Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Culross Abbey July 29, 2016 1397 Views 12 Comments High on the hillside above Culross Palace are the peaceful ruins of a very old monastery with links to St …
Photography Jewels of the sea July 20, 2016 584 Views 6 Comments The latest in my water-themed photo series – taken from the pier on the Isle of Lismore, as we waited …
Reviews Book review: ‘Scotland’s Merlin’ by Tim Clarkson July 14, 2016 947 Views 14 Comments “And in the battle of Arfderydd my torc was of gold…” From ‘Yr Afallennau’ (‘The Apples’), a poem in the …
History , Megalithic sites Kilmartin Glen: Nether Largie South July 07, 2016 1185 Views 10 Comments Stepping down through the layers of time into the darkness of a Neolithic chambered cairn
Catkins Coffee mornings with Purdey and friends June 26, 2016 485 Views 14 Comments Just recently, my human has been paying mysterious visits to the house next door, which at the moment is inhabited …
Photography Summer June 21, 2016 634 Views 8 Comments The glorious beach at Sanna in Ardnamurchan is the latest in my water-themed photo series. A long drive, but well …
History Culross Palace: glowing with splendour June 14, 2016 2474 Views 39 Comments Its walls the colour of saffron, Culross Palace beckons you into a 17th-century world of cobbled streets and quaint townhouses …
Photography Golden water June 03, 2016 597 Views 10 Comments Now that summer has arrived in Scotland (a welcome surprise!) I’ve chosen another in my water-themed photo series, with a …
History , Scottish castles Loch Avich and the Castle of the Red-haired Girl May 14, 2016 1566 Views 18 Comments I knew there had to be a story attached to this; I hope you'll find it as spellbinding as …
Wildlife & Nature Ballachuan hazel wood May 11, 2016 2047 Views 23 Comments I've never walked through a woodland quite like this one: the ancient hazel wood of Ballachuan on the island …
Photography Bracklinn Falls May 06, 2016 709 Views 8 Comments From droplets to a roaring torrent… this is the majesty of Bracklinn Falls after heavy rain, photographed on a wet …
Poetry ‘The Sisters – Olive trees of Noah’: poem by Sudeep Adhikari May 05, 2016 1185 Views 9 Comments Just recently I was contacted by a poet named Sudeep Adhikari, who wondered if I would like to publish a …
Wildlife & Nature Marsh marigold: the yellow plant of Beltane April 29, 2016 1180 Views 12 Comments Lighting up wetlands and boggy places, kingcup flowers are dazzling in their brilliance
History , Megalithic sites Temple Wood stone circles, Kilmartin Glen April 25, 2016 2386 Views 38 Comments We might have forgotten what went on there, but we're still drawn to stone circles like moths to a flame …
Reviews Book review: ‘The Rainforests of Britain and Ireland’ by Clifton Bain April 21, 2016 864 Views 4 Comments You might remember that, back in the summer of last year, I wrote about the oak woods of Taynish in …
Photography Raindrops on birch twigs April 15, 2016 693 Views 13 Comments Water has endless beauty, so I thought it would make a great subject for a new photo-series. My first choice …
Catkins Purdey’s brush with the paranormal October 20, 2013 500 Views 20 Comments There’s an old Scottish legend that speaks about the Cait Sith (pronounced ‘caught shee‘), a witch in the form of …
Wildlife & Nature The dog rose August 15, 2015 1234 Views 20 Comments Evoking long summer days and warm sunshine, these glorious blooms will soon be turning into bright red hips
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Dunfermline Abbey (part 2): pride of kings November 18, 2015 1329 Views 20 Comments The second in my two-part series about the abbey and royal palace of Dunfermline
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Kilmory Knap Chapel – part one June 22, 2013 1582 Views 20 Comments This tiny little chapel on Loch Sween has some pretty big secrets - I can't wait to show you what's …
Carved crosses , History Inveraray Cross August 30, 2013 1514 Views 20 Comments For any visitor to Inveraray, the glorious castle steals the show - but it's worth taking time to look at …
Catkins PAWS Awards 2012: Purdey’s answer to the Oscars January 26, 2012 559 Views 20 Comments With the Golden Globes just behind us and the build-up to the Oscars already under way, I feel it’s time …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Dunstaffnage Chapel – haunted by sadness June 26, 2015 1543 Views 19 Comments Peaceful woodlands enclose this little church on the coast of Argyll; but in December 1462 a wedding here …
Colin's easel Black grouse in silver birch tree September 15, 2013 732 Views 19 Comments This lovely new image was painted entirely with a pin-feather from a black grouse!
Photography Scottish islands: Kerrera July 14, 2015 540 Views 19 Comments Kerrera is the long, low island that sits like a natural storm barrier between Oban Bay and the Firth of Lorn. …
Carved crosses , Churches, abbeys and chapels , History The secrets of St Cormac November 05, 2018 2747 Views 19 Comments On Eilean Mor in the MacCormaig Isles I found a chapel, a cross, a hermit's cave... and an intriguing mystery
History , Megalithic sites The Ballymeanoch stones, Kilmartin Glen March 13, 2016 1571 Views 19 Comments Clad in silvery garlands of lichen, these stones have been casting long shadows in Kilmartin Glen for thousands of years …
British trees , Wildlife & Nature The fragrance of juniper November 29, 2015 3363 Views 19 Comments Since the end of the last Ice Age, juniper has been colonising open areas of land and offering shelter to …
Carved crosses , Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Kilmory Knap Chapel – part two June 25, 2013 1517 Views 19 Comments Continuing the excitement at Kilmory Knap Chapel with the magnificent MacMillan's Cross and a tantalising story...
Photography Windows: Dunfermline Abbey March 09, 2017 1828 Views 19 Comments The third in my photo-series is this beautiful stained glass window by Douglas Strachan in the old nave of Dunfermline …
Photography A tree of fire October 05, 2013 937 Views 19 Comments Autumn has set light to this beautiful old mountain ash, photographed in the hills above Braemar.
Wildlife & Nature Rosebay willowherb August 25, 2017 2127 Views 18 Comments 'Fireweed' or 'bombweed' lights up roadside verges and waste ground with a blaze of late summer colour
