And following the bird theme...

This week I have started working in earnest on my drawings for 'Dae Ye Ken?' (a book of Scottish words being published this year). This is a local Sea-Maw sitting on a local litter bin. I swear the seagulls up here are reaching giant proportions. The ones on my street show no fear and are quite environmentally friendly in that they clean up after the school kids!

And here is the Isle of May for anyone who is interested...

Linn sketching. The birds and fellow creatures on the island are not afraid of people and make great subjects.
A view out to sea...

A Puffin

Last year Linn and I went on a trip to the Isle of May to see the puffin breeding colony. The island is famous as a sanctuary for many wild birds- some of them endangered. We got there on a very small boat through a very violent sea and there was a general feeling of nausea throughout. The island itself was beautiful and even the sun decided to put in an appearance. The puffins were lovely little birds, looking extremely odd and ungainly in flight and having the most amazing colouring on their beaks. I hope that the current Bird Flu fears will not prevent others from visiting and seeing the good work being done by those responsible for protecting the island and its inhabitants.

Illustration Friday- 'Speed'

The jet propelled ThrustSSC reached a speed of 1,227 km/h on October 15th 1997. It was the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier and was built by a British team. Incredible huh?

It is cold, wet and windy in Edinburgh today so I'd recommend staying indoors. I went out to buy some butter and teabags and lost all feeling in my ears and my forehead. I also forgot to take my umbrella...