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  • Book review – Cynthia Voigt’s Kingdom series

    My love of writing and my love of medieval history can both be traced back to one particular book, which I received for Christmas when I was 11 or 12 years old. It was a time in my life when I received many books as gifts – no complaints mind you – and I had…

  • Sunrises and sunsets

    Throughout the many depressing months of lockdown, a morning or evening walk was often the time to which I clung to relax and refresh my mind. Few things helped more than stopping before a beautiful yellow-orange-red sky, catching a glimpse of some distant pink, or watching the sky fade into purples and dark blue. I…

  • Falls of Dochart

    The Falls of Dochart is one of the most beautiful places in Scotland, and it is almost certainly one of the most photographed as well. This is not just due to its stunning nature, but to the its relative ease of access – it is only 2 hours from Edinburgh and 1.5 from Glasgow, simple…

  • Marblehead snowstorm

    I realise that I quite recently wrote a post just about snow, but perhaps you will forgive me from focussing on the same topic again. On our recent trip back to the US, we were desperately hoping for a good snow storm to make our winter break feel real. New Hampshire usually comes through for…

  • A walk through Boston – part 2

    I am picking up my favourite walk through Boston at the corner of Boston Common across from the State House. If you have chosen to visit the Shaw and 54th Memorial, my advice here is to follow the edge of the Common for a block or so and then cross Beacon Street when you find…

  • A walk through Boston – part 1

    Boston is, without doubt, my favourite city (though Edinburgh is a close second). I am incredibly biased of course; the feel of the city is part of the bias, but more poignant are the memories evoked almost everywhere I go. When I was in high school, the city was our playground (to paraphrase Madonna). Almost…

  • Elcho Castle

    Our excursion to Elcho Castle was part of a late summer weekend during which we met a friend – and fellow medievalist – in Perth for lunch and decided to explore this heretofore unknown castle. I had identified it on one of my many castle maps of Scotland, and the Historic Scotland website confirmed it…

  • My top 10 books of 2023

    In no particular order, here are some of the books I have read and enjoyed this past year. There are many more I haven’t included, such as a few cheesy romance books I binge-read in early spring. 1. The Bookseller of Inverness, S.G. MacLean.I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this foray into…

  • My thoughts on – Christmas movies!

    It is that time of year wherein I find myself either indulging in multiple Christmas movies or rebelling and watching something as un-Christmasy as possible, like reruns of Criminal Minds or The Walking Dead. During my recent bout of Covid, I forced myself to try to watch some of the cheesy Christmas romantic films that…

  • Kenmore Hill circuit

    The Scottish Highlands are legendary for their stunning hills, lochs, and the hikes and paths that allow you to view them in a way you can only do by foot. Not long before the start of lockdown, we spent a weekend at a self-catered cottage in Aberfeldy, allowing us plenty of time to explore the…

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