Author Archives: borderslynn

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About borderslynn

Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers. In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917

Reaping the whirlwind

Posted on April 9, 2013 by borderslynn

I am currently surrounded by fells covered in sandy coloured dried grasses, beneath which new shoots of vegetation are growing slowly, held back by the persistent easterly cold Siberian wind which has blown over the UK for the past month. … Continue reading →

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Spring Equinox

Posted on March 19, 2013 by borderslynn

In the last week of February our single snowdrop plant, bearing about 8 stems of flowers, appeared outside our room window. The nearest other snowdrops to be found are 5 miles from our cottage. They grow in abundance where the … Continue reading →

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Ice and its significance

Posted on February 15, 2013 by borderslynn

In 1816, headlines in newspapers read: “The Year Without a Summer” (also known as the Poverty Year, “The Summer that Never Was”, “Year There Was No Summer” and “Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death”. Climate abnormalities caused average global temperatures … Continue reading →

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Where have all the trees gone?

Posted on January 30, 2013 by borderslynn

The Forestry Commission persuaded the then farmer, who owned the land around our cottage, to plant pine trees over every slope as far as we can see around us. There are Scots pine, Douglas Fir and Sitka Spruce and Larch. … Continue reading →

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Climate Change and Tree Deaths

Posted on January 8, 2013 by borderslynn

I was reading an article in the ScienceDaily.com dated December 2012 entitled : “As Climate Warms, Bark Beetles March On High-Elevation Forests” As Scotland has mountain slopes upon which are many pine plantations, I was naturally interested. Here I quote … Continue reading →

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The Twin Sycamore

Posted on December 27, 2012 by borderslynn

When William the Conqueror transformed the nation in 1066, a follow on from his success was for future French families to decide to settle in Scotland. One example is the Maitlands, ( known as the Earls and Duke of Lauderdale),who … Continue reading →

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The Mole Rat

Posted on December 20, 2012 by borderslynn

I noticed a series of mole hills on my walk today. We don’t get many signs of moles as they have to find land with plenty of worms in, so they help me identify where that land is. I usually … Continue reading →

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Red-Legged Partridge

Posted on December 17, 2012 by borderslynn

Our annual visitors, the Red-Legged Partridges came pecking by outside our window last week. They were pecking the grass seeds and we had a good close-up view from our low set windows with deep window sills. Any movement from us … Continue reading →

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The Language of the Watershed

Posted on December 15, 2012 by borderslynn

I was relaxing watching ‘The Lord of the Kings’ Trilogy this past week whilst wintry weather raged around our cottage. It seemed to me that Tolkien was using the landscape of Scotland to invent his mythological Hobbit landscape. I then … Continue reading →

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Fungi, Lichens and Mosses

Posted on November 30, 2012 by borderslynn

We have endured heavy winds and rain here in the Scottish Borders for a few days. All is calm tonight, with a bright moon lighting up the fells around us. The Forestry gamekeeper will be out looking for deer to … Continue reading →

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