While most of the great writing had been done before they moved to Brownsbank, many works, including ‘In Memoriam James Joyce’ and his ‘Collected Poems’ were published while he and Valda stayed there.

From Brownsbank, he went on many world-wide journeys and the world also came to visit him. While his friends, the poets Norman MacCaig, Sorley MacLean, Duncan Glen, the composer Ronald Stevenson and others were regular visitors, he also entertained many visitors from furth of Scotland, including Yevgeny Yevtushenko, composer Alan Bush and concert pianist John Ogdon.