This summer, I'm getting all retro and have come home to my parents' fish farm in Aberdeenshire to work, rest and play. The fish farm is where I grew up and is the inspirational roots of all my work. Nestled in a little valley just north of Aberdeen, it's an idyllic delight; an ever changing landscape of flora and fauna which has intrigued and inspired me since we moved here when I was 6.

So, why the big homecoming? Well, much to my sister's and I dismay, our parents have decided they are now old and need to retire, so our beloved fish farm is For Sale. Yes, For Sale! This most monumental of family decisions spurred me to dig out my wellie boots and head home for a few weeks, to work on the fish farm one last summer and to get my final fix of Mill of Elrick inspiration!

There's something quite charming about being back in my childhood haunts; rediscovering abandoned dens, finding trees we planted as children are now 20 feet tall and puddling around in the little pond where we hunted tadpoles in the spring, swam in the summer and skated in the winter.

Not only was the fish farm home to my family and I over the years, but also a few hundred thousand fish; Rainbow Trout, Salmon, Artic Char and Amercian Blues, then there's the pheasants and partridges my Gamekeeper Dad rears, also chickens, Labradors, farm cats, a rabbit, a budgie and for a brief stint, a rather cheeky little ferret, not forgetting the Herons, Otters, Deer, Foxes, an Osprey and a family of Badgers - it's a busy little place!

In between feeding fish and washing tanks, I'm going to create some new work inspired by the farm, a sort of farewell collection - keep checking back to see how this little project progresses!

In the meantime, if the thought of Scottish Aquaculture tickles your fancy, or if you just fancy a nosey at the specifics of the place which inspired works like Crazy Botanic, have a quick peek here.

And if you fancy turning your hand to fish farming, or relocating to a beautiful little spot in the Scottish countryside, drop me a line.