Author Archives: Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

About Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

I'm the Librarian for the Kinrowan Estate. I do love fresh brewed teas, curling, English mysteries and will often be playing Scandinavian or Celtic  music here in the Library here in Kinrowan Hall if the Neverending Session is elsewhere. I'm a violinist too, so you'll me playing in various contradance band such as Chasing Fireflies and Mouse in the Cupboard as well as backing my wife Catherine up on yearly Christmas season tours in the Nordic countries.

A Kinrowan Estate story: A Very Early Snow

Posted on 6th December 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Snow, especially heavy snow falling without any wind, quiets everything. And we’ve had such going on for three days now. It certainly changes the rhythms of this Scottish Estate! Every Winter season, and sometimes late in Autumn as happened this … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Fin Haddie

Posted on 14th October 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

There are certain winter foods that I look forward to every year and which the Kinrowan kitchen serves just often enough that hardly anyone wearies of them. One such food is finnan haddie. It’s a traditional Scottish fish dish made … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 4th of October: Diverse Music including Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Warren Ellis Goes Graphic, Spider-Mans, Peanut Butter and Chocolate, A Cherryh’s Alliance-Union Universe novel and Other Pleasant Diversions

Posted on 4th October 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

“I really didn’t mean to steal it.” Mr. Williams shook his head. He scratched at his chin nervously. “Why not? That’s what they’re there for. Tunes belong to everybody. So do stories.”  ― Robert Holdstock’s Lavondyss I’ve been out on a … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 6th of September: A Very Special Science-Fiction Story, a Fairy-Tale Opera, Dr. Who, a Rising Country Music Star, and more

Posted on 6th September 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

If you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written. — John Bangsund, Australian SF fan, 1939 – 2020 Its not yet the time of year that the Estate … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 26th of July: Ravens musical and otherwise, Totem Poles, some novels by Charles de Lint, new music and old music, and Other Matters

Posted on 26th July 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

One flies in to case the joint,  boldly struts around. Two fly in to make it three,  laugh a while and knock each other down. Four flies in with a frowning walk  gains a laugh from out a squawk but … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 17th of May: Béla Bartók’s Hungarian folk tunes, Oysterband live, a bacon cookbook, Golden Age sf from Poul Anderson, Cropredy reviewed, Darjeeling tea, space opera and much more!

Posted on 14th May 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

There’s nothing for your comfort in the place where I was born Someone’s got the roses ’cause my people got the thorns; My people are the poor ones, their country made of stones  Their wealth is in persistence, in stories and in bones … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Huddled Masses Orchestra

Posted on 3rd May 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

So have I talked to you about this group? It’s not akin to the Neverending Session, which is always here in some form, or even the resident Chasing Fireflies contradance band, which has several core members but adds other musicians … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: da Vinci’s Dragon

Posted on 5th April 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

We’ve a board near the Pub where everything from when Chasing Dragonfly will be playing next to tasters being wanted by Bjorn, our brewmaster, are posted. And then there’s a sheet of parchment that really gets an argument going, any time the … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 22nd of March: Classical Music edition

Posted on 22nd March 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

I’m listening to Estampie, an early music ensemble perform ‘Bluomenrot’. If you recognize them from Terri Windling’s The Wood Wife, it’ll surprise you to learn that they actually exist and indeed are quite excellent even Terri didn’t know they existed. … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 23rd of February: ’De Herinacio: On the hedgehog’, Don’t Talk About It by Australian expat Ruby Boot, live Irish Music from De Dannan & Skara Brae, Hobos, Mary-Sues, Live from Here replaces Prairie Home Companion and other matters

Posted on 22nd February 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Most times we only see things for the way we are. But we’re good at lying to ourselves. Sometimes we need somebody who’s not living in our skin to point out how things really are.  ― Charles de Lint’s The … Continue reading →

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