Poet and new mum, Dora, is finding adapting to life in modern-day Helensburgh almost unbearable. Her new home may boast an ocean view, but that can’t redress the loneliness or the corrosive presence of her neighbours.

The discovery that Larchfield, a nearby school, was the setting for the early teaching career of poet WH Auden, gives Dora a thread of interest to cling to amid her isolated routine, and as she learns about the Stop All the Clocks writer’s life in Scotland, exploring his 1930s world offers a tempting alternative to her frustratingly mundane reality.

Polly Clark’s first novel vividly evokes the roller-coaster emotions of the new mother, whose fragile mental health and fierce love for her daughter must withstand the judgement of strangers. The fact that this contemporary story fits alongside an engaging account of Auden’s time in Helensburgh makes it all the more impressive.

We may anticipate from the start that Wystan (Auden) and Dora’s stories will intersect, but when they do, it is in a refreshing and unsettling way.

Larchfield, by Polly Clark (Quercus).

A new legend emerges

With so much folklore surrounding Loch Ness, its monster, and its most celebrated castle, one could suppose that there was little call for another re-telling of those stories, but The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster, by children’s author Lari Don, offers something different.

The picture book, bewitchingly illustrated by Nataša Ilinčić, has the feel of a classic, but is a new story, weaving together two of the oldest Great Glen legends, and completely re-imagining them, crucially, with children at their heart.

Ishbel and Kenneth are hungry local children, who set out for Urquhart castle in the hope of discovering the treasure rumoured to be beneath it. Along the way they encounter magic, grave danger, and Loch Ness’s most famous resident. It is an eventful adventure, which remains loyal to its roots and striking setting.

Due for publication in March, this story will sit happily alongside Speed Bonnie Boat and the The Secret of the Kelpie, in Picture Kelpies’ Traditional Scottish Tales collection, a selection of picture books which are refreshing our folklore, and enabling its magic to enchant the newest of readers.

The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster, by Lari Don and Nataša Ilinčić (Picture Kelpies)

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, is nominated in the Costa first novel category, and has been heralded as one of the best debuts of recent times. Set in Glasgow, its oddball narrator, Eleanor, lives alone, works in an office where she is largely ignored, and spends her weekends working her way through two bottles of vodka – in other words, she is definitely not fine.

As the novel unravels, the prickly Eleanor becomes increasingly appealing, and we begin to gather clues about the trauma in her past that has caused her isolated and lonely existence.

Eleanor’s detachment from those around her, and her observations about them, can be humorous, but also cringe-worthy – while Raymond, a colleague who gradually befriends her, is consistently thoughtful, she misunderstands social convention, and is frequently rude in return.

On their first visit to a pub, she insists on buying the drinks so that she can “observe what happens on the inside of a public house,” but then calls to him as he leaves: “The Guinness, Raymond. It was three pounds fifty…there’s no rush. You can give it to me on Monday if that’s easier.”

Though the pace of the story is initially slow, and the humour not to every taste, there is plenty of lightness and kindness to offset the darker themes.

What is really compelling is how plausible the outwardly snooty Eleanor and her situation are – we might not identify with everything in her life, but the detail of her loneliness is uncomfortably familiar, and speaks to a universal fear of ending up the same way.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman (HarperCollins, £12.99)

Stef Penney’s Under a Pole Star is shortlisted in the Costa Awards novel category, and is the work of an assured author who has proved herself at her finest in the drama and beauty of a snowscape (her first novel, The Tenderness of Wolves, won the Costa prize more than a decade ago).

Flora MacKie is an arctic explorer in the 1890s – a time when women just didn’t do that sort of thing – and she battles every obstacle, from prejudice, to ice and isolation, to spend time in her beloved frozen north.

It is in these bleak surroundings that she makes the connections that will shape her life. First, with the local eskimo people who become lifelong friends, then the captivating Jakob de Beyn and the dangerously driven Lester Armitage, explorers whose fates are shaped, like hers, by arctic winds.

At the outset of the book, Flora is an elderly lady returning to the pole for a publicity event, and she is harried by a young journalist who wants to uncover the secrets of her past. “They’re all dead, except me,” she says. “What does it matter now?”

It matters very much to the journalist, and his persistence leads Flora to retell, and reconsider, her story – and it will send a shiver down your spine.

Under a Pole Star, by Stef Penney (Quercus £7.99)

Two picture books linked by the same Hebridean island offer an engaging introduction to local legends.

The Island and the Bear, by Louise Greig and Vanya Nastanlieva, is a rhyming story inspired by real events on Benbecula in 1980, when Hercules the bear went missing while filming an advert. Its illustrations, by Vanya Nastanlieva, capture the moods and shapes of the Hebridean coastline.

The story bear is a gentle giant whom the islanders soon realise means no harm to them or their livestock. This was true of the real Hercules too – he had been so used to cooked meat that he never hunted for himself.

Speed Bonnie Boat is a re-telling of the Skye boat song. The verses are brought to life through Alfredo Belli’s atmospheric illustrations, with simple historical explanations about Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald’s voyage from Benbecula to Skye, adding a welcome dimension.

Reader age: 6

The Island and the Bear, Louise Greig/Vanya Nastanlieva, Picture Kelpies, £6.99

Speed Bonnie Boat, Alfredo Belli, Picture Kelpies, £6.99

The early sunshine set the scene for success at 2017’s busy Dalmally Show, with around 1,000 exhibits, from Highland Cattle to home baking, on display.

Entertainment included shinty games, music from the Clan Colquhoun Pipe band, displays of vintage tractors and (Kintail) birds of prey, the dog show (including a terrier race) and the ever-popular livestock parades.

CLICK HERE FOR 2017 DALMALLY SHOW RESULTS IN FULL

St Conan’s Kirk is a remarkable piece of architecture on the banks of Loch Awe, and its tiny tea room, open in the summer months, offers a chance to enjoy the historic site’s charms from a different perspective.

Housed in the church’s recently refurbished gate house, the tea room offers a good range of snacks, home baking and hot drinks – though if you only stop in for a quick coffee, be warned that you may find yourself led astray by temptations such as the full cream tea, or a hot waffle with cream and berries.

Wherever you sit, you’ll enjoy the comfortable, cosy, setting, and friendly, efficient service, but if you are a first time visitor, we recommend heading through to the back room for the table next to the window.

The view from here takes in St Conan’s Kirk’s lovely grounds, the railway line, the loch and the mystical Kilchurn castle. You would struggle to find a more magical place to enjoy that quiet cup of tea.

• The Kirk Cafe tea room is open daily from 10am during the summer holidays (check locally for opening info from August onwards) with profits supporting the church’s upkeep and restoration. More information at www.stconanskirk.org.uk

A pirate ship, rocking frog and jumbo noughts and crosses game are among the items of play equipment recently installed at the Cruachan, The Hollow Mountain visitor centre, on the banks of Loch Awe.

The mini play park, in a picnic area on the lochside, adds a new dimension to facilities at the Scottish Power tourist attraction, which offers visitors an insight into the workings Cruachan Power station, one of Scotland’s foremost engineering achievements.

In tandem with the existing coffee shop and the children’s ‘interactive house’ and dressing-up station inside, the new play equipment reflects a commitment on the part of the centre to welcome local families as well as those visiting the area.

“We’re in a beautiful spot, and there are things to outdoors and indoors,” said Sarah Cameron, visitor centre manager. “We want local people to feel that the free facilities here are for them to come and use, whenever they want to.”

Members of a Dalmally exercise class received an unexpected confidence boost last month, when singer Amy MacDonald praised their efforts dancing to her latest single.

The Scottish star’s attention was drawn to a video clip of the Zumba class, led by instructor Dorah Mothae-Hall, after a class member posted it on Twitter.

Members of the ‘Zumba with Dorah’ exercise class

Kimberly-Anne MacGillivray posted the dance, to Amy’s latest single, Dream On, with the message: “Amazing fun Zumba routine created by my instructor Dorah to @Amy_Macdonald.”

Within minutes a reply from Amy appeared: “I love this. Looking awesome ladies”

“I was ecstatic when I saw she had replied,” said Kimberly-Anne. “I absolutely love my Zumba class – Dorah makes it so much fun that it doesn’t even seem like a workout!”

Dorah had devised the routine herself, as she is a fan of the singer. “I normally prepare routines for the class based on other Zumba instuctors’ moves,” she said. “But I love Amy MacDonald and I really wanted to use this song, so this was one that I had choreographed myself.”

“It’s an amazing boost to everyone who comes to the class. They should be proud of themselves.”

Dorah recently qualified as a Zumba instructor, and her Wednesday classes at Dalmally Community Centre have been a hit, with more than 30 locals of all ages (from P7 to 70) attending regularly.

The video was recorded by eight-year-old Billy Campbell, whose mum, Caroline attends the class. It was shared online with the permission of members.

Dorah’s next venture is a new class on Thursday evenings (6.30pm) in Taynuilt Village Hall, starting today, June 1.

Cladich’s village phone box has been given a new coat of paint and a new lease of life, thanks to residents who want to restore its place as a community icon.

The bright red former BT box is now a tiny shop, selling home baking, cards and paintings. It will open daily for the summer season.

Situated in a scenic spot in the Loch Awe-side hamlet, the out-of-use landmark captured the imagination of local friends Holly Ford, Bron Campbell, and Hilary Ollason.

“We decided that selling cakes from the phone box would be a way to bring it back to life, involve the community and make an interesting and different place to stop in Cladich,” said Holly.

Alongside the fresh cakes, brownies and biscuits, baked by Holly and Bron, the phone box is a new gallery for Hilary, who specialises in acrylic paintings on canvas. Her work includes cards and paintings of the Highland Cattle who graze in the field next to the phone box – and who have been tasked with watching the honesty box in which customers leave the money for their purchases.

The phone box was obtained for community use through BT’s ‘Adopt a Kiosk’ scheme, which aims to find new uses for classic phone boxes. Locals in Cladich have shared cleaning, repairing and repainting tasks, and the team are particularly grateful to Jon and Queenie Strickland, who provided practical help and encouragement for the venture.

It is hoped that the phone box will become a community hub, supporting and promoting other local projects and enterprises. There are plans for it to house a defibrillator so that first aid can be provided in the event of a cardiac arrest in the vicinity.

“We’re so happy that our phone box has a new lease of life,” says Hilary, “it has really brought the community together.”

– Cladich is signed from the A819 between Dalmally and Inveraray, and is a one-minute drive, or five-minute walk from the main road.

– www.facebook.com/tenbytenpaintings  and facebook.com/cakesinthecallbox.