Please, Ask Any Question....

My morning emotions.

"No, By all means, interrupt my breakfast/email answering/bed allocations/printer repair for your deliriously obvious question. What? Can't find the plates?  I'll show you where they are.  Follow me..."

Release The Kraken

Sometimes when I'm down to my bra, I unhook it and whisper to myself, "Release the Kraken!"

How to Grow a Potato for Idiots Like Me

For those of you still bracing against the bitter cold, I'm not. Its warm here and I'm planting green things in the ground. MWA HA HA HA HA! Specifically Potatoes.

The potato is awesome.

Fries, potato pancakes, mashed tatties, baked tatties, poutine, chips, crisps, perogies hash browns, boiled potato covered in salt, pepper and hot butter, and potato salad ...if you like cold potatoes slathered in mayo.

Potato Queen

Its nutritional, and though some people think its boring, if you've ever had one fresh from the grown, you'll never see them as dull again. 

So how do you get that garden fresh taste? Grow them. That's what this is about. Growing a god damn potato.

In short you stick the beggars in the ground. Bury them alive. Watch the bastards sprout, then after months and months of that, rip em out of the ground.

That's what I did. My parents are farmers so I've planted more potatoes. There was some winging in the process, but I paid attention enough so that when it came to it, I wasn't a wayward lamb.  I popped those beggars in the ground, and for nearly two months left them in the ground. Complications in the work place made it really hard for me to give anything other than work any attention, but sure enough a few months later, shoving their way between the weeds, were potato plant leaves. 

I re-weeded. I'm confident the potatoes were gleefully waving the middle finger at unwanted plants.

Kept an eye on it for the remainder of the summer. In August, on a bright sunny day, a 1.5 bag of potatoes from the spring turned into a 5-7 pound bag of potatoes.

My own potatoes grown.

How do you actually potatoes though?

Easy. Find a plot of land, it doesn't have to be big, make sure it gets medium to full sun (which is more than 4 hours of direct sunlight).

Next till up the earth. Make sure there are little weeds in it. When clearing my hostel patch, I found two years worth of plant, stone, ash, coal and beer glass from hostel goers gone by. It was all binned or shoved away. Make sure the soil is turned and loose. Now, you can add more top soil, or compost if you don't think your soil is good enough, but few people realize how hearty the potato is.

Garden before potatoes

Hoe out a row about 6 inches deep into the ground an even line along the length of your. Take a bag of potatoes, like the ones you can buy in the grocery store, and you can either be economical and split them or leave them whole. If you split them, make sure they have two eyes, Eyes are the bits that eventually grow legs if you've left tatties too long in a warm dark area(there is a dirty innuendo here). Plop them in the ground about a foot to a foot or twelve inches apart.

Re mound the dirt you hoed back to make the rows up into mounds. After this weed as regularly as you can. Because I'm a heartless mother, I abandoned them to grow on their own.

Unweeded Potatoes. This is when I realized the potatoes were growing on their own. I am a heartless mother.

Make sure they get enough water, that the soil doesn't go dry for too long. I live in Scotland so there's no worry for lack of rain.

 I planted in April. I was able to harvest in end of August. Keep an eye out for bugs and things like that. But really, just keep an eye out on them and you should have some form of potato. All it costs is the seed. Then you have more potatoes. I planted them again this year!

Any questions? Just ask me or google... like everyone else does! You sheep!

Five Favourite Terry Pratchett Novels

I AM DEATH, NOT TAXES. I TURN UP ONLY ONCE. - Death, Terry Pratchett

Death has come for the author and I hope he got to give Binky a good pat on the nose before heading off to who knows where.

I have this theory is, that when authors die, at least the fantasy ones, they get to go into the world that they made. 

5. Guards! Guards! 

This was the first Guard book I read. When I say read and when I mean listened too. I have a deep love of this series and Tony Robinson.

4. The Bromiliad Trilogy 

The first time someone suggested reading Terry Pratchett, I called my local Book Store. "Get me all Pratchetts we got!" I said, or something to that effect. Turns out Mr. Pratchett is one of the most coveted of Books and its very difficult to get them unless someone is giving up a whole collection. A rare event. It turned out to be three books in the pile. The Wyrd Sisters, the second was a first addition hard cover of The Colour of Magic, and last was The Bromeliad Triology. Its a really good Young Adults Novel, with out the wild craze surrounding it. 

3. The Wyrd Sisters

Oh how I loved the Macbeth nature and the use of the Fool. This was the first Discworld book I bit into and and it had me hook line and sinker. If you get a chance to start the series, use this. Pratchett is good at female characters and the three ladies on brooms never fail to be heroic, funny and terrifying all in a oner. Oh and there is always Greenbo and Death lurking at every corner.

2. The Fifth Elephant 

Angua and Carrot always fascinate me and I love me a good mystery. Pratchett rarely disappoints. I've read and listened to this book nearly a dozen times. Werewolves, dwarf politics, and ridiculous scones Pratchett shows us what the ceremony we love is and how to over come a psychotic werewolf.

1. Men at Arms 

Guards series is the best. I love Vimes. With a cast so strong and colourful, its nice to see such a  straight man placed with so many un-straight men/women. Guards! Guards! Was a taste of the series to come and boy did it deliver on the meal to come. Read this book. Now. Stop reading this. Shut the damn screen down. NOW! Go to a book shop. Pick the book up and don't come out of your room until you've finished!

Friday's Postcard - Edinburgh History!

Found this Postcard in an Old book store in Fort William. It's an old postcard from Edinburgh! I've seen lots of Edinburgh postcards, but this is one of my favourites. It tickles my historical fancy.

Terry Pratchett... You Will be missed.

By SharksDen at Deviant Art 

We honour the memory of Terry Pratchett, who has passed at the age of 66 after a long battle with Alzheimers.  A leader in writing and redefining the genre of fantasy, you'll hold a place in my bookshelf shaped heart.

If you want to know a little more about this amazing man, watch this video.

Want my recommendation on Terry Pratchett? Come back on Sunday :)

So Much Visiting....

At the end of two long weeks of intensive visiting.... I just want to be a troll under a bridge, shouting at people and enjoying my warts.

Friday's Postcard! - Spain!

Alhambra! Thanks to my Scottish friend Derek! So much colour! 

World Book Day! - Top 5 Books

World book day. Didn't notice until the hashtag informed me of the celebration. I was going to throw on some Game of Thrones costume in honour of the Mother of Dragons, but thought I should tell what I've been reading this year. And re-reading.

I've always loved reading, though I tend towards the fussy. Its ingrained in who I am. Walls in my bedroom in Canada are lined with shelves and stacked with books. I probably would have owned less were it not for acquiring a job at the BEST BOOK STORE EVER. Thus resulted in a plethora of reading, good books and



Bellow I've picked a few that I've read in the last two years since living in the hostel, and thrown in an old favourite. Just for an honorable mention, I want to recommend A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett.


5. How the Scots Invented the Modern World - Arthur Herman

While this bold title often stood out at me from the shelves in the book store, I never thought to read it until I moved to the country and now consider it a staple to my literary diet. I'm more than pleased to put it here, not only because it was a good history book, but because I managed to finish it completely. It left me with a craving for more.

With tight, well flowing narrative balancing  information and connective thoughts with out becoming weighty or simple, it's one of the first recommends when your learning about early modern and modern Scotland. It impressed the Academic in me, with out putting the human to sleep. There is no William Wallace, but who needs him with the kind of complex and evocative story displayed here.

Reading this book will give you a good idea of what the heck your starring when your wandering around Scotland.

4. The Man Who Listens to Horses

I've always been fond of horses, but rarely do I sit down to read a non fiction about a guy who altered a way of living for the domesticated creatures. If you like animals, or just good people who've taken a skill and made something good of themselves, then this is the thing to read. I'm not usually a non-fiction person, but this was a good read!

3. Timeline - Michael Crichton

I like history, if this list is any evidence of it. Timeline is no exception. Crichton is a supurb writer and takes his subjects seriously. All aspects of it are well researched, eviscerating many plot holes that often plague time travel ideas, especially those raunchy viking time travel. Things wouldn't be so easy back then, you would need to be an expert and its clear that the author has made himself out to be one. The plot is action packed, non stop and leaves you excited for how the heck the characters will get through it. My other favourite by Crichton is Eaters of the Dead.

2. Deerskin - Robin McKinley 

If you're a fan of fantasy, but find the narrative so similar to every other dragon fight you've seen, pick up this book. It takes you to a land of fantasy with out bogging the reader down with world building and focuses on the character, who is the heart. The betrayal, struggle and recovery is something incredible to watch. I've read it twice now. Put your YA novel down and read something compelling and fresh.


1. Witch Light - Susan Fletcher

A gem. Truly, this book should be put among the literary greats. If follows the stream of conscious narrative of Corrag, an accused witch who helped saved the lives of the McDonald Clan at the Glen Coe Massacre, and is now awaiting her execution. Her narrative is supplemented with letters written by a man Loyalty his King and God.

Its an incredible narrative, and though it is fiction, it captures the struggle for those who do not fit into the system at the time. Corrag is a strong character, her emotions and observations are true and real. and she paints a glorious image of the Scottish landscape.

Glen Etive + Glencoe in the SNOW

Some amazing views today while journeying through Glencoe and Glen Etive today! If you ever make it to Scotland, these places are the things to see. It was even more magical in the snow.

We were lucky enough to see some amazing Stags, and on the opposite side of the river, some doe with their fawns.

One of my most favourite views.