New digs

Another new place for me...moving in winter...interesting. I loaded my car in the dark with 50+ mph winds. We will see if I am missing anything. If so, it is long gone. I unloaded my car in freezing temperatures with a downpour of sleet stinging my face. A mixture of swearing and laughing ensued. I am in and settled. It is wonderful to unpack after five months. And I have a working washing machine again!

Between weathers

Wind power

Unfortunately I was unable to get a photo during the height of the storm. This is a photo of the same area as the last blog post in the waning hours of the strong winds.

Definitely a new season

Autumn Colour

As I write this, a seal who looks as if it is going to burst is flopped on a rock in front of my window. It has been a good autumn so far. Obviously, good fishing for the seals. The wind is starting to pick up and we are forecast to have a spell of gusts up to 60mph. A couple of herons have just flown along the coast...I always am most concerned about them when the wind picks up, with their long wings and legs...they don't seem built for the wind...but I should know by now that you can't judge a book by its cover.

Contrasts

Why is it easier to adapt to driving on the left side of the road than using my high beams and horn?

Play

With darkness closing in around 4:30 these days, I may have to start taking night photography seriously. Even during the day, the sun seems to be disappearing off to the south. It means no more spying on the seals on my return home from work. Here is a photo from an evening a few weeks ago as one of the seals playfully leapt back and forth in front of the house.

Autumn

There have been so many calm, warm days this autumn. Today felt more like a lazy summer day. I think everyone is taking advantage of this weather. People out on walks...windsurfing in the harbour...paragliding over the hills. Animals sleeping in the sun and grazing in the fields. Yet there are changes. The hills have more brown and red hues. The sun seems to be disappearing to the south. And I am now at the point where I get up at sunrise and drive home from work at sunset. The daylight hours are decreasing rapidly. 

New beginnings

Moving to a new area and starting a new job...my emotions run the gamut. There are moments of joy and disbelief of reality. There is a great deal of humbling and pure exhaustion of starting over, of having no history. There are wonderful surprises. There is an intense amount of learning.

Meeting the neighbours

My home at the moment. An otter family went swimming by a few evenings ago. Spotting them was a challenge as it was a particularly dark afternoon. This weekend I may be found hiding behind a rock for hours to spy on my neighbors (of the marine variety).

Searching for Sandy loch

To avoid disrupting some men from their task of moving sheep to a new field, I changed my plans and reversed the direction of my loop walk. This meant my walk started across a moor towards the ocean, along the coast, and then back over Ronas Hill to the car. Looking at the map, my plan was to head for Sandy loch...figured it would be recognizable...distinctive red hair and a smile. Then head just to north of it to come out at the coastline at some dramatic cliffs and waterfall.

Bogbean in the first loch.

Sand in Sand

People have been living on this land for thousands of years. As I explore the land, there are constant reminders of past inhabitants and how the distribution of humans has changed. The Haa (laird's house) is still present at Sand and I believe at one point, Sand was on the main east/west route. On the day of my visit, I enjoyed the beach to myself with only a few sets of footprints and paw prints as evidence of recent visitors.

Heading to 60° North

I have said goodbye to Glasgow to pursue my dream of living in a more remote environment. Of the many lovely places in Scotland, Shetland tops my list. When an opportunity popped up, I jumped. For weeks after moving, it felt like a holiday even as I tackled a new job. It feels a bit more real now.  In many ways, this move is like my move to Scotland. I am moving into a new environment and there are many reasons why it may not work. So thankful for the opportunity and we will see how it goes!

Balancing act

It is nice to know that even the natives have trouble staying upright in the wind.

Word of caution

Warning: the ratio of words to photos on this blog is likely to get even smaller.

Weaving light

I am always casting my eyes towards Isles. What is the draw? Is it the inescapable realization that you are surrounded by the power of the sea? Is it the unique characteristics of a community that is geographically held together? Is it the spirit of islanders who make the most of the resources available? Or is it just so I can have an excuse to ride on a ferry?  This trip (taken back in April) meant riding on the most posh ferry I have been on in Scotland. With never enough time to explore, I made a sprint for the Outer Hebrides to the Isle of Lewis and Harris on a 4 day holiday weekend.

A stroll along the wall

My focus, so often, is north. When I do go south, I have sprinted by a fairly well-known historic site. Recently I decided to take a drive through the Scottish Borders and Northumberland, with my eyes on Hadrian's Wall and the remains of the historic fort at Housesteads (originally named Vercovicium).

My accomplishment of the day....walking along 1.25% of Hadrian's Wall.

Note to self

May I always be free to wander, roam aimlessly, even when I can't remember the destination. The destination is not important. The journey is where I find joy.

Last minute plans

Taking the opportunity of a last minute cancellation to spend the weekend in the Highlands is one of the joys of living here. Here is how it unfolded...

Saturday morning-
06:45...wake up
07:19...catch the train
08:20...catch the next train
11:20...step off the train at Corrour and to this...

Winter blues that make me happy

The light. It is hard to beat the light in Scotland. 

A Saturday in February, I found my way to Rannoch train station. It is fairly remote in the winter. There is a road into the station but there are just a handful of homes. The train station buildings are closed in winter. The weather forecast was cold, unstable, and moderate winds. It is a 3 hour train journey from Glasgow. My choices were to stay for 7 hours or 1.5 hours (based on the train schedule). With a fairly good chance that I would only stay 1.5 hours, I hopped on the train because I knew that even 1.5 hours would make it worthwhile. It did.

Back in a wee minute

Life just keeps racing along and just like that, a month has passed since my last entry. My blogging dwindled towards the end of last year and I attribute it to two factors. For some reason, it is harder to find the brain time when employed..which is the reason it took me awhile to realize the second factor. The second factor is that I have been spending much of my free time doing activities that are not unique to living here. Nothing seemed particularly noteworthy. While there is nothing wrong with that, I want to take full advantage of this opportunity and enjoy why this place is so special to me. Noted and action taken:)

Rome wanderings

Recently I spent a long weekend in Rome. My first time in this magnificent city. So much amazing history, art, style, and food. What stood out the most to me? How well the city blends youthful energy while living amongst structures that carry so much history.

And a concern for Italian pedestrians in Glasgow. Glasgow drivers give very little respect to pedestrians. I don't dare step off the curb onto a crosswalk if a car is in sight. In Rome, I would still be standing on the curb trying to cross the Via del Teatro di Marcello if I followed the same behaviour. Pedestrians in Rome step onto the road with a nonchalant confidence that gives the air they feel they have equal right to be on the road as a car does.