Quoyloo Quill

Thanks to Scottish author David Munro for this great blog piece. David would love to visit Orkney and I hope he'll be able to come up some time. David's current novel Georgina is the fourth in his Time Jigsaw series. A love and admiration for Scotland’s picturesque northern landscapes did not materialise until my mid-twenties. Born and brought up in Scotland’s capital city and at one time staying in the Royal Mile, the country’s Highlands and Islands were almost unknown to this lowlander. Family holidays tended to be in a warmer climate in England and beyond. A school trip at fourteen years of age to the West Highland town of Mallaig and Kyleakin on Skye was my sole experience to a land north of Edinburgh. However, in May 1981 all was about to change. The company I worked for was a well-known brewer and offered me the chance to further my business career. Being in a rut, I jumped at the chance and relocated to Aberdeen. My area for work would be the Grampian Region. This...

For my latest blog, chess instructor, and member of the Hammersmith Chess Club, Celtic Tigers and the Scottish seniors' chess team, Jim Stevenson, has kindly sent an entertaining contemplation on his island travels to compete in tournament chess, memories of old masters and exciting news about new ones. Jim writes: Barbara invited me to write a short piece touching on the theme of chess and islands. My meandering tournament chess travels have taken me to several delightful island locations over the years. Whether that be in one of my favourite sunny getaway destinations, for example Malta, where we played in a grand, but faded old hotel which perhaps had seen better days, and whose claim to fame was having featured in one of the earlier James Bond movies. Or perhaps in one of the more unusual locations for an international chess event; Stornoway on the island of Lewis, where the famous Norse chess pieces were discovered.  I've even played a round of the Scottish championships i...