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 →

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Silver linings

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

It might seem hard to look forward to anything on a day like this – with heavy grey skies, wind and rain, several inches of snow turning to a watery slush and news of snowgates closed on major roads a … Continue reading →

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No turkey

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

Winter has arrived. In Birnam we’re frost-bound and wearing a light coat of snow. These conditions may persist for some time. The one drawback to this otherwise lovely place is that we’re down by the river at the bottom of … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Three tales

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

Here are three tales. The first: I’m currently reading Robert Macfarlane’s best-seller, The Old Ways. It’s a hard book to describe but essentially it sets out his thoughts on how we shape landscape and it shapes us, as he follows … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Being different

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

Why are we so intrigued by people whose perspectives we don’t, in fact can’t, share? I’m thinking of the frequency with which movies, TV series and novels seem to serve up characters these days who sit somewhere on the autistic … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Wild geese

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

On Monday I returned from a week’s holiday in Mallorca to a different season. The trees are turning, the first dusting of snow has been sighted on the tops of the Munros, and the greylag are on the move. It’s … Continue reading →

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Ham central

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

My last post was written on the plane on the way to Spain, two weeks ago. The weather in the Andalucian hills is changeable at this time of year and the rain did not stay mainly on the plain. Still, … Continue reading →

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