Curiouse: a commonplace book – short bits of interesting things I’ve read.

Peregryne: accounts mostly of my wanderings.

Unproffitable: recipes, references, links and unclassifiable others. 

Large parts of this site are still under reconstruction: but welcome to this silva rerum.

Once, on a cold February night somewhere in the north of Spain, a monk answered the door to me. I had found the monastery and rung the bell, and I was standing outside the enormous ancient wooden door, listening for any sign of life. Eventually there were footsteps. They came nearer. They stopped, and the door creaked open, and there in the darkness was a small monk beaming at me. ‘¡Peregrina!’ he said, immediately. It is the Spanish for pilgrim; and this is a Scottish variation.