Mother’s Day: business as usual on farm

MUMS throughout Scotland might be putting their feet up on Mother’s Day – but not farmer Shona Duncan. Shona and her daughters – Rebecca, 24, and Sally, 22 – will be out on Sunday looking after their livestock and their glamping pods at Duncan Family Farms near Loch Lomond. “Mother’s Day is typically more chaotic…

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Sci-fi music revives Dundee’s Frankenstein link

DUNDEE’S link with Frankenstein will be explored during next month’s Science Fiction Experience rock concert. David Darling, the science writer who is producing the gig, has penned a track inspired by the book, which Mary Shelley wrote after living in Dundee from 1812 to 1814. The show coincides with the 200th anniversary of the second…

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Glencairn Glass short story competition results revealed

THE Glencairn Glass – the world’s favourite whisky glass, produced by Scottish glassware company Glencairn Crystal – has today revealed the winner and runner-up of its Scottish-themed crime short story competition, in association with Scottish Field. Having supported and celebrated Scottish crime writing talent with its ongoing sponsorship of the prestigious McIlvanney and Bloody Scotland…

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Two tartans launched in Edinburgh

TEXTILE designer Araminta Birse-Stewart has launched two tartans at The Scottish Textiles Showcase, a boutique in Edinburgh. Her “Highlands at Dawn” and “Highlands at Dusk” designs were triggered by Scotland’s skies. Birse-Stewart, founder and creative director at Araminta Campbell, explained that her inspiration for the designs came from her childhood holidays spent exploring the Highlands,…

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Nature inspires Borders Art Fair

TWO dozen new exhibitors are taking part in this weekend’s Borders Art Fair. Eleven of the first-time exhibitors are Borders-based and include printmaker and painter Emma Jones, ceramicist Belinda Glennon, and mixed media illustrator and artist Sara Rhys. Jones, who lives in Chirnside, said: “We take a lot from nature but often feel we are…

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Dogs Trust celebrates fostering scheme

THE Dogs Trust is celebrating the work done by its forster carers to look after rescue dogs. Some dogs are not suited to life in kennels, and so the trust places them in a foster home through its “Home from Home” fostering scheme. The trust said that foster carers play a major role in helping…

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Scotland gives bees a helping hand

PROJECTS throughout Scotland are helping bees and other pollinators, according to a new report. The “Pollinator Strategy 2022 Progress Report” by NatureScot, the Scottish Government agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage, highlighted the work of organisations to create wildflower meadows, connect habitats, and gather evidence on how climate change is affecting pollinators. Projects highlighted…

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Bronze sculpture overlooks Union Chain Bridge

A BRONZE sculpture of designer Captain Samuel Brown now overlooks the Union Chain Bridge. The sculpture was placed on the Northumbrian side of the bridge, which links Scotland with England, to “oversee” the final stages of the current restoration work. Brown was a Royal Navy officer who made cables for ships using iron chains. His…

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National Museum of Rural Life ‘springs’ into life

THE National Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride is preparing to host its “Spring Explorers” events. The museum is holding craft activities and storytelling sessions, and offering a chance to see lambs, carves, and piglets on 3-6 April. Its new “Dolly the Sheep Trail” opens on 1 April and runs until 4 June to…

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SRUC: ‘Where there’s muck, there’s brass’

SCOTLAND’S Rural College (SRUC) has breathed fresh life into the old adage “Where there’s muck, there’s brass”. The college has worked with Bristol and Edinburgh universities to investigate alternative uses for cow dung. At present, dung is used as fertiliser or to produce “biogas”. Researchers are now highlighting the “staggering” variety of applications for recycled…

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