The Winter Solstice in Scotland can be a tough time of the year, with barely any daylight hours. On 'driech' rainy days, there may be little light at all. Most people feel that they would gladly join the hibernating hedgehogs and bats in their sleep. This must have...
The World’s Oldest Festival occurs at the Winter Solstice. The ancient ones were hunters and spent most of their time outdoors. They were followed by the first Neolithic Farmers. The seasons and weather were crucial to their existence. Because of this many ancient...
The Beggar Shepherd is an auld Christmas tale from bygone years. It is set in Galloway in the late 16th Century. On Christmas Eve, a shepherd set off for the Yule Fair and left a young herder boy in charge of his ewes. The young shepherd-lad was conscientious and took...
My first encounter with the Picts came, as a child, when I went to see Sueno’s Stone on the outskirts of Forres. Nowadays, it is protected in a glass case, but back then, it was exposed to all the elements. I didn’t know it then, but that carved pillar would become my...