My Heart Belongs to Scotland – Perth

November 26, 2025November 22, 2025 Mstldelano1 Comment

In the last post, I shared about my time in Inverness and Montrose (which were difficult stops for me, since I had a bad cold during that time). Thankfully, I was starting to feel better by the time we got to Edinburgh, and not a moment too soon: Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities of all time!

Before we got to Edinburgh, however, we had a full day of activity ahead. After eating breakfast and checking out of The Links Hotel, we journeyed to our first stop, Scone Palace. Located in Perthshire, this stunning castle is the place where Scottish kings were crowned for hundreds of years. Before entering the palace, you can see the Stone of Destiny, the symbolic stone where these newly crowned kings would sit, in recognition of their reign. One such king is MacBeth (yes, that one), who was crowned in 1040. The stone is surrounded in mystery, as the original disappeared years ago and has never been located. That being said, there is great lore about both the Stone, as well as the rest of the palace.

Closeup of family crests: the Graham crest is depicted here

Scone Palace is full of incredible artifacts, none of which I could photograph, sadly. But, if you’re interested in the history of Dido Elizabeth Belle, then Scone Palace is a must-visit: the original painting of Belle hangs in one of their galleries. If you want a photograph the painting, you’ll either have to pay for it in the palace gift shop, or you can go to Kenwood House in London (which is probably a little easier to get to, if we’re being honest) and photograph the excellent recreation that they have on display.

Posing with a brochure that features the painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle

This site was great for photographs on the outside, as the grounds were absolutely beautiful. Also, there are wild peafowl on site, so you can see those beautiful birds as you enjoy your visit. If you’re in Perthshire, Scone Palace is a must see!

Bell hanging from a tree at Scone Palace

This statue blends the highland coo with peacock feather coloring

We stopped for lunch in downtown Perth, and ended up being treated to a parade! I wish I had taken more pictures: at this point, I was hungry to the point of distraction, so I didn’t feel like photographing the parade participants. However, what we saw was the Perth Salute, a local festival that celebrated the military, complete with a parade that features military and civilian bands, as well as local performers of all backgrounds (we saw quite a few South American countries represented in the parade). It was a fantastic parade and brought out a lot of the community.

We decided to eat at The Bulldog Frog, and that was a fantastic choice. I ordered the avocado and tomato toastie, which had fries and homemade slaw on the side. The food was so delicious, and I could finally think clearly after feeling ravenous for the previous hour. Once our lunch break was done, we were off to our next stop, Innerpeffray Library.

After riding about 30 minutes, we arrived at the pastoral community where Innerpeffray Library is located. This stop was one of my absolute favorites. As a bibliophile, I don’t just love to read books: I also love learning the history of the guardians of books, as well as how books and literacy were promoted through the ages. This was the first lending library in Scotland, starting more than 300 years ago. Innerpeffray’s collection includes an extensive amount of books, including the personal Bible of James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, and the first head of Clan Graham.

Inspirational words – Visualizing the known world and the New World

The library also has an interesting history that includes one of the earliest examples of gender equity in literacy and education. The on-site school house taught both boys and girls (in a time where formal education for girls was considered unnecessary in many cultures), and one of the fascinating entries in the Borrower’s Register (the logbook of people who borrowed books) includes an entry for a girl who worked for a landowner who borrowed a book on his behalf, but also borrowed a book for herself to read. I was touched to hear how, even at a time where social and gender perspectives were firmly favoring male members of the upper class, resources such as books were still made available to those that were disadvantaged. A bit of fun trivia is that this library has the smallest book in the world, measuring just 5 mm x 5 mm.

Details about the smallest book in the world

A number of historical texts at Innerpeffray

We chatted extensively with the current Keeper of the Books (a role that has been continually staffed for hundreds of years), whose enthusiasm and knowledge were unmatched. We then toured the chapel and were blown away by the beautiful remains of the original decor.

Outside, I took photos of the rural setting: it was a beautiful, sunny, picturesque day. I vowed right then to return to Innerpeffray Library to tour again, and hopefully to spend some more time in nearby downtown Perth. This was a perfect stop on a perfect day, and I can’t say enough good things about it.

Once we left the library, we journeyed on to Edinburgh, and checked into the Radisson Blu Hotel. Edinburgh is a lively, incredible city, and we just so happened to be there during Fringe. There’s so much more to share, so I’ll have to continue in another post! Stay tuned for the next installment, and thanks for reading!

art · beauty · books · culture · festivals · international · life curation · luxury · relaxation · travel · writing

The Past Year, In Pictures

March 7, 2024March 1, 2024 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Instead of making lengthy posts about every single thing I did in 2023, I decided I should just give you a high level overview of each month, and save the long posts for some of the highlights. Without further ado, here’s my 2023:

January – I went to see “Wicked” for the first time, and I started tinkering with generative AI. My prompts are so much better than they used to be. I made time for self care, and enjoyed the beginning of the year.

February – I started diving into some books that I’d been meaning to read (namely, The Source of Self Regard by Toni Morrison and Heroine of the Harlem Renaissance – Gwendolyn Bennett’s Selected Writings, edited by Belinda Wheeler and Louis Parascandola). I also attended the one-woman show, “I Hear You But How” by Cara Pressley. I went to a whiskey and wine festival, and I first became acquainted with WomanToWomanRVA.

March – I did First Friday at the Library of Virginia, and I volunteered behind the scenes with a local aerial arts company. My daughter performed in the aerial production of Alice in Wonderland.

April – I turned my attention to my yard: spring had sprung, and I needed to identify what was growing wild outside. I started experimenting with cashew cheese recipes, and we officially celebrated the end of “Alice in Wonderland” season with a cast party. At the end of the month, we did a quick getaway to Tysons Corner VA, where my daughter enjoyed a day at American Girl Place.

May – I continued to improve my generative AI prompting, and planned for my end-of-the month trip. I spent a week in St Lucia, sunning and getting eaten alive by the sand mites. The trip to St Lucia will be its own post, because the location was heavenly and the accommodations were perfection.

June – My jasmine bush bloomed, and all was right with the world. I attended a gala event for a local nonprofit, and had a fantastic time. The rest of my flowers started to bloom, and I was on cloud 9! This was the first year that my hydrangea bush had blooms, so it was an especially exciting season!

July – I tried some new (to me) perfumes, and spent a fun day with friends in DC. And, I went to London and Edinburgh! These cities deserve their own set of posts, so look out for those soon.

August – My birthday month! No travel, but I did have a great dinner with someone special. I also visited the Mansion at O Street museum in Washington DC with one of my friends.

September – Besame Cosmetics launched the Ella Fitzgerald collection, and I was too excited to try it. I ended the month in New York City, tooling around at the Museum of Modern Art, The Brandy Library, and Patent Pending (this too will be its own post).

October – A trip to Atlanta was just what I needed as the weather started to turn from warm to cool. I went to the Highland Games, which included a whisky tasting and the Tartan Ball. FWIW I did not wear a tartan, but I did have a splendid time.

November – I did the highland games in central Virginia, because Scottish events in my backyard cannot be missed! I returned to London for a week, and had an amazing time.

December – A quiet month: the perfect way to end a busy year.

And that’s my 2023 in a nutshell! Look out for some longer posts in the near future, with LOTS more pictures and some fun ideas for how to best experience some of the places I went. Take care, and I’ll talk to you all soon!

books · writing

Resuming Writers Wednesdays

March 6, 2024March 5, 2024 MstldelanoLeave a comment

It’s been a long time since I did one of these posts: it feels great to be back! I love my writing practice, but there have been two things going on. Firstly, I haven’t written consistently (mainly because there have been so much happening offline); and secondly, I have to retool my entire writing practice (what I used to do doesn’t fit my lifestyle and my writing style anymore).

I published a planner last year, but it isn’t what I’d consider a “writing” project. It’s one of those low-content publications, so it didn’t contain much writing in it. I tried participating in NaNoWriMo but I went off schedule within the first week and I never recovered LOL! So I’ve been focused on getting back into the habit, and part of that will be supported by returning to regular blogging.

I was debating whether I would do Monday through Friday schedule on this blog again: it’s such a big commitment. But I think I need to “throw myself” back into writing again and just let the words flow. So, for the time being, I’ll be committing to 3 posts a week at minimum. Making a public commitment to doing so will (hopefully) keep me on track and create a sense of responsibility to you all, my friends. I look forward to chatting with you all and keeping those writing updates coming!

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Writers Wednesdays – September Writing Accomplishments

October 5, 2022October 3, 2022 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Hey everyone! Happy October to you all. It’s time for a writing update, because I haven’t been posting regularly on Wednesdays during this period of increased editing activities.

I’m happy to share that I’m still on target to reach my November publishing goal (as I explained in this post). I’ve finished all of my major edits, and I’m letting the book “sit” undisturbed while I tool around with making a cover and as I consider adding images within the body of the book. This is probably my favorite part of publishing, because it gives me a break from searching for the right word, and it causes me to turn my attention to the aesthetics of the book.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll give my book another once over, probably reading it aloud to see if the words flow easily, as well as add any additional thoughts that I think will help best convey my ideas. Until I resume editing, I’ll be considering my book marketing approach and seeing if I want to promote the book through traditional means, or opt for a more passive, organic approach. I’m not sure yet, but I’ll see where inspiration leads me and make my decision based on that. Following inspiration may seem like a silly way to go about determining how I want to sell this book, but I’ve found that TRUE inspiration has always led me to the right path. So I’ll go with that and let things unfold as they will.

That’s it for the September update: short and somewhat sweet. I’ll talk to you all soon!

books · career · writing

Writers Wednesdays – August Writing Accomplishments

September 7, 2022September 7, 2022 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Writers Wednesday! I’m happy that I’m finally entering the period of my Four Months, Four Goals challenge (if you didn’t read that post, it’s linked here). To briefly recap, I’ll be spending the next four months hitting a single major writing goal for each month, then coming back to share my accomplishments as they are achieved. My focus is publishing the book that I’ve been working on for the past couple of years (I can’t believe it’s been that long!) But, in order to make that happen, I had to get clear on what my next steps are, so I can move definitively in the direction of my goals.

That being said, my August writing accomplishments were great, and I’m pleased with what I got done during the month. I found some information I needed to redo two portions of my book: I had written two examples to illustrate points that I made, but I wanted better suited examples. I easily found better examples to use, and these incorporated seamlessly into the outline. I’ve also been editing other portions of the book: rereading various sections and ironing out the kinks in the verbiage and clarifying anything that didn’t flow well.I love the progress I’m making, and I’m excited to see how much more progress I’ll make in September!

That’s it for today. I’ll talk to you all soon: take care!

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Writers Wednesdays – Why It Takes Me Forever To Publish A Book

August 24, 2022August 21, 2022 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Writers Wednesday! Today’s topic is was a question that I posed to myself recently, after feeling frustrated about the timelines for my works in progress (you can see my writing goals from now to December in this post). I find myself with a great idea, which I develop – sometimes to the point of completion – then there is this extraordinary “dead period” that happens once the work is done.

I had to ask myself, “Why does it take me forever to publish a book?” This isn’t referring to my children’s books, which are fairly simple and can be completed once I have enough photos that aren’t protected by copyrights. This is talking about my original works, which I’ve already finished writing and that seem to take FOREVER to get to the point of publishing. These should be ready to publish quickly, but they always appear to be stuck in the queue for longer than I think they should be.

As I asked myself about why it takes so long, it hit me: I’m stuck in analysis paralysis when it comes to publishing. I am constantly running various scenarios in my mind, and, as a result, very little tangible progress is made. I often find it much easier to blog, since these are short little glimpses into my daily life and passing thoughts. But book writing and publishing? I overanalyze to the point of ineffectiveness.

I would normally put forth a challenge to myself at this point, but, realistically, I’ll likely feel paralyzed every time I publish, regardless of how illogical it is to feel that. All I will vow to do is to try and remember to come back to this post the next time the analysis paralysis hits me. Maybe if I remember this post, I’ll be able to summon enough courage and reasonableness to move past my overthinking and to just leap into publishing. Only time will tell if I take my own advice, right?

books · business · writing

Writers Wednesday – Four Months, Four Goals

August 17, 2022August 13, 2022 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday! As the month of August is already past the halfway mark (really, where does the time go?), I figured now would be a good time to look forward to the last four months of the year, and consider what I want to accomplish related to my writing.

In September, I intend to finish my edits for the book that I’m publishing in November. I want to complete the edits no later than September 15, so I can give the book some “space” before publishing. I always enjoy coming back to a book and refining it more before I release it to the world. In order to give it space, I have to finish the book several weeks before I do the last publishing steps. I’ll also share the book with my beta readers and hope for some fantastic feedback to incorporate when I do my final refinement of the book.

For October, I will continue September’s work: somewhere in the middle of the month, I’ll be doing the final review of my book and put the finishing touches on it. But, before I get to the middle of October, I’ll work on the cover, and begin doing a big marketing/social media push for the book. I’m focused on bringing eyes to my book and connecting with my ideal readers.

Usually, November is my time to participate in NaNoWriMo. I’m not sure if I will participate this year, but *if* I do, it’ll be a secondary (or maybe even tertiary) goal. My primary goal is working on book sales. This also works along with getting testimonials and growing my network, as these are crucial to sustaining the success of my book launch and sales.

Finally, December is all about closing out open projects and clearing my slate for the upcoming year. I am trying to sync up my activity with the seasons, and heading into the winter is the perfect time to wind down and prepare for the incubation that comes with the winter months. I’m looking forward to resting, enjoying a few months of decreased activity, and savoring the fruits of my labor from the previous months.

Those are my four goals for the next four months. What goals do you all have?

books · business · writing

Writers Wednesdays – July Writing Accomplishments

August 3, 2022July 31, 2022 Mstldelano1 Comment

As i reflect back on the month of July, I feel so much pride. I made PROGRESS with my writing, and my books are inching closer to completion. I love it!

I did some more editing to my main work-in-progress (WIP), and set a launch date of November 1st. I’m really excited, since that book has been my passion project – the one I’ve been most protective of – for months now. As the release date draws closer, I will share more details and, of course, there will be some sort of giveaway to celebrate the launch!

Now, I’ve promised, multiple times, not to start any new works. I was determined to focus on completing projects before starting new ones. I’m so proud that I kept my word to myself: I didn’t start any new works. However, I did, on a whim, compile several WIPs that were loosely related as far as subject matter goes. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had enough material and structure to create the book I’d always envisioned that I would write! Now I’m fleshing out my ideas and doing some additional research on a few things. This is so exciting, and it’s using so much content that I’ve already written!

Those are my writing updates for July. If you’re a fellow writer, what are you working on in August? I’d love to hear about it!

books · writing

Writers Wednesdays – The Books I Planned To Read On Vacation (& What I Actually Read)

July 27, 2022July 23, 2022 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Initially, I planned to take a couple of hardcover and paperback books with me on vacation. However, my space was at a premium, and I wasn’t able to take any physical books with me. Fortunately, I have the Kindle app on my phone, so I had a way to access a library (my digital library, that is).

Now, I did a whole YouTube video with my hardcover and paperback books that were *supposed* to go on vacay with me. Here’s that video:

The books I discussed in the video were The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, Caring Economics edited by Tania Singer and Matthieu Ricard, and By The Pricking Of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie.

The Tipping Point by one of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell

Caring Economics by Tania Singer and Matthieu Ricard

By The Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie

In actuality, the books I read while I was gone were Longevity by Maria L. Ellis, MBA and Take Back Your Life by Tami Stackelhouse. These were both digital books (ebooks) downloaded into my Kindle app before I left home, that I read while I lounged poolside in Spain (bliss!).

I’m glad that I chose to read some of my ebooks while I was away, since I tend to prefer paperback and hardcover while I’m at home. Being able to read anywhere I have my phone or laptop was a blessing, and these two books were instrumental in me defining several things I could do right now to uplevel my health (which is why I’ll be reviewing both of them in the weeks to come).

That’s all for my travel reading list! What do you all like to read while traveling or even during your staycations? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

*This post contains affiliate links.

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Writers Wednesday – My May Writing Goals and Accomplishments

June 8, 2022June 7, 2022 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Hey friends! I hope you all are doing well and enjoying your week. I haven’t written about my writing goals and practices in a while, but I did a couple of videos about my goals over on my YouTube. Here is the first video, outlining my May goals:

And this is the second video near the end of the month, where I describe how things went with my goals:

Considering that this is about 17 minutes of video content, here is the TLDW (too long, didn’t watch) version of the videos above:

Start working on the template for a workbook (that is a companion to a book that I’m currently editing) – I did begin the process of working on that template and seeing it come together has been great. I still have a lot to do, but I’m very happy that I began the process.

Begin working on the next couple of children books – I have selected the countries that will be profiled in the next couple of children’s books, and I’ll be releasing those over the summer. I originally planned to put the finishing touches on the books over the Memorial Day weekend, but life happened and I had to delay the work until a few weeks from now.

Designing a July to December planner – I found a planner that works for the remainder of the year: no need to design one!

That’s it for my writing goals and what I accomplished in May! I’m looking forward to sharing some great accomplishments in the weeks to come!