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: 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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A Kinrowan Estate story: Our Mill Pond

Posted on 8th February 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

About fifty years ago, the Steward authorised spending money to rebuild the dam that had for a very long time been used to create a reservoir for the mill, for grain grinding and so that there was a place to cut … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 26th of January: Music from the Chieftains and the Bothy Band, German chocolate redux, a guide to mysteries and much more

Posted on 26th January 2020 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

She looks like the wizened old crone in that painting Jilly did for Geordie when he got into this kick of learning fiddle tunes with the word ‘hag’ in the title: ‘the Hag in the Kiln,’ ‘Old Hag You Have … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 29th of December: New Riders of The Purple Sage, Beatrix Potter’s gardens, German chocolate bars, Anime, Northumbrian music, Garner’s The Owl Service, Welsh mythology and quite a bit more!

Posted on 29th December 2019 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

That Blod-woman was pretty poor,” said Roger, “however you look at it.” “No,” said Huw. “She was made for her lord. Nobody is asking her if she wants him. It is bitter twisting to be shut up with a person … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 1st of December: An Irish Music guide, Gingerbread, Amano Artisan Chocolate, Frank Zappa live, de Lint’s Crow Girls, Asimov’s Foundation trilogy, two live music cuts, a guide to Irish music and much more

Posted on 1st December 2019 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

We keep our cats as happy as we can. — Anna Nimmhaus Remember I mentioned recently that we got snow? Well now it’s quite different, as it’s a steady, icy rain and a gusting wind which has kept every … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 3rd of November: Boston fiddler Katie McNally’s new album, Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ashley Hutchings: The Guv’nor & the Rise of Folk Rock, The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween, ‘Tam Lin’ as performed by Fairport Convention, Ancient Celtic Festivals, Pamela Dean’s Tam Lin, two essays on Maddy Prior, Fairport Convention’s Liege and Lief revisited and other matters…

Posted on 3rd November 2019 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

O I forbid you, maidens a’, That wear gowd on your hair, To ameome or gae by Carterhaugh, For young Tam Lin is there. Child Ballad 39A It got sharply colder on this Scottish estate over the past week so … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 20th of October: ‘Pierre De Grenoble’ by Malicorne, Black cat awareness month, Philip Glass’ “portraits”, the folklore and folkways of American Indians, Ursula le Guin on Coyote, and her Buffalo Gals fantasy.

Posted on 3rd October 2019 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Coyote is an anarchist. She can confuse all civilised ideas simply by trotting through. And she always fools the pompous. Just when your ideas begin to get all nicely arranged and squared off, she messes them up. Things are never … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 29th of September: A Glen Cook series, a novel that comes with its own soundtrack, people with ‘special powers,’ … and Maddy Dances, Danish jazz, the folklore of bees, and other bits and bobs as well

Posted on 29th September 2019 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

The novel should be understood as a structure built to accommodate the greatest possible amount of cool stuff. — Steven Brust in this Strange Horizons interview The Huddled Masses Ensemble just sent us several cases of Pendle Witches Brew, an ale with a thick, malty, … Continue reading →