Picnics, Photos and Pinterest

We had a lovely day out at the weekend with our daughter - a picnic to one of my favourite hidden places, Inchmahome Priory. With historical connections back to the 1200s, and a visit from Mary Queen of Scots in the 16th century, the island on which the ruined priory stands is a peaceful little haven from everyday life. Although busier with families on these hot summer days, once setting foot on the daisy-carpeted island the calmness descends and the children's voices become lost in the sound of birdsong.

I always feel the strange peace beginning on the very short journey across to the island, on the little boat that takes only 12 passengers, and a sense of leaving real life behind. It's a place that needs to be experienced to appreciate its atmosphere. For a writer of fact and fiction, it's a haven for creativity. Apart from the ruins, the unusual tree formations, wild flowers, hidden paths and surrounding water offer much scope for imagination. One little girl was looking for fairies, and I've already started a fairy story!

The only intact part of the priory is the small Chapter House, and I was lucky enough to sit within its coolness quite alone - apart from the stone effigies lying beneath the window in eternal rest. It wasn't difficult to imagine the Augustinian canons sitting around the room discussing the business of the day. I'm posting only a few of the many photos I took, just to give a flavour of the place.

I don't know if anyone has looked at the next new social media 'time waster' - Pinterest. Quite a lot of the authors from one of my publishers have been joining up, so I jumped in and created a few boards. This is a completely visual idea, where we can create as many boards as we like for different subjects onto which we 'pin' pictures. I'm not even going to try and explain it yet as I'm still learning and I want to read the copyright clause! One of these days, we'll have online overload.

Rosemary