A new series of books explores the history and nature hidden in the mundane sights of West Dunbartonshire.
Alexandrian author Paul Murdoch will launch his The Nature of West Dunbartonshire series next month, his four books dealing with walks in each season.
This marks a change from Paul's usual work of authoring a collection of popular fictional stories. Also, the hilariously hilarious Old Bloke Goes Running and Old Bloke Goes Swimming explored his attempts at staying fit. life after that.
However, Paul said that his series Nature combines two of his passions in his life: the natural world and the local area.
He told Lennox:
"I started taking walks as a child. Over the past two and a half years, I have collected many pictures of birds and insects.
``For a long time, agents have been asking me to use my photos in books about Scotland and nature. But I'm against people working for the BBC, people in hiding, etc.
"I don't go to hiding. 36}
``I thought it would be a good idea to combine a walk with a nature safari at the same time. I wanted to keep it informal, but informative.
"I tried to make it fun But I also wanted people to be tempted to take up the challenge of taking a walk.
Paul credits the book with helping him learn more about the region he has lived in.
``If I were a tourist and I didn't have all my luggage, I would have realized how much luggage I had. , we hope that we will be able to explore the values of this region, not just the Baroque. There are many important things in nature. I had passed by two of his monuments in Renton, but didn't even know what they were until fairly recently.
"After translating the Smollett Monument in Latin, I found myself trying to come up with things like the coat of arms for Stratheven House. I have a high nose."
"I've been here all my life, and I only knew half through books." Despite not sweating in such a cold pool, Paul said it was hard to finish the series. I had two and a half years of photos. I had to sort out where and when I saw birds.
"It was a longer job than I thought. I had to check all the historical facts. I'm not a historian. Just getting information
"When you're doing fiction, you can get away with murder by doing whatever you want. But
``It should be fun, too. No. Walks should be fun and learning.”
The Nature of West Dunbartonshire - Four Summer Walks will be held at the Baroque Library on 5 September at 7:30 pm. increase.
copies available for pre-order at www.paulmurdoch.co.uk.
