Walter the Beaver
You know those days at work when you have a billion important work tasks to do (like preparing for Scotland's Trade Fair this weekend) but instead you manage to sketch a cheeky beaver called Walter? I'm having one of
On Hibernation
This is the time of year - in the midst of the peak autumn glory - that I start to think about hibernating. I feel the creeping darkness shortening the day, the cold wind nips at my ears, and I
Scotland Rewards You – A Harris Holiday Blog
We're not long back from a wild but wonderful trip to the Isle of Harris, which lies 24 miles from the nearest point on the mainland, across a strip of water called the Minch. It was my first trip to
September Wildlife: What To Look Out For in Nature This Month
I am writing this month's edition of the Wildlife blog from a very windy isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. I'm here for a week with Ross & Buddy Dog. We drove up through Skye which was showing signs
August Wildlife: What to Look Out For in Nature This Month
The countryside starts to look a little untidy in August. The long grasses of July have grown heavy with seed-heads and over-estimated their strength. They flop about and fall over like unruly drunks. Buddy's coat is full of grass seeds
The Swallow Babies: A Diary
Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that we had a swallow's nest in the back porch with four little swallow babies who have now fledged and are fending for themselves. I kept a diary of the activities
July Wildlife: What to look out for in nature this month
The last week of June was absolutely scorching here in the Scottish Borders. The Birdhouse, my little studio, was swelterama so I retreated indoors to work. I've been keeping the top half of the stable door in the kitchen open
The Fife Coastal Path (remembering why walking is great)
Two weekends ago I spent the weekend in Pittenweem with my sister & the dog. The plan was to spend two full days walking sections of the Fife Coastal Path but it rained a month's worth of rain on the
May Wildlife: What to look out for in nature this month
We're already 14 days into May & it has been quite marvellous so far - lots of blue skies and pink blossom. The swifts arrived back in the village last week, joining the swallows and martins, and filling the sky
April Wildlife: What to Look Out for in Nature This Month
Unbelievably, as I type, it is still snowing outside. We were all up-in-arms about snow in March (and it snowed really quite a lot in March) but no one really expected it to be going strong into April. There were
