Category Archives: Scotland

Laugh or cry?

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

We are living in exceedingly strange times. Nine months ago Scots were being cajoled and entreated to remain in the Union. Today those same beseeching voices are demonising us as the hirsute hordes, poised to breach Hadrian’s Wall and wreak … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Winter spell

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

The last four days have felt like real winter. The thermometer has hardly risen above zero since I arrived here. The cold bites my cheeks as soon as I step outside and the snow crunches underfoot. Through the picture windows … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

A work of beauty

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

In the five-and-a-bit years I’ve been writing this blog it has brought me satisfaction, pleasure, occasional anxiety, occasional joy, and a lot of good connections. It can also sometimes feel tyrannical. Today is a case in point. (More accurately, it’s … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Magic in the air

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

Sometimes there’s just a little bit of magic in the air. So it has seemed these last 10 days. I can’t really explain it, but it feels as if maybe the planets have been particularly well aligned – or something … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Wayfaring strangers

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

When I got home at lunchtime today there was a large and magnificent-looking book sitting on my kitchen table. It was warmly inscribed to me by its author, my close neighbour, Fiona Ritchie. Fiona is the presenter of The Thistle … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Caledonia dreaming

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

It hurts to see a dream extinguished. It hurts a lot. It’s taken me a few days to start to regain my equilibrium and it will take a lot longer to fully absorb what happened last Thursday. I believe Scotland … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The last post

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

Tomorrow, 18 September, we will not be voting in the UK divorce referendum. We will not be voting in the UK separation referendum. We will be voting in the Scottish independence referendum. Independence is one of the most basic of … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

A letter to the undecided

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

Dear Friend I’m writing this on a spellbinding early Indian summer’s morning in Perthshire. The mist has burnt off and the sky is cloudless. The trees and bracken are just starting to turn. The hills are within touching distance. All … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

All fired up

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

Writing in The Guardian this week, George Monbiot offered an intriguing perspective on the referendum. Imagine a state that was considering surrendering its sovereignty to a larger union, he proposed. It would retain a measure of autonomy but cede key … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Two million sleepwalkers?

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

Last weekend I was in Sweden. I like it there. Things work. People are polite and thoughtful and not obsessed with class. The food and climate are good and the woods and the water remind me of home. It feels … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments