Romantic streak February 14th is Saint Valentine’s Day, but it’s fair to say that slushily romantic gestures do not always come easily to the people of the North-east. Unless your other half is the demonstrative type, you’re more likely to end up with a cheeky card, a bottle of wine and a takeaway than being…

Going to pot When it comes to art, ceramics are often seen as the poor relation to painting and sculpture, perhaps because they also have a practical use as well as looking pretty.  There are some amazing ceramicists working across the city and shire, working in a huge variety of techniques. Whether you’re looking for…

Happy New Year! Hogmanay is usually one of the biggest Scottish celebrations. For many years, it was a bigger event in Scotland than Christmas, particularly when Christmas celebrations were forbidden by law. As we pass from 2021 into 2022, we thought we’d find out how the start of a new year is marked in other…

Zeroing in on waste reduction When it comes to recycling, we’re rubbish. Almost a third of what ends up in the dump is food and nearly two thirds of what we put in our black bins could be recycled.  We can help by using some of the new Zero Waste shops that offer a wide…

Get on the trail If you fancy a day out that combines art with a bit of exercise, then choose one of the art sculpture trails that have appeared in the city and shire this autumn. There are two to choose from, Clan’s Light the North Trail features 45 2.5 metre tall decorated lighthouse sculptures,…