On Plants and Places
I took an interesting train ride last Sunday. I got on in Sheffield, and the train ran up through seemingly every city in northern...
Jul 28, 2022
On Cairns and Crosses
“When Galloway folk speak of home, we don’t talk of heather in bloom or the mist upon sea lochs and mountains. Our place is broad and...
Jul 15, 2022
Of Stone and Ashes
Poland passed in a blur. I think a lot of the trauma of visiting Poland comes from the shock of it: The moment you realize the pile of...
Jun 29, 2022
Of Yellow and Yonder
The first thing I noticed about Israel was the yellow. All throughout the North, the hills were hidden beneath a dense cover of bright...
Apr 21, 2022
On Water and Waiting
Dunoon was built as a resort town, a place where wealthy Glasgow merchants could get away for summers by the seaside. It’s grande old...
Feb 21, 2022
The Back of My Car
A little over a year ago, I decided that I had had enough of sitting in one place, and I was going to travel. But given the effects of...
Dec 9, 2021
Wild Spaces
There's something about the ocean. It’s so peaceful here. So quiet. I had spent the previous night in my car by the beach at Cheswick. It...
Nov 5, 2021
On Mists and Monotheism
When I parked on the side of the road, just north of the town of Llithfaen, I could hardly see 3 metres ahead. The highway curved away in...
Jul 30, 2021
On Seabirds and Surprises
The smell of a seabird cliff is pungent. At first it seems revolting, but after some time, perched on the edge of a cliff, one begins to...
Jun 4, 2021
My Big Scottish Road Trip
Talisker Bay, Skye And here we are. Another Scottish season, another road trip. I covered a lot of miles this time, heading north-west to...
May 21, 2021
Space to Remember
Tucked away down a single-track country lane in northwest Fife lies the village of Monimail. There are a handful of houses, surrounded by...
Apr 23, 2021
Wild Garlic Appreciation Post
There’s a plant that grows in abundance around creeks and glens in Scotland. It’s low, green and leafy, and could almost be confused for...
Apr 18, 2021
March 17th
Today marks one year since the first morning that I didn’t go to work. I remember that morning well. I woke up, made myself a coffee, and...
Mar 17, 2021
Of Slates and Survival
Ellenabeich The beach in Ellenabeich is made out of slate. The entire Isle of Seil is a big chunk of slate set out in the Atlantic, with...
Feb 4, 2021
Of Mosses and Meadows
I’ve been thinking a lot about the way that we inhabit spaces. This pandemic has changed everything. I haven’t left Scotland in almost a...
Jan 17, 2021
Of Causeways and Car Seats
How does one capture the way the wind feels as it whips around your face, as the sunrise brightens the shiftings of blue that make up the se
Jan 8, 2021
Of Near and Of Far
Routine is generally considered to be a pretty good thing for us. During the pandemic, when 90% of my life is unstructured time alone in...
Nov 24, 2020
Revisiting Dalmally
“Dalmally is much prized for the peace and tranquility of its setting. Norman Bruce, in his book Twilight in Scotland spoke for many a...
Oct 20, 2020
Quick Trips in Edinburgh
Sometimes I have work to do in Edinburgh, which is only a 50-minute train ride away from Glasgow. After working in the morning, I often...
Oct 2, 2020
On Apples and Atonement
Yom Kippur this year didn't feel particularly different than any other Yom Kippur I've experienced. Which is strange, because almost...
Sep 30, 2020
