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

  • Crumbs of comfort

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    Woytek takes one look at me and tells me very nicely to sit down. “I make you a cup of coffee, please take a seat.”  I am hot and a bit bothered but I do what he says. Sun pours through the window of Kleofas Cafe as I sit writing lists of all the things…

  • Natural Progression at Pond Cottage

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    I have a new routine before I start the hard labour of gardening; a nice half hour or so of delaying tactics, wandering round, cup of tea in hand, counting ducklings (four, nearly full grown) and cygnets (still seven a month after hatching) and then, oh go on, just another few minutes to check the…

  • The real mojito

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    Last night we finished our bottle of Havana Club with two lingering cocktails. It seemed only sensible to do it while I still remember how to make them they way they did in Cuba. Pay no attention to the recipe quoted in the Guardian last week. Here is how you make a real mojito.

  • On the road to Havana

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    As directed by the woman at the garage, we turn left just past the picture of Che and head for Cienfuegos, pausing only to pick up two hikers on the road from Trinidad.  They can’t speak English and our Spanish is pathetic so we settle into comfortable silence as bruising miles bump by, happy in…

  • Hola Cuba

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    It was such a grey, misty morning I slept in (at 9 am it was no lighter than it was at 6 am) and now I am way behind all the things I must do before I start packing.  After years of talking about it we are finally going to Cuba where I don’t think…

  • Leith Farmers Market: bringing soul (and soul food) to Ocean Terminal

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    “There’s a man who looks as if he could do with a good sausage.”  The tone is cheerful and the comment clearly intended to stop us in our tracks. It works.  Mind you, the smell from the sizzling burgers and bangers might have done the trick too.  But Nick Paul is taking no chances.  He…

  • Can cafe culture beat Tesco in Broughton?

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    Just for the record, I did write a letter to Edinburgh’s Head of Planning to register my concern over Tesco’s plans to open a new store at 8 Picardy Place.  As it happens I wrote it the same day I went to see the Edinburgh premiere of the Age of Stupid.  Make of that what…

  • Out to lunch at Dionika

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    Lunch at Dionika – what else is Friday for? Because it’s Friday we’re out to lunch. We’re just about to start on the fish when Eddie and Barry drop in, like us lured by the board outside offering three courses and a glass of wine for £7.50. 

  • Stop Tesco destroying Broughton

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    Update March 26: Tesco is coming to Broughton, what will happen to local shops?  See Broughton awaits Tesco Express Can we stop Tesco dominating the landscape? I feel strongly that we can and must. But we will need to be quick. Letters to protest against yet another Tesco store in the Broughton area have to…

  • Rehearsing for reality

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    Can art change society? Here’s news of an exciting new community theatre project in Leith which aims to get people actively involved in society by taking part in art. No theatre experience needed but an enquiring mind is useful. 

  • Anyone for green custard?

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    Come the revolution Who said this: “Owners of capital will stimulate the working class to buy more and more expensive goods, houses and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credit, until their debt becomes unbearable…

  • It’s a sell out but we can all still go to the Convention on Modern Liberty

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    Are human rights at risk?  Inside today’s Guardian Jack Straw argues that Britain is the asylum seekers’ country of choice because people still  have more rights and protection here than anywhere else. Oh yes? On the front page of the paper there is another article which gives a clue as to why  tomorrow’s Convention on…