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I love leith, and we are all richer for its diversity.

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Travel: Tangy Mill, Kintyre Peninsula, Argyll, Scotland - Archive

Tangy Mill, which has been restored by the LandmarkTrust, is a great base for exploring the Kintyre peninsula, writes Catriona Thomson Travelling to the west coast of Scotland is always an experience as you never know what the weather will bring. This time we witnessed Loch Lomond in its full, dark brooding majesty, complete with angry waves showing their displeasure under leaden skies.The Rest and Be Thankful summit, which normally impresses, was encased in the cloud so low there was not even a glimpse of its stunning vistas. I start to question leaving the comfort of my own home for a short break en famille. However, I know this is a bipolar landscape which can change in a second to give turquoise clear waters dancing with light that makes your soul soar. Just when I begin to feel optimistic, we hit the A83 and a run of potholes, like the surface of Mars, which slows us down. We are heading all the way to the edge of the world on the Kintyre peninsula. When we eventua

Biting the hand that feeds you, or living dangerously with hens?

Living with four rescue chooks has had some comedy moments, my four fowl have taken over my life, but in a good way. They rush up excitedly to greet you, sadly it's not affection, they are just in it for the snacks. During their previous life, as intensively farmed birds they would have had constant access to layers mash which is dried powdered feed. So what are the chooks favourite foods now? Since coming to Gardeners cottage the variety in their diet has increased and they are thriving. They still have their familiar layers mash but also a pellet version, which so the poultry-keeping theory goes, it involves slightly less mess. They also scoff oatmeal, that porridge oats to you and me and they enjoy a bit of mixed corn. It turns out that mealworms and sunflower seeds hearts are the crack cocaine of the chickens' world. I even grew some sunflowers in the garden so they could feed on the seeds. However, the ungrateful wretches are too stupid to work out how to

Outdoors : Mountainballing in West Lothian - Archive

Having a ball : and rolling down a hill in a giant hamster toy! Cries of "Please don't make me" and "I'm not doing it" rend the air. It wasn't quite a full-blown tantrum, but it was pretty close. However, before you phone social services, I wasn't forcing my children to do something they didn't want to; it was me who was refusing to go careering headlong down a hill encased in nothing more substantial than an inflatable globe. My eldest daughter Eve has been desperate to give zorbing a go, so along with her fellow adventurer, Joe we headed to Bankhead Mountainball in rural West Lothian. As I'm a big feartie, I have brought Joe's mum, Carol Anne to let me know what it's like from an adult's perspective. You can find the mountain balling station at Bankhead Farm near Dechmont. It is a quirky example of farm diversification, a family-run sideline, which makes great use of one of their grassy fields. The staff are lovely,

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