History Latest Feature Megalithic sites Diarmuid and Grainne: a boar hunt and a tragic love story in Glen Lonan
Catkins Purdey’s tip for toasty toes October 06, 2011 429 Views 0 Comment As the prospect of icy weather draws ever closer, many of my readers are asking how to keep their paws …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Kirkstall Abbey – ancient heart of Leeds October 02, 2011 1674 Views 1 Comment These ruins of a 12th century Cistercian monastery, founded in a Yorkshire river valley 'remote from the habitation of men', …
History Easdale island: a story carved in slate September 20, 2011 931 Views 0 Comment This tiny island once helped to 'roof the world' with its quarried slate; now it's a unique blend of …
Colin's easel New: Black Grouse studies September 20, 2011 779 Views 2 Comments Two lovely small studies in watercolour and pencil, just released!
Reviews Not a film review: Spartacus September 17, 2011 603 Views 4 Comments Let me be absolutely clear: this is not a film review. There can’t be many people less suited to be …
History Shifting sands and phantom bells September 17, 2011 926 Views 2 Comments Wild flowers and rolling waves greet visitors to Harlech beach in North Wales; while far out to sea, the …
Wildlife & Nature The Bee Orchid September 16, 2011 979 Views 0 Comment Looking like an exotic bloom from a fairytale, the Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) does a brilliant job of mimicking a bumble bee. …
Uncategorized Sundogs September 11, 2011 747 Views 3 Comments Strictly speaking, sundogs are a daytime phenomenon, appearing while the sun is above the horizon.
Geology Britain’s oldest rocks September 11, 2011 2268 Views 2 Comments Lewisian gneiss is the oldest type of rock found in Britain, but there's plenty of it, especially in the Western …
Catkins Effective office management September 01, 2011 850 Views 2 Comments Running a business at home is no easy task: good office management skills are essential for efficiency and productivity. Advances …
History , Scottish castles Duart Castle, Isle of Mull September 01, 2011 2053 Views 4 Comments I take a look at Duart Castle, an ancient Maclean stronghold overlooking the Sound of Mull.
History History by the roadside: Ffynnon Eidda August 18, 2011 1508 Views 2 Comments A cattle drovers' well with much earlier origins, high on the windswept moors between Ysbyty Ifan and Dolgellau in North …
Wildlife & Nature Grass of Parnassus August 12, 2011 1111 Views 0 Comment Also known as the ‘bog star’, the Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris) is the county flower of Cumbria and Sutherland. …
Catkins Ponyo ponders… August 10, 2011 609 Views 0 Comment I wandered through the woodland shade Where dryads sing and windflowers bloom; At midnight, when the lyre-birds played, I danced …
Wildlife & Nature 10 facts about… eiders August 10, 2011 2301 Views 0 Comment With their superb plumage and distinctive, endearing calls, eiders are a much-loved sight around the coast of northern Britain. …
Catkins Glory is at the tips of my whiskers… time for Purdey’s PAWS Awards 2013! January 11, 2013 555 Views 0 Comment Join Purdey on the red carpet as she anticipates a clutch of glittering accolades...
British trees , Wildlife & Nature The majesty of the beech April 16, 2013 3229 Views 0 Comment Beeches evoke the true beauty of the British landscape, with their majestic shape and vivid autumn colours.
Wildlife & Nature The Bee Orchid September 16, 2011 979 Views 0 Comment Looking like an exotic bloom from a fairytale, the Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) does a brilliant job of mimicking a bumble bee. …
Photography Beeches in Sutherland's Grove October 05, 2016 958 Views 0 Comment Thank you to everyone who suggested that my next photo series should focus on autumn in Scotland. A lovely idea! …
History Seacliff beach and the UK’s smallest harbour October 21, 2014 1888 Views 0 Comment Hidden from sight until you've almost fallen into it, this amazing feature is carved into the rock below Tantallon Castle. …
Wildlife & Nature Bluebell enchantment April 16, 2015 3978 Views 0 Comment As our woods start to shimmer with a heavenly blue haze, I'm looking at some of the folklore attached to …
Geology A surprise find on Seacliff beach August 13, 2014 2175 Views 0 Comment The beach below Tantallon Castle is full of fascinating rocks… and this has to be one of my best finds …
Colin's easel Storm over Islay February 07, 2013 596 Views 0 Comment A new painting in progress on Colin's easel, depicting a storm over Loch Indaal with flocks of wildfowl in the …
Wildlife & Nature Windflowers – tears of Aphrodite May 17, 2013 1440 Views 0 Comment According to a Greek legend, wood anemones - or windflowers - sprang up where the tears of Aphrodite fell. …
Photography Windows: Old Castle Lachlan February 04, 2017 1047 Views 0 Comment Something to brighten a rainy day… the view from a window in Old Castle Lachlan on Loch Fyne. This is …
Photography Gateway into 2015 January 02, 2015 473 Views 0 Comment A lovely old gateway near Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye...
History , Scottish castles The value of Stirling December 08, 2013 3389 Views 0 Comment Forbidding and silent, Stirling Castle stands on a natural clifftop overlooking the River Forth. Battles have raged below its …
Reviews Book review: ‘The New Sylva’ May 07, 2014 1366 Views 0 Comment In 1664, horticulturalist John Evelyn published 'Sylva', a comprehensive study of Britain's trees; and in 2014, to mark the …
Catkins Mmm, custard! March 10, 2013 625 Views 0 Comment Those of you who follow my regular meanderings will already know that I have a distinct partiality for dairy products. …
