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

  • Come friendly bombs

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    But spare the bald young clerks who add The profits of the stinking cad; It’s not their fault that they are mad, They’ve tasted Hell. Politicians say daft things from time to time because after all (contrary to the view of  Hugh (hedge fund) Hendry on Question Time from Glasgow last week) they are human. …

  • Travel the world without leaving Leith

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    Who says multicultural Britain is broken?  On Facebook I am invited to a ‘Migrant Drop In Night’ where an open stage invites migrants, travellers, refugees and local people to celebrate Edinburgh “As a welcoming & safe environment; where all new arrivals feel empowered, accepted & integrated & able to contribute to our community.”

  • Welcome back to Edinburgh: you’ll have had your tram?

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    Berlin town planning with a purpose Some homecoming.  For a week we explored the most exciting city in Europe. We rode trains, trams and buses to the centre and one sunny day we took the train in the other direction to discover the public housing estate that was inspired by Britain’s first garden cities. We…

  • Gone fishin

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    Time for bed, tomorrow we are off to Berlin by train on a long slow journey from Edinburgh Waverley.  I am still struggling to decide whether I should take my laptop. Maybe I should just fill my bag with books.  On the other hand I might just look out of the window and watch the…

  • The value of nothing

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    Are you in the top 25% of earners?  You might be surprised to discover how little it takes to be in that band. Even before the coalition cuts begin to hurt we already suffer from  a low or (no) pay economy. You don’t have to look far to find evidence.

  • Wanted: an Angel for Leith

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    Where once only the sounds of heavy industry could be heard, now you can hear the sweet refrains of music and warm ripples of applause. With a bit of imagination, Leith Walk could be one of the grandest streets in Edinburgh. It is already one of the most interesting but on a sunny September afternoon…

  • Anyone for the pop-up economy?

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    A pop-up opportunity until the next tenant comes along? The old hard-ware shop is long gone and now the bright new baby-ware shop that took its place has gone too (though only as far as the next village).  I’m sorry to see empty windows and To Let signs in Broughton Street but maybe, just maybe,…

  • Island dreams and reality

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    On summer holidays we dreamed of living on the island.  We picked drift wood on the beach to fire the old Rayburn for the evening meal.  When wind battered the cottage at night we poured whisky and listened to the radio crackling news from the mainland. It was all part of the dream (not the…

  • Power of the people

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    Here’s real people power for you. Yesterday in the debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament we voted in favour of a maximum wage, a cap on bank bonuses and renationalisation of the railways. And, no, I wasn’t dreaming.

  • Out of the heat and into the cool

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    As seen from the minstrels gallery On a brief break from the heat of the kitchen this was a moment to enjoy – overlooking the Out of the Blue Drill Hall Arts Cafe transformed for the night into the World Kitchen in Leith. But there is something else about the sound.

  • Travelling light with the World Kitchen

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    The food miles are short – but the memories go back a long way.  That thought struck me suddenly when I was driving through Edinburgh with a back seat full of cakes so beautifully made by a young man far from home.  It was a good time to remember what the World Kitchen is all…

  • Sure the World Kitchen can stand the heat

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    Thanks to Helen we have a cunning plan.  A table plan, that is, for the World Kitchen in Leith event at Out of the Blue next week.  More to the point we also have a menu which makes us hungry just to think of it – and it’s a menu you won’t find in any…