Why sailing against the tide is boring

Added on 20 August 2016

For the past few weeks we have been sailing to Orkney, around the islands, and back. It feels like a major achievement to have rounded Cape Wrath, Britain's top left corner, in both directions. As always when we make a significant journey I am left with respect for the Iron Age sailors who manag...

Acting locally

Added on 17 June 2016

For ages, I have been promising various people locally that 'when the novel's finished' I'd get involved in one of the many community organisations in Assynt. And that moment has come. I have been co-opted as a director on the board of Assynt Foundation, which owns 44,000 acres of wh...

Events in June

Added on 17 June 2016

I am delighted to be doing some lovely events this weekend. One is in Inverness, for Lapidus, the organisation dedicated to the link between health and literature. It is a training event for the use of the new Bibliotherapy Toolkit, called Words Work Well. I'll be focusing on reading poetry as a...

Into the Forest will soon be out of print

Added on 08 June 2016

My tree poetry anthology, Into the Forest, has sold out at the distributor. There may be some copies out there for sale fpr a while and I've managed to get a few copies, so you can still buy it here. I give a donation to Trees for Life for any copies bought on this website or direct from me.

The Stone Stories has gone to Saraband

Added on 07 May 2016

It is done. The novel, all three volumes of it, has been sent to my publisher, Saraband, who has first refusal on publishing it. It is an odd anti-climax to stop editing and declare it as complete as I can make it. No doubt if Saraband wants to publish it then there will be editorial changes to make...

Each Mara is launched

Added on 23 April 2016

Our sailing boat, Each Mara, is afloat, after a winter on the hard standing at Lochinver harbour. It's an exciting moment, when she hits the water and we hope that all the sea-cocks are closed and the engine goes. All went well, and when the wind dropped away we got the sails on, then took her o...