Another one from my recent Isle of May trip. I also have to give credit to my kids for the name. We ‘adopted’ a puffin with the Scottish Seabird Centre last year and I asked my children what we should call him. (That’s not a gender bias, by the way, they discussed it at lengthContinue reading “Clifford Splash Herringsbane”
Author Archives: Brandon Lim
Messenger
This is one from ages ago. We were on a family holiday to France, and found this amazing falconry display at the Theatre of the Ramparts in Provins. The show was incredible, though it might have been even better if my French was any good. Something for me to work on before a future trip,Continue reading “Messenger”
The Lighthouse at the World’s End
I took this photo on a day-trip to the Isle of May, in the Firth of Forth. We’ve been wanting to see puffins in the wild for a while and we were definitely not disappointed. In some places it was like we were in a snow-globe, except the naff artificial snowflakes had been replaced byContinue reading “The Lighthouse at the World’s End”
Brownies, Domovoi, and other household spirits.
For those not in the know, I’m not referring to the small square cakes of chocolatey goodness. The other kind of brownie is a being from Scottish mythology. They’re household spirits that delight in maintaining order and tidiness within a home. Traditionally, they live in hearths and other warm nooks.
Awakening
Notes: At the moment the delightful Culzean Castle is showing off a collection of marine themed woven willow sculptures. Naturally, I had to take a look. There’s a bit of information with each one — either little factlets in the case of real world subjects, or a drop of folklore for those of a moreContinue reading “Awakening”
The portal
Notes: Machrie Moor on the Isle of Arran hosts a collection of stone circles, some complete, others in various states of disarray. In their midst is a set of ruined farm buildings from a time long after the stones were raised. Of the circles themselves the grandest, in my view, is formed of enormous bladesContinue reading “The portal”
The Cat
This week’s story prompt is the statue of Towser, who was once the distillery cat at Glen Turret. According to Guinness World Records, in her lifetime Towser caught over 28,000 mice. I found out about her from the book ‘Rebel Cats: Brave Tales of Feisty Felines’ by Kimberlie Hamilton. It’s well worth a look ifContinue reading “The Cat”
Home Invasion
Naida flitted past the boundary rock that marked the edge of her garden. She breathed a sigh of relief to be within the safety of her glamours once more where no human eye could see things for what they really were. Not that it would make much difference. Those great lumps wouldn’t recognise truth ifContinue reading “Home Invasion”
Warped
It was happening again. Will staggered to the side of the close. The cold stone wall pressed against his pounding head, a still point in the chaos. This was his third episode in a week. It was definitely getting worse. He didn’t understand what was happening. In fairness, no one did. The doctors couldn’t findContinue reading “Warped”
Snailsbane
Snailsbane snuffled through the dandelions. It had already been a good night’s hunting. Four slugs and a snail had already fallen to his sharp teeth. Perhaps, he mused, some worms would round the meal off well. A sound snagged his attention. Even better: a caterpillar! He pushed past a clump of garlic, filling the airContinue reading “Snailsbane”
Brandon Lim 