Book Review

The Price of Darkness by Graham Hurley
I've started to look forward to a new Graham Hurley novel and this one didn't disappoint. This is the eighth book featuring D/I Joe Faraday and D/C Paul Winter and over the series the characters have been well developed. The novels are set in Portsmouth, and that cities heartbeat is well described - its naval history, its football team, its rivalry with Southampton. Like the Rebus novels, they bring in some topical subjects. Peerages for sale and defunct company pension schemes in this one. All in all an excellent series. Look forward to the next one.
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Ruined Houses and Salt-panning

Ruined house in field next to disused railway track

Ruined house at the top of the beach

About half a mile East of Lower Largo village at a site named as Viewforth on the map, there are some ruined houses on either side of the disused railway track. At one time they would have been known locally as 'The Pans' and the people who first lived in them during the second half of the 18th Century were engaged in salt-panning. Sea-water was collected in pans and then a fire set beneath the pans so that the water evaporated to leave the salt, which at that time was a prescious commodity for preserving meat and fish. It was dependent on a local supply of coal and whilst the main coalfields were in the West of Fife , there were small mines in the Largo area. There were several salt-pans along the Fife Coast. There are substantial remains at St Monans a few miles East of Largo.

Houses at the top of the beach in 1947

Although the salt-panning had long since ceased, the houses continued to be occupied for some time. By 1951 they had almost completely disappeared into the sea

The information on salt-panning and the 1947 picture were taken from the book Largo. An illustrated history by Eric Eunson and John Band. It is an excellent account of the history of the area, and has some fascinating photographs, some from the early 1900s and before. There is a detailed history of salt-panning in the Largo area. Sadly the book is now out of print but local libraries have copies, which can be borrowed.

Comfrey and Butterbur

Comfrey - Symphytum species. Common folk-name - Knitbone

There is a small patch of comfrey in flower just now at the back of the car-park in Lower Largo. Comfrey is an interesting plant that has been used medicinally for centuries. The name comfrey comes from the Latin confarre - to bring together, to marry. Symphytum is from the Greek Sympho - to unite. Medieval herbalists made a sludge out of the roots of the plant, which was packed round a broken limb. The sludge hardened and kept the broken bones in place in a similar manner to plaster of Paris nowadays. Comfrey contains allantoin which promotes cell division. It had various other medicinal uses. It has expectorant, astringent, cooling and healing effects. It reduces inflammation and controls bleeding, and it was previously used internally and externally. It is also used in homeopathy. However, it contains alkaloids which have been shown to cause liver damage and tumours in laboratory animals. It is therefore not now recommended for internal use or for use on broken skin. Comfrey can be used as a green manure, also the leaves steeped in water for several weeks can be used as a liquid feed for tomatoes as it is high in potash. I've tried it in the past, and it works well, but smells terrible.

Butterbur - Petasites hybridus

Butterbur was in flower at the far end of the Serpentine Walk approaching Upper Largo. In past times its large leaves were used for wrapping butter, hence its common English name. The leaves can grow to almost 36 inches across. The genus name Petasites comes from the Greek petusos - a broad brimmed hat. There is a smaller white variety Petasites alba which was introduced from Central Europe for early Spring colourin woodland. However, it has now become a troublesome weed in Scottish woods. I saw a small patch of this growing amongst the trees at the Cambo Estate, when we went to see the snowdrops.

Sanderling

I love to watch the sanderling on the beach, as they energetically work the tideline searching for small crustaceans to feed on. They move in and out with each wave. Their legs move so fast that they are simply a blur. This small group kept me company for a while, running in front of me, as I walked along the shore, eventually taking off to a different stretch of beach. These were in their winter plumage - snowy-white breast and pale grey back.

Book Reviews

Fathers and Sins by Jo Bannister
I usually enjoy Jo Bannister's books. Particularly enjoyed the series featuring the private eye Brodie Farrell. However, this one although an easy read was unsatisfactory somehow. Seemed to start off as a psychological thriller, but then turned into a detective story. I think it fell between two stools.
Score - 5 out of 10.

A Disguise for Death by Susan Kelly.
Enjoyed this very much. Features Superintendant Gregory Summers in a complex case involving an ex-IRA cell which had been infiltrated by Special Branch. Not unlike some of the cases that have come to light recently. The ending wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I think my ending might have been more plausible.
Score - 7 out of 10

Early Spring Bulbs

Early Spring-flowering Bulbs

The photos for this collage were all taken in my garden within the last four weeks.

Flowers in Bloom - Mid-February

Bulbs -Early

Winter aconites

Snowdrops (Single and Double)

Scilla

Mini-cyclamen

Iris reticulata (Dwarf Iris)

Crocus

Daffodils (Flowers just beginning to open)

Other Flowers in Bloom

Hebes (3 different)

Wallflower - perrenial and biennial

Hellebores (2 different)

Omphalodes

French Lavender

Primulas - various

Campanula

Ceanothus

Snowdrops at Cambo

One of the glorious sights of the Winter in Fife is the Snowdrop Spectacular at Cambo. Snowdrops, snowflakes and aconites carpet the 70 acres of woodland at the Estate, which is between Crail and St Andrews. The bulbs were planted by the grandmother of the present owner of the estate. This annual event is now part of the Scottish Snowdrop Festival which showcases some of the very best snowdrop gardens, woodlands and estates across Scotland.
Today at Cambo, the weather was beautiful - crisp, clear and sunny - and the snowdrops were at their best.

Snowdrops line the banks of the Cambo burn which runs down to the sea

Vast drifts of snowdrops lie on both sides of the path that runs alongside the burn.

This picture shows the density of the snowdrops.

The burn runs down through woodland to a rocky shore