Hi, my name is Amanda Payne. Writer, artist, musician, recipe developer, and garden designer: the need to find new ways while cherishing traditions is a large part of my life. In art, I focus on watercolours and pastels (I am an elected member of the Pastel Society of America). I am a published poet with a particular interest in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a great medieval poem I have written about in depth. I am an expert on English usage and history, and an elected member of the Royal Historical Society (UK) and the International Arthurian Society. Baking is my particular area of kitchen expertise, but I love all kinds of cooking and this website is partly a reflection of that passion.
I have designed three original tartans officially registered by the Scottish Register of Tartans: ‘Suncoast Springtime’ (in 2022), and ‘Boxer Beauty’ and ‘Lands of Liberty’ (both in 2013). Whatever the endeavour, there is always a mix of poetic aspiration and technical nitty-gritty: each one helps elevate the other!
Betsy (with squishy ‘chocolate chip cookie’ toy) at 5 months old, in an overnight hotel en route to the Smoky Mountains. Betsy is a Boxer, the breed I honoured with one of my tartan designs.