“The Kelpie” by Scottish painter Thomas Millie Dow is a painting from 1895. The kelpie comes from Scottish folklore, where it is known as a water spirit tied to rivers and lochs. It is most often described as a horse standing quietly near the water. In the stories, people are drawn to it because it appears harmless. Once touched or mounted, it cannot be escaped and pulls its victim into deep water. In other accounts, the kelpie appears in human form, luring people toward the water instead; once they follow, they are drowned or dragged beneath the surface.
The painting is listed as a standalone work, and its current location is unknown. It survives only as a photographic reproduction.
In the late nineteenth century, Scottish artists often turned to local myths. These were familiar stories tied to real places, already woven into everyday understanding. Painting them was a way of holding onto regional history and identity at a time when Scottish art was increasingly shaped by outside influence.
Thomas Millie Dow was born in 1848 in Edinburgh. He trained at the Trustees’ Academy before continuing his studies in Paris, where he was exposed to contemporary French painting. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Scottish Academy and was closely associated with the Glasgow Boys, though his work generally remained more restrained than that of many in the group. Dow focused on landscape, rural life, and subjects drawn from Scottish history and literature. He died in Edinburgh in 1919.
I was not able to find any books currently in print about Dow's work.
If you're interested in learning more about Scottish mythology, check out, "Into the Fairy Hill: Classic Folktales of the Scottish Highlands." https://amzn.to/4pcen2J
'Britain's brightest dog' can recognise more than 200 different words and will fetch all of his toys – by their name.
Seven–year–old Border Collie Harvey has been accepted into several studies for genius pooches after being able to fetch any of his toys by their name on command.
Owner Irene Hewlett, 52, started by teaching him the name of just one toy, Little Lamb.
The translator, who is originally from Amsterdam, learns to fetch a toy by being introduced to it, touching it a few times, taking it into his mouth, and then finding it from several locations until he understands what it is.
Harvey has just learned his 221st toy called Larry the Leek.
The amazing talent has widely awarded Harvey the title of 'Britain's brightest dog' and he has been accepted into two studies for 'genius' dogs in Budapest and Portsmouth.
Irene said: 'He picks new toys up in about five minutes now. This is what we do all day every day.
'Border Collies are working dogs, so they need a job, and this is his job. He just wants to play this every second.'
'Britain's brightest dog' can recognise more than 200 different words and will fetch all of his toys – by their name
Owner Irene Hewlett, 52, started by teaching him the name of just one toy, Little Lamb
Irene continued: 'It is not just that Harvey can do this, this is what he does. We are not showing off a skill, we do this at home when nobody is watching. We do it because we love it.
'People sometimes don't realise how good he is at it. My friends come to my house and they are quite surprised by it. They all think he is so cute.'
Harvey was bought from a breeder in Liverpool as a puppy after Irene's rescue dog Charlie sadly passed away, and she decided she wanted a healthy pup to train.
The mum–of–two had read a book on US dog Chaser, who learned the names of 1,022 objects after being taught by a pair of academics, and decided that she wanted to do the same.
Irene says they had some trouble at first, but once they introduced toy number four Harvey completely understood the game.
Harvey sometimes gets confused with toy names that start with similar sounds such as Postbox and Polar Bear, but he will work it out after picking them up based on mouth feel.
Now, Irene says the biggest challenge they face is to find toys that they haven't already got, as most offer a very similar collection.
For this reason, some of the toys even have dutch names so that similar toys can be thrown in the mix.
Seven–year–old Border Collie Harvey has been accepted into several studies for genius pooches after being able to fetch any of his toys by their name on command
The family have acquired many festive toys such as a Brussel sprout, mince pie, several reindeer, and a Christmas pudding
The family have also acquired many festive toys such as a Brussel sprout, mince pie, several reindeer, and a Christmas pudding.
In the future, Irene says that she would love a sponsorship from Jelly Cat, as they have a wide range of unique toys which would really boost the numbers.
Irene added: 'Harvey came to our house, and we started the game straight away.
'He didn't immediately retrieve, so we had to teach him that first. Then we started introducing toys.
'When we introduced a second toy, he looked at me with no idea what to do. But we persevered and practiced and it all gave him mental stimulation.
'After the third toy he was confused again, and I thought "this is going to take a really long time."
'And then we got to four and it was like it clicked. Once he understood we just kept going and never looked back.
'Lots of dogs get very excited among toys, but Harvey does not. He just goes in picks it up and comes back. He doesn't destroy toys either.
In the future, Irene says that she would love a sponsorship from Jelly Cat, as they have a wide range of unique toys which would really boost the numbers
'He is a very good dog. He is very calm. Some Border Collies are manic and run circles around the house but he doesn't.'
Looking forward, the pair plan to keep learning as many toys as they can, but Irene says she would never want to teach a second dog the trick.
She said: 'I would love to see if I could train another dog the way I trained Harvey, but I am a one dog person, so I don't want a second dog.'
It is easy to believe that dogs like what we like, but this is not always strictly true.
Here are ten things which people should remember when trying to understand their pets, according to animal behaviour experts Dr Melissa Starling and Dr Paul McGreevy, from the University of Sydney.
1. Dogs don't like to share
2. Not all dogs like to be hugged or patted
3. A barking dog is not always an aggressive dog
4. Dogs do not like other dogs entering their territory/home
5. Dogs like to be active and don't need as much relaxation time as humans
6. Not all dogs are overly friendly, some are shyer to begin with
7. A dog that appears friendly can soon become aggressive
8. Dogs need open space and new areas to explore. Playing in the garden won't always suffice
9. Sometimes a dog isn't misbehaving, it simply does not understand what to do or what you want
10. Subtle facial signals often preempt barking or snapping when a dog is unhappy
A cool cosmic coincidence kicks off 2026! The first full moon of the year on January 2-3 – a supermoon – will coincide with Earth’s closest approach to the sun, known as perihelion. That means the Earth, the January full moon, and the sun will all be unusually close and aligned as the new year begins. This triple event – closest moon, full moon, closest sun – is rare. A famous example was January 1912. Experts later speculated that a supermoon near the sun’s 1912 perihelion might have dislodged an iceberg that drifted south for several months before striking the Titanic! Will the supermoon and perihelion of 2026 have effects? Watch the video in the player above, or on YouTube. See how these subtle cosmic forces shape our Earth and sky.
The crest of the full moon falls at 10:03 UTC on January 3. That’s 4:03 a.m. for folks in central North America. So the moon will be at its fullest on the morning of January 3, but it will appear full on both nights, January 2 and 3.
When and where to look in 2026: Look for the bright, round full moon rising in the east before sunset on January 2, 2026. And look for it rising in the east shortly after sunset on January 3. It’ll be glowing nearly overhead around midnight on both nights, and dropping low in the west near sunrise.
This full moon is near Jupiter. The bright star near the moon on January 2 and 3, 2026, isn’t a star. It’s the mighty planet Jupiter, which will reach its biggest and brightest for 2026 just one week after the January 2026 full moon.
This full supermoon coincides with lunar perigee, the moon’s closest point to Earth. But it doesn’t coincide as closely as some other full moons in late 2025. Lunar perigee – a monthly event – for January 2026 comes at 22 UTC on January 1. So this full moon is a supermoon. But it isn’t as close or bright a supermoon as the full Hunter’s Moon of November 5-6, 2025, which was the closest full moon of that year.
This full supermoon also coincides with perihelion, our closest point to the sun. Perihelion comes at 17 UTC on January 3, 2026.
The January full moon is the Wolf Moon and it’s a supermoon. It’ll occur overnight on January 2-3. The crest of the full moon falls at 10:03 UTC on January 3. That’s 4:03 a.m. CST for folks in central North America. So the moon will be at its fullest on the morning of January 3, but it will appear full on both nights, January 2 and 3. It will glow near bright Jupiter and the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux.
The full moon glows near Jupiter
This year, the January full moon will lie near Jupiter, now at its brightest this year. Even though it is close to the very bright full moon, Jupiter is bright enough to be spotted in the moonlight. On the following night, the almost full moon will hang even closer to the bright planet.
January 2026 will see lunar perigee – the point in the moon’s orbit where to comes closest to Earth – occur about 36 hours before when the moon is at its fullest. This means it is a perigean full moon, or what is often called a supermoon. At this point, the moon will lie 225,130 miles (362,312 kilometers) from Earth. For comparison, a more typical full moon is 18,000 miles (29,000 km) farther, putting it at 240,000 miles (390,000 km).
Since it is closer to us on Earth, does a supermoon appear noticeably larger than an ordinary full moon?
While it is true that experienced observers do say they can detect a size difference, you’d have to be a very keen observer to notice it. Truly most of us can’t tell any difference in the size of a supermoon and an ordinary full moon.
But … do super moons look brighter than ordinary full moons? Yes, they do, by a noticeable amount. That’s because a supermoon exceeds the disk size of an average-sized moon by up to 8% and the brightness of an average-sized full moon by some 16%. And then, it exceeds the disk size of a micromoon (a year’s most distant, and, therefore, smallest full moon) up to 14% and the brightness of a micromoon by some 30%. So, if you go outside in the predawn hours of January 3, as well as in the evening before, there is a possibility you’ll notice the full moon is exceptionally bright!
The January full moon can lie in front of one of two constellations of the zodiac. If the full moon falls in the first half of the month, as it does this year, it lands in Gemini the Twins. If it happens during the second half, as it will next year, it falls in Cancer the Crab.
The moon is roundest on the day when it is full, but it appears almost but not quite full the day before and after. On the evening of this January’s full moon, the twin stars of Gemini, Castor (the dimmer one) and Pollux – and Jupiter – will shine nearby. However, the bright moonlight might make these two famous stars too dim to see. If you can’t spot them, rest assured, they are still there!
The January 2026 full moon will occur overnight on January 2-3. It’ll lie in the constellation Gemini near its twin stars Castor and Pollux, and bright Jupiter. The trio will form a triangle on the sky.
January’s full moon is the Wolf Moon
All full moons have popular nicknames. January’s full moon is often called the Wolf Moon because, in parts of the world where they live, wolves are active in January and often howl on cold nights. Other names derived from North American indigenous peoples also refer to January’s cold. They include the Cold Moon, Frost Exploding Moon, Freeze Up Moon, and Hard Moon.
Early January full moon and the June sun
Every full moon stays – more or less – opposite the sun. The moon’s path roughly follows the sun’s daytime path from six months ago, and six months hence.
In the Northern Hemisphere, you can see this happening as you watch the early January full moon rise to almost the top of the sky near midnight. Because this full moon happens to fall closer to the December solstice than the one in December 2025, it rises almost to the top of the sky, higher than other full moons.
High arc across the sky of the early January full moon closely matches that of the June sun. The low arc of the early January sun closely matches that of the June full moon.
For the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the same effect, but reversed. Since it’s early summer there, this full moon rides low in the sky as the December sun rides high.
The high arc across the sky of the early January full moon closely matches that of the June sun. The low arc of the early January sun closely matches that of the June full moon.
Tracing the high path of the early January full moon
You can experiment with the path of the sun and moon. Simply trace a line with your finger from east to west along a low arc above the southern horizon to emulate the sun’s early January path. Then trace another path high overhead to mimic the full moon’s path in early January. And you’ll see that the higher path will be much longer than the lower one.
The monthly paths come into balance
Little by little, we can watch the two paths come back into balance. Each month until June, the full moon will cross the sky at a slightly lower arc than the previous month. And each successive full moon takes less time than the previous one to cross the sky. Since this month’s full moon is closest to the December solstice, it rises the highest. At March’s full moon, which is near the Northern Hemisphere’s spring equinox, the two paths – of the moon and of the sun – will nearly be the same.
Then, near the June solstice, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere see the sun cross high overhead during the year’s longest days. And, during the short northern summer late spring and early summer nights, we see the full moon cross lower and spend less time in the sky.
And the cycle continues.
Bottom line: The 2026 January full Wolf Moon, a supermoon, falls on January 3 at 10:03 (4:03 a.m. CST). So the moon will be at its fullest on the morning of January 3. And it’ll appear full on both nights, January 2 and 3. It’s near the planet Jupiter and the stars Castor and Pollux.
“I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime” was a cosmic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations at age 6. It shook his young concept of the universe and launched his interest in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is past president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 24,000 members. He's earned the title of Master Observer and is a regular contributor to the video series, “Global Star Party.” He has authored the celestial observing guides “Exploring the Starry Realm,” and “Carpe Lunam,” and “Take Your First Steps, an Introduction to Amateur Astronomy.” John also wrote for twenty years the monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and currently writes a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blue Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Sky and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical League’s Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observer’s Handbook.
