Fay Young

Trees in full leaf, bright green under a blue sky reflected in the pond: The Pond picture by Fay Young

One thing always leads to another

I’m a journalist. I’ve always been curious about people and places.

I started writing about other people’s gardens a long time ago and somehow I’ve ended up having a wild garden that’s open to the public.

This site is a collection of my writing on gardens, culture, wildlife, the environment and even a little politics.

The garden is open through Scotland’s Garden Scheme supporting Children’s Hospices Across Scotland.

We are open now for spring walks. Please don’t hesitate to let us know when you’d like to come. Just fill in the Contact form. Give us a call. Find out more about Pond Cottage Garden

  • Oh Danny Boyle

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    We’re heading home, driving north from Oxfordshire to Edinburgh, bypassing the villages, towns and cities of middle England, and every motorway mile mocks the green and pleasant spectacle Danny Boyle plans to conjure up for the opening of the Olympics.

  • Talk to the feet

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    Dear Diary (if I may call you that), I have been neglecting you badly over the last month or two. But I have not been idle. During May I walked 104 miles during the Great British Walking Challenge. On the hypothetical journey from John O Groats to Lands End that would have taken me roughly…

  • The price of freedom (and pizza) is eternal leafleting

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    Perhaps all is not lost for Labour tomorrow. At lunchtime I was out leafleting in an attempt to catch the folk who were not at home last time I called.  From experience of campaigns past I have learned that if you want to get into a tenement it’s best to give a bland message to…

  • Nature is red

    Nature is red

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    Early morning and it looks idyllic out there. Buttering my toast I watch a scene Walt Disney would be proud of. Two –  no three! – red squirrels, frisky as kittens, chasing each other round the bird feeder.

  • Take Four – a view of Scottish politics from cyberspace

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    Perhaps it was just a slow night on telly. Perhaps I was cheered to hear that David Tennant had lent (if that’s the right word?) his voice to Scottish Labour. Whatever the reason, fortified with only a small glass of wine, I sat down to watch four short YouTube films one after the other. It…

  • It’s not Tesco

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    My curiosity was raised by three words scratched on the empty shop window. “It’s not Tesco,” was a nicely enigmatic teaser which turns out to be true. The food store about to open in Canonmills is a very different kind of business.

  • Memories: handle with care

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    As invited, I approach the record player in the middle of the gallery. Play a record, the artist says. I place a 7 inch single on the turntable and find myself transported to another time and place.

  • The price of feeling good

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    A great night in the museum: how much was it worth? Tickets are going fast,  the press release says. If you want to enjoy the next Museum Late you better book soon.  Sorry, I missed out three vital letters, this is the second of the RBS Museum Lates at the National Museum of Scotland.

  • Turning Pirates into Philanthropists?

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    He never writes, he never calls.  Now more than a week since I emailed Stephen Hester chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland and still no reply. Of course I did not really expect an answer from him, still less that he would buy the idea of transferring £500 million RBS bonus payouts to…

  • Royal Housing for the Poor?

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    Stop Press: Monday 9 Jan. No reply yet from RBS but this idea has provoked great response from young people and sympathetic support from Malcolm Chisholm MSP and Mark Lazarowicz MP so I will be posting an update as soon as possible… The Skinny Magazine has wickedly bestowed Stand Comedy Club comedians with magic powers…

  • Dreaming of a green Christmas

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      That’s what I get for waiting. Just a week ago I took this picture to show the dramatic contrast with the same weekend exactly a year ago.

  • Dancing with mummies and dinosaurs

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    Infectious enthusiasm from the smiling woman at the door. “Go and play,” she says. On the ground floor, there’s face painting and a silent disco, dinosaurs and drinks. Oh, and there’s giant insect handling on the top floor.  Just for a moment I get a slightly unpleasant giant insect flashback.