November 30th is St Andrew’s Day up here, a celebration of the patron saint of Scotland. St Andrew is very well integrated into our culture and some even get a day off work in his honour!
He was said to have been crucified on a diagonal cross, depicted on our flag, the saltire, as the white cross of St Andrew on a blue background. The ancient historic university town of St Andrews on the east coast was named in honour of the saint whose final resting place is supposedly here.
Known as a fair and generous man who desired to help those less fortunate, he has often inspired such generosity of spirit and friendliness amongst Scots over the years. This year more than ever, we all need that extra bit of kindness.
On that theme, the Scottish Government is asking us to share One Million Words of Kindness through the specially commissioned postcard, illustrated by Edinburgh-based Emily Hogarth. You can share it from their website where you’ll also find what else is happening across the country.
If you like fiction set in Scotland, two of my novels, The Highland Lass and Return to Kilcraig are set in the west coast, while Highcrag is set in the east coast. They are all available in e-book and paperback on Amazon UK and Amazon US (or wherever you are), plus the paperbacks are available to order from bookshops.