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Enhydro agate – a secret water chamber
Like a liqueur chocolate, this lump of polished agate contains a reservoir of liquid - but just how old is it?
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The value of Stirling
Forbidding and silent, Stirling Castle stands on a natural clifftop overlooking the River Forth. Battles have raged below its ramparts, and murders have taken place within its walls. Let's go inside and have a look!
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Midwinter hope
It’s been a while (six months, in fact!) since I posted my tribute to Edward Thomas’ Adlestrop, and the season has now rolled around from midsummer to midwinter. I can’t resist the opportunity to publish what is possibly my favourite poem of all time: ‘The Darkling Thrush’ by Thomas Hardy. It paints a vivid picture of a landscape in the icy grip of winter; death and desolation reign, but the gloom is pierced by an unexpected ray of hope. This is something that speaks to all of us as we struggle bleary-eyed on cold dark mornings, and then, a few meagre hours later, watch helplessly as the sun collapses below…