Hannah’s Instagram
Hannah’s Current Reading
Data from Goodreads
Tag Archives: scotland
December
It is December and everyone is busy with the lead up to Christmas. In his chapter on December in his book The English Year, Steve Roud reports that, perhaps unsurprisingly, most of what we consider to be a traditional English … Continue reading
Posted in Countryside, Illustration, Wildlife
Tagged Aguilanneuf, America, banning Christmas, books, christmas, Christmas pudding, Christmas tree, Church of Scotland, Circus, climate change, conservation, countryside, Craigmillar, December, England, environment, festival, flocks, frost, Frumenty, Germany, goose, hogmanay, illustration, Little France, Long-tailed Tits, Mary Queen of Scots, Merrie England, mistletoe, new year, Old French, Puritans, Restoration, roll-up, Santa Claus, scotland, seasons, Short-eared owls, solar panels, Springwatch, Stephen Moss, steve roud, storytelling, the english year, traditions, vegetarianism, victorians, Wild Hares and Hummingbirds, winter, Yule log
Comments Off on December
October
In my seasonal reading Stephen Moss in his book Wild Hares and Hummingbirds describes the annual “house invasion” that occurs at this time of year. Moss lives in an old farmhouse with no doorstep so he often finds fledgling sparrows … Continue reading
Posted in Countryside, Wildlife
Tagged american, christianity, church, ET, fledglings, halloween, house invasion, loo, medieval, northern england, october, pagan origins, purgatory, robins, samhain, scotland, sparrows, spiders, Stephen Moss, steve roud, tegenaria domestica, tegenaria giganteum, the english year, toads, toilet, Wild Hares and Hummingbirds
Leave a comment
Skipping lessons
Did you ever play skipping games as a child? I did. I especially loved the long rope games where two children would turn the rope for the others. Even better was when we had two long ropes turned between each … Continue reading
Posted in Illustration, Making changes
Tagged arrival of spring, bees, birds, butterflies, childhood, devon, England, games, illustration, long ropes, memories, moving house, nature, nesting, out of step, scotland, skipping, sweetness
Comments Off on Skipping lessons
Goodbyes
The house is full of boxes. I’m feeling wistful about leaving Scotland. There are many things I will miss but some things I won’t. I won’t miss the wind that inhabits Edinburgh all year round. It stalks the tall streets … Continue reading
Posted in Making changes
Tagged autumn, bungalows, ecology, edinburgh, farewells, generosity, goodbye, graciousness, grey, growing up, illustration, landscape, leaving, light, moving, Norman MacCaig, people, poetry, Return to Scalpay, scotland, Scottishness understatement, space, the Woodland Trust, wind
1 Comment
Black Spout Wood
This weekend we headed up into Perthshire for the Scottish Snowdrop Festival. Annually venues all over Scotland open to the public between the end of January to the middle of March to show off their snowdrop displays. We liked the … Continue reading
Posted in Illustration, Wildlife
Tagged black spout wood, illustration, perthshire, pitlochry, scotland, Scottish snowdrop festival, snowdrops
Comments Off on Black Spout Wood
Hiraeth
Do you know the word Hiraeth? It’s a Welsh word. It kind of means homesickness but really it describes a much deeper feeling than just missing home. It’s a word for being properly ill or heartbroken in your longing for, … Continue reading
Posted in Family and friends, Illustration
Tagged devon, hearth, illustration, moving, river, scotland, sea
Leave a comment
Kingfisher sighting
Last week the most amazing thing happened. Finch and I were out for a frosty walk in the nature reserve opposite our house and we saw a kingfisher! It was bright blue against the dark wet vegetation. It flashed past … Continue reading
Posted in Countryside, Illustration
Tagged frosty, illustration, kingfisher, scotland, walk, winter
Comments Off on Kingfisher sighting
Porringer
We are firm devotees of porridge for breakfast in our house. In the past few weeks our porridge experience has been revolutionised by a porringer. Despite its name, a porringer isn’t just for making porridge in. It’s for all sorts … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Illustration
Tagged illustration, porridge, porridge drawer, porringer, scotland
1 Comment
Burns night
For those of you who don’t know (shame on you!) it is Burns Night on Sunday. Poor Little Owl is having a hard time of it. She is having to learn a Burns poem to recite by heart for school. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Burns, Burns night, dialect, haggis, illustration, language, neeps, oat cakes, poem, poetry, Roguey pogey, school, scotland, Scots, shortbread, tatties
1 Comment
Book Week Scotland
It’s Book Week Scotland this week and across the country there are lots of events and fun things to get involved with in celebration of books. Pictured above are love letters by Little Owl and I, which we have sent … Continue reading
Posted in Family and friends
Tagged book bug, Book Week Scotland, books, Guardian, illustration, libraries, library, local, love, love letter, newspaper, reading challenge, rhyme time, scotland
1 Comment
