Bog Myrtle & Peat

There are many reasons why I’ve moved most of my writing to Substack over the past few months. Some of these reasons make good and grownup sense, but others are just subjective and petty – and however you look at it, the rationale behind the shift is not very interesting either way. However, it’s worth Continue reading

Stones are heaped in the forest above Plouhinec. I found them beneath sprays of sweet chestnut leaves and the high-minded stems of oak and ash collected. As I approached, the shapes were only visible as shuttered glimpses of moss and heavy rock in the slight-light of a clearing. I made them out through holly-gaps – Continue reading

I spend a large part of each spring in pursuit of waders. It matters that we keep an eye on these birds, and it’s valuable to record their various success and failures during the course of the year, even though the information gleaned from these observations usually reinforces a sense of growing tragedy. After almost Continue reading

The rain which fell towards the end of May was a dark disappointment to those of us who are interested in grouse. In normal years, the hatch for red grouse in Galloway comes around the 27th of that month – and the day itself was lost in a blur of black and heavy cloud. Grouse chicks Continue reading

Given the weight of feathers and leaves and glittering stones which litter my office and my life, it’s clear that I suffer from an impulse to collect things. Sometimes I hope that by holding onto these objects, I can perpetuate the memory of gathering them – and that as life flickers past, it seems reasonable Continue reading

There’s plenty to see in the cloisters of l’Eglise de St Trophime in Arles. The first phase of this courtyard was completed in 1220, carved in rounded arches of chalky, golden-grey stone. Specialists call this work High-Romanesque, so you and I are free to concentrate on the fun decorations – the sudden shapes of people Continue reading

There are different ways of going. For Cavafy, the passage to Ithaca is fortified against disappointment because even if it turns out that the final destination is smaller than you hoped, the journey itself was the real prize. When death comes, be grateful for everything that happened along the way. For Lorca, Córdoba can neither Continue reading

Having written about Pictish stones and their claim upon aspects of ancient Scottish landscapes, it’s impossible to resist following the same theme into Spain… which will come as no great surprise. In expressions of dreams, mysteries and imaginative whimsy, Spain is where I usually end up. There are two enormous stone carvings on display at Continue reading

It turns out that we’re not getting a National Park in Galloway after all. The decision’s been taken and the announcement made, but it’s not entirely clear how or why the option has been removed from the table. There has been mumbling about “significant opposition” to the plan, but little detail and no real explanation Continue reading

There are Pictish symbols in the town of Strathpeffer, twenty miles northwest of Inverness. “The Eagle Stone” displays an upturned horseshoe motif, cross and criss-crossed with eyelets and waving lines. Beneath it, the very indistinct shape of an eagle stands with wings folded across its back. Like many of these outdoor carvings, the detail has Continue reading