The Scottish Snippets Newsletter in its original format began in April 1997 and continued in an unbroken series for 591 issues. Although no longer produced in that style, there is now this regular update on the new and updated pages on the Rampant Scotland site including "Scottie's Photo Diary From Scotland".
To receive a text version of this newsletter as a reminder to look at these Web pages when they are published, just send an e-mail to Scottie@RampantScotland.com with "Subscribe Newsletter" in the subject line.
Roaming in the Gloaming
"Gloaming" is definitely a Scottish term, which the dictionary defines as evening, dusk, twilight. Sharma, as an American, has always been fascinated with the term and here is her illustrated essay on the subject. See: Roaming in the Gloaming
Storms at the Lighthouse
Perched on a cliff on an island to the north of mainland Scotland, Eshaness is subjected to many violent Atlantic storms, with high winds, thunder and lightning and sudden power cuts. When asked if all this activity scares her, Sharma's answer is "you bet!" See Storms at the Lighthouse
Lambing - Necessity, Not Tradition
The busiest time of year for many farmers in Shetland is "lambing," when Scotland's millions of ewes are giving birth to new lambs. See: Lambing - Necessity, Not Tradition
Covesea Skerries Lighthouse
Following a storm in the Moray Firth in November 1826 when 16 vessels were sunk, applications were made for lighthouses at Tarbat Ness, near Lossiemouth. The authorities initially dragged their feet but eventually one was built by Alan Stevenson, a member of the Stevenson lighthouse engineering dynasty. See: Covesea Skerries Lighthouse
North Ronaldsay Lighthouse
North Ronaldsay is the northernmost of the Orkney Islands and site of the third lighthouse built in Scotland. The original building was constructed in 1789 but a new lighthouse was built in 1852 at the north of the island and boasts Britain's tallest land based lighthouse tower, soaring to a height of 138 feet. See: North Ronaldsay Lighthouse
Bressay Lighthouse
Located south-east of Lerwick, Bressay was one of four lighthouses built in Shetland between 1854 and 1858 which were designed by brothers David Stevenson and Thomas Stevenson. In 1995 the shore station was purchased by the Shetland Amenity Trust, a charitable organisation set up to conserve and enhance Shetland’s heritage and the light was discontinued in 2012. See: Bressay Lighthouse
Butterfly Photo Diary
After a disappointing summer for seeing butterflies things brightened up at the end of August with not only a number of the usual butterflies turning up in some numbers but also the appearance for the very first time of a Comma butterfly in my own garden. So here's a Photo Diary devoted entirely to butterflies! See: Butterfly Photo Diary
Next Newsletter
The next newsletter is scheduled for 20 September with current news items from Tam O'Ranter.
Yours aye
Scottie
Previous editions of this Newsletter are available in an Archive>. The Index to the other pages of the Rampant Scotland site is available here>.
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