healing she was adopted by the Mac Donald clan and witnessed the terrible massacre.

Imprisoned and preparing to die she tells her story to an Irish minister. Corrag is her own account of her life.

This tale is gripping, moving to the point of filling your whole spirit and mind as you read. The novel is beautifully written, describing the mountains Corrag so loved in a way to transport you to its peaks and valleys, both emotionally and physically.

I borrowed Corrag from Kinghorn Community Library but will buy it to read it again in the future. Pure magic!

 

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Scottish Author ~ Book Review ~ Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd

Today’s book review takes us back in time to an author who has long left this earth and yet her compelling words live on in the mountains of Scotland which she called home.

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Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd

What magical prose! This little white book caught my eye whilst browsing in Jenner’s in Edinburgh, and I have been enthralled ever since, transported to every nook of The Cairngorms of Scotland through Nan Shepherd’s eyes and pen.

Before the word ‘mindfulness’ was included in the British psyche, and at the end of World War II, Nan Shepherd shared her knowledge, awe and devotion to the mountain range she explored throughout her life. This is certainly a mindful piece of prose, meditating on the mountains, glens, tarns, lochs, waterfalls and streams, but also on the flora, fauna and fundamental effects of the changeable weather elements.

To say this work is beautifully written is understating its appeal. Nan Shepherd’s love, and yet more than that her respect for all that surrounded her,  is compelling. A must read for walkers as well as mountaineers, but also for those who just stand and stare to appreciate this region of Scotland.

No one knows the mountain completely who has not slept on it. These moments of quiescent perceptiveness before sleep are among the most rewarding of the day. …Up on the plateau, light lingers incredibly far into the night … Watching it, the mind grows incandescent and its glow burns down into deep and tranquil sleep.”

What better way to dream our way towards Christmas thinking of snow covered mountains!

 

 

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