We can learn so much looking outside our core field of expertise.

Scotland just isn't terribly Tory.

A book is a story, even if it's non-fiction, and once I've read it, I have the story with me inside my head always.

While I'm frustrated at the amount I'm expected to take on in the present, the 1950s woman was frustrated by being excluded - not being allowed to take things on at all.

Scotland consistently produces world-class writers.

I've always had a keen sense of history. My father was an antiques dealer and he used to bring home boxes full of treasures, and each item always had a tale attached.

Often we don't notice the stringent rules to which our culture subjects us.