That’s a lot of fossils in a title! I’ve decided to do a short blog post on the Fossil Courtyard in the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (RBGE), one of the network of national botanic gardens in Scotland. The Fossil Courtyard…
Blog Archives
Out of the oven and into the fire: renovating Dutch oven for outdoor cooking
I spent around 5 years in the US in my late 20s and early 30s and did accrete a lot of books from Powells, some homeware and other assorted kit that was shipped back to Cambridge, England in 2003. One…
Contributing to ‘Exploring the Environment’ MTA/AMI workshop, Stirling, April 20th 1000-1600
With the help of a number of other MTA and AMI members, I’ll be helping out at a CPD workshop for outdoor leaders who are members of the two Associations in the Stirling and Bridge of Allan area. I’ll be…
First shot of the Edinburgh Cycle Hire experience
Edinburgh has had a bike hire scheme for a wee while and I’ve had to rescue a couple of their bikes and also won a free pass for a day from Just Eat Cycles via a Twitter competition, so I…
Pavement Palaeontology in the press
Back in the dark days of December I took Teddy Jameson, a senior features writer for the Herald, and his colleague Gordon round some sites in central Edinburgh. Most of the sites are ones that I visit on the Pavement…
Do try this at home: Taphonomy with the kids’ toys
Another dinosaur excavation kit, accompanied by a fine selection of supporting materials, appeared in the house among the Christmas presents. The block with the plastic remains of the inevitable T. rex was larger than usual. And that made all the difference…
Bavelaw
Wintery conditions have finally arrived in the lower hills in the Central Belt of Scotland. In the Pentlands the snow is lying but azure polar skies and mists as the sun gains strength afforded some spectacular views today while I…
Snakestone specimen in the Cockburn
Dactilyoceras commune is a Lower Jurassic ammonoid often found in the sea cliffs of the Yorkshire Coast. Around Whitby they are common enough to feature on the coat of arms of the town in triplicate. However, these ammonoids have heads…
Raptor death in the Pentlands: a bit of back story
You may already have read news reports of a dead peregrine falcon found in the Pentland Hills. Over the last few years, I have been lucky enough to see peregrines in the Pentlands, which are my Hills of Hame. I was…
