The Edinburgh character of author Muriel Spark

 

The Edinburgh character of “informed air.”  

The Edina temperament is severe, sartorial, self-governing and superstitious and steeped in the supernatural.” An attitude, a dry sense of humour and a way of seeing things. Sane, eccentric or just plain mad?

Spark was an enigma, a puzzle. She was extremely guarded and private. She also lived in the future tense – pretence, counterfeit and games.

 

She was an artist and a poet – a consummate woman writer of 20^th century.

After her breakdown she began again as a novelist. The technique and strangeness of her voices – that electric spark. 

There is a new biography about her life ‘Electric Spark’

 *BOOK - Her most famous book is the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

 

 

Orkney Skies PHOTOS

 

 

Orkney skies are perfect soft turquoise blues and yellows. The winds mean the skies can be ever changing and quietly dramatic. On our first few days there was calm, even over at the Churchill Barriers over Scapa Flow, where the British navy was stationed during the war. And where there is a tiny chapel built by the Italian prisoners of war. The next day we wandered down the historic street of Stromness to visit the museum there – that houses  incredible array of artefacts from all across the world, there was trade via the Hudson Bay company and the explorer John Rae (1813 – 1893) was a Scottish surgeon who explored parts of Northern Canada. He was a pioneer explorer of the Northwest Passage. Here I purchased an excellent biography of Orkney poet George MacKay Brown. Well worth visiting!

 

Famously there is the ancient Ring of Brodgar and the archaeological site of the Brodgar of Ness. 

 Kirkwall is the Orkney capital, and there are so many classy shops here. Also the impressive Kirkwall cathedral. 

 

Up the west coast of Orkney there is the prehistoric Skara Brae. The winds got up on a drive up to Birsay Earls Palace ruins. Over on the east coast there is beautiful beaches and the new Sheila Fleet  jewellery galleries. Plus the Bishop and Earls Palace.

 

Perfect & Magical

Stromness

SKARA BRAE

RING OF BRODGAR

John Rae (1813 – 1893) was a Scottish surgeon who explored parts of Northern Canada. He was a pioneer explorer of the Northwest Passage.

Rae explored the Gulf of Boothia, northwest of the Hudson Bay from 1846 to 1847, and the Arctic coast near Victoria Island from 1848 to 1851. In 1854, back in the Gulf of Boothia, he obtained credible information from local Inuit peoples about the fate of the franklin expedition, which had disappeared in the area in 1848. Rae was noted for his physical stamina, skill at hunting, boat handling, use of native methods, and ability to travel long distances with little equipment while living off the land.

Here I purchased an excellent biography of Orkney poet George MacKay Brown.

Skara Brae Orkney

Skara Brae & Skaill house

The absolutely spectacular Neolithic village of Skara Brae

 

 lies nestled in Skaill Bay, Orkney.

This historic site was only discovered in 1850, when a storm uncovered the round mounds covered in grass. Visitors can see how people this long ago lived, over 5,000 years ago.

 

Skara Brae is a remarkably well-preserved Neolithic village in the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland. It's considered one of the best-preserved Neolithic sites in Northern Europe and provides a unique glimpse into life 5,000 years ago. The site features eight houses linked by a subterranean passageway, showcasing stone-built furniture like beds and dressers. 

 

At over 5,000 years young, it predates both the Great Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. From around 3100 BC to 2500 BC, this remarkable site was home to generations of people for more than 600 years.

In the distance stands Skaill House, the ancestral home of William Graham Watt, 7th Laird of Breckness. It was he who, following a powerful storm in 1850, uncovered what remains one of the most significant archaeological discovery of our time.

 

#oflowerofscotland #SkaraBrae #Orkney #Neolithic #AncientHistory #Scotland— at Skara Brae.

What does the English Party Reform UK - offer Scotland?

Has modern politics become all about money? And who can pay for the best clickbait ads on social media? We thought online might bring improved and open debates. But that requires more effort.

Instead online offers the instant solutions – lazy point scoring and no shades of grey in-between. There’s only good and bad. A comic book view of the world. Especially with the Trump person, who reminds me of the Joker. Except its not funny at all. Now we have the Mega influence arriving on British soil with English party Reform UK: who offer English nationalism. Its run by millionaires who only care about themselves.

What does Reform UK offer Scotland? - Britain is the most centralized western country – Reform will offer more centralization in a crumbling Westminster. Why should a group of people in London offices decide and implement on issues that are mainly relevant for Scotland?

 What reform is Reform UK talking about? - More control by Westminster – less taxes for the rich, blaming and scapegoating the ‘other’ ; or being more aligned to America than Europe.

Scotland’s population is declining without immigration. We need to be in Europe, our natural allies. (Why does Scotland need more housing if our population is declining, is it older homes that need repaired?)

Scotland needs the opposite of what Reform UK is offering?! Scotland needs our democratic rights to self determination – control of our own resources, (already squandered by countless greedy capitalists); to be closer to Europe; and to have more immigration of health and care workers.

Scotland doesn’t believe we are better than any others. All Scots want is a seat at the table. .