Can you guess the national animal of Scotland? The lion? No. The haggis? No. The unicorn? YES! Turns out, I learned something new about Scotland. The official national animal of Scotland is indeed the unicorn. On our trip to Scotland last year, finally knowing this fun fact about Scotland, unicorns popped up everywhere. This beautifully … More National Animal of Scotland
On a recent trip to England, friends and I took a side trip to the Cornish coast for three days of walking, eating, talking, and resting. What a delight. My third time in Cornwall and hopefully, not my last. We stayed in an apartment at Trevose Golf & Country Club with only a links golf course … More Cornwall, Poldark Country
Saudade—I have a bad case of it. Wikipedia defines this Portuguese word as, “…a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. It often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return.” Sigh. My saudade sighs are for England. In my mid-twenties I lived in … More Saudade, A Deep Longing
This photo has nothing to do with this post. But if I put up a picture of haggis, would you be reading this? If you don’t know what haggis is, read on. Or if you don’t know what clootie dumpling is, read on. Or clapshot—you’ll never guess that one. On one of my many trips … More Haggis and Other Scottish Yummies
Plenty of Tension, Lots of Love The nice thing about this sequel to Sons of Blackbird Mountain is that in the first book we met all the principle characters, and we already love them or hate them. (The series would be best read in sequence.) Now Joanne Bischof deepens the story. Four years on, Daughters of … More Book Review: “Daughters of Northern Shores”
Cristine Eastin 