Every September, when the dust has settled on the Edinburgh Festival, ten days of wonderful chamber music is performed in a wide range of churches, the museum of air and flight and other interesting places.

“Miniature miracles are what East Lothian’s Lammermuir Festival specialises in, concerts featuring top rank artists in implausible venues, so that every September the union of great music and beautiful locations cre-ates a peculiarly special atmosphere.” Though not one of their venues, the ‘Holy Rock’, as we call it, has been used to promote Laura van der Heijden, a soloist at several of the concerts, winner of the 2012 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition and “one of the leading cellists of her generation.” Royal Philharmonic Society

An excellent exhibition of this title at the Edinburgh Festival included three large paintings by Moy Mackay including this of the Blue Cabin, with words by her sister, Janis Mackay. Moy works with felt and her Moy Mackay Gallery in Peebles shows a changing programme of art, ceramics and jewellery as well as her own work.

I went there once,
surprised to find a world
away from the world;
a passageway to an opening,
as if time rolled back in that
tunnel of stone
and the traveller between
worlds
slipped out in a slower
century
where the blue house in a
quiet cove
looks to sea.

Sophie (9) and Issac (7).  “……, I saw lots of star like crabs, fish and lots and lots of seaweed.”

It is delightful what so many guests write and draw in the Visitors Book, whatever their ages or interests.  In future these will be such formative memories.

Adam & Roz from Bath’s fine and pretty crab also made it into the Visitors Book Gallery, in some style.

After many years we have got around to replacing the rather flimsy entrance gates with something more substantial.  They were made of Western Red Cedar by Oastler’s in Dundee.  The posts are of solid Oak from Dunfermline.  The sign-writing is by Paul Robinson of Whitley Bay.  The ‘Eel’ hinges were designed by Ben Tindall and made by Alan Dawson, friend and Master Blacksmith, who has made most of Ben’s ironwork designs.