We visited Cramond Island last week, which is a small island near Edinburgh, separated from the mainland by a causeway. When the tide goes out the island becomes accessible for 4 hours at a time before the causeway is submerged again.

The island can only be reached by foot or bike so it's a popular spot for a stroll. The causeway is about a mile long and very impressive, made from triangular concrete bollards, designed to keep speedboats out of the Firth of Forth.

The island is uninhabited but it was once a popular holiday destination. There are hidden remains of cottages and more prominently, abandoned WWII gun emplacements that frame a beautiful view of the shoreline.

We've been here a few times but never at the right time to get across. It was a triumph to make it finally, and it had the air of adventure that comes with visiting an inaccessible place. It couldn't have been a better day either - what a scorcher.

Endless photos of bollards in this Cramond Island Flickr set.

Posted on July 28, 2010 | Filed under: | Permalink | Comments (0)

These PorTables (get it?) tablemats featuring photos of vintage portable record players rock my world. A collaboration between soft furnishing designer Ella Doran and Kavel Rafferty (who is behind the great Record Envelope blog) there are 6 in the set. They are a little bit too gorgeous to eat off, but still.

Available from Ella Doran's online shop and her real shop in Cheshire St, London.

Posted on July 16, 2010 | Filed under: Design Shopping | Permalink | Comments (1)

Slow, innit, round these parts. I lost my blogging mojo but I think it's coming back. Hope so anyway.

How are you all? Having a nice summer? Bit wet up here but that's nothing new.

Posted on July 14, 2010 | Filed under: About | Permalink | Comments (3)

While in Comrie, we also visited Cultybraggan Camp, the most complete remaining POW camp in the UK (according to this source). It was built in 1939 and covers 8 acres in a remote spot of Perthshire countryside, containing over 100 Nissen huts in varying states of repair.

The whole site has been bought by Comrie Development Trust, who are in the process of turning it into a community resource. It's a large site and the area towards the back is now hired out to businesses and used for allotments. The enormous firing range that sits behind them is kind of incongruous, but it's great to see the land being put to good use.

Quite a few of the huts have been renewed and repaired ready for tenants.

Other are left exactly as they were when the MoD left - mattresses on the floor, forgotten furniture, tattered posters and remnants of military life.

They do scrub up nicely. This hut (close to a ginormous nuclear bunker, just in case) is now someone's office.

The site is open from morning until dusk so anyone can go in and have a look around. I'm still reading up on it all hence the lack of background in this post, but there's some good info on Secret Scotland. More photos on Flickr.

Posted on July 1, 2010 | Filed under: Architecture Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Colonel Windpipe's Musical Brigade will blow you away! A collaborative project from uberkraaft and Lesley Barnes, this merry band of mischief makers (including Morris Buckfast on maracas and Brigadier Anton Rupee on drums) has already marched right into my heart.

Illustrators are invited to submit their own band members and the collection of merry misfits is growing by the day. I haven't seen illustration this exciting for a long time. It deserves to be turned up to 11.

Posted on June 29, 2010 | Filed under: Illustration | Permalink

So, we bought a second-hand motorhome and took it on its inaugural trip to Perthshire at the weekend. In the evening we took a trip to Earthquake House in Comrie (pictured above). Comrie was particularly prone to earthquakes and is still known as "the Shaky Toun" because of all the seismic activity in the area. This little hut was built in 1874 to house experimental instruments developed by local men to measure the earth's movement.

Inside, the Comrie Pioneers built a seismoscope - a wooden cross holding different sizes of skittles. The stronger the earthquake the larger the peg it displaced, and the direction of fall gave some idea to the pattern of movement. This was superceded by the inverted pendulum seismometers which became used more widely.

The building now contains a modern seismograph, which records the earth's movement in a more conventional manner (by tracking movements on a roll of paper). Thanks to the kind guidance of Chris, Earthquake House's curator, we found out that if you jump up and down at the back of the hut you can make a little earth tremor. This squiggly line above was us. There were no reports of building damage or tsunamis in the local area, so no harm done.

The building is on public land but it isn't usually open to the public. We were lucky to get a guided tour and to see it on such a beautiful night.

Posted on June 28, 2010 | Filed under: Travel | Permalink | Comments (2)

I like this Nice biscuit ring by Victoria Mason from Lark in Australia. Victoria specialises in using everyday objects as inspiration for her silver jewellery, including pencil sharpenings and toast.

This is just one of the lovely designer and handmade goodies available from Lark and they now ship internationally, hooray! I'm proud to see my cards and postcards in such amazing company in the paper goods section. Lovely work Allison! If you want to see more design treats check out the Lark blog too.

Posted on June 7, 2010 | Filed under: Shopping | Permalink

Another visit to The Stewartry Museum in Kirkcudbright, to check it hadn't changed. Thankfully, it hadn't. It's a small, Victorian museum collecting the flora, fauna and found objects of the local area (known as 'The Stewartry'). Everything is crammed in there - birds, fish, animals, fossils, war posters, lighthouse lenses, butter churns, turnip scythes. You name it, it's in there.

Taking pictures in museums (with permission of course) is always a tricky thing. I spent ages taking pictures from every angle to avoid the glare but in the end, my favourites were these outtakes, reflections and all. More photos of The Stewartry Museum on Flickr.

Posted on May 31, 2010 | Filed under: Museums | Permalink

Today, a visit to Carfin Grotto, Scotland's mini-Lourdes. I love it here, it's incredibly beautiful whether you believe or not. Built in the 1920s it's an amazing collection of statues and shrines to the Virgin Mary and associated saints.

I've been before in winter when it was quiet but today it was in full swing. There was a procession snaking its way round the grotto and Hail Marys blasting out over the PA system. We had a little chat about religion as a family (we are not religious). Danny (4) is too small to care about God but he liked it because it was like Doctor Who, full of weeping angels.

I visited the reliquary for the first time - a collection of saints' relics. One of the largest collections around, it is extraordinary. Whatever you believe, it's a beautiful, striking place. Makes you think. I'm always knocked out by the design - things that are not 'good taste' look great together (silver and gold together?). The old signs are so grand and the ironwork throughout the grotto is just beautiful.

It doesn't feel part of the modern world at all. More photos here.

Posted on May 23, 2010 | Filed under: Travel | Permalink | Comments (1)

I like foxes almost as much as I like birds, so here's a foxy Folksy Friday. From L-R: Murgatroyd & Bean, Old Wives Tale, Kirsty Elson Designs, Finest Imaginary, Dee Beale and Fox Bunting.

Posted on May 21, 2010 | Filed under: Folksy Fridays | Permalink | Comments (3)