Annie's Garden

No, this isn't my garden, I wish it was. It belongs to Annie's family and is I think the prettiest garden on the lochside.

A  cottage garden full of colour and perfume. 

I don't know the name of this. Can somebody please tell me what it is? The noise coming from it was  deafening. A loud buzzing  noise.

It was covered in bees. There must have been hundreds of them. It reminded me of a buddleia bush, but the flowers were smaller, and it had  perfume that was familiar but I couldn't place.

I was in Annie's garden today because I'd been invited to help myself to some of the fruit

So now we'll have black currant jam, and tomorrow if the birds have left any I may pick some raspberries and red currants.

Thank you for the kind and encouraging comments left on my last post. Several of you remarked on the picture I did. No, I'm not a trained artist.  I did fashion drawing a hundred years ago at college. But  never  really used it. Occasionally I go on a drawing course, but mainly just fiddle about with a pen and  sketchbook, and often don't even do that! I think about drawing though!.  I joined  the Art Centre in Ullapool earlier this year, and was  very excited when a little piece of plywood came through the letterbox with an invitation for me to paint a picture. I really enjoyed painting it and for a day actually felt like a proper Artist!  And I have thought about painting some more - I'll just finish making the jam first!

Filling in the gaps!

The problem with blogging is when you haven't blogged for a while it's difficult to know where to pick it up again!

Nothing and everything has happened in the last month - no wonderful pictures to illustrate that of course! We were down in the south of England recently to celebrate my aunt and uncles 60th Diamond Wedding Anniversary - a very special occasion indeed. Before that we walked with friends to raise money for the Highland Hospice

The south has the good weather now, but up here in the frozen north we have endured one of the driest summers ever

cracks appear in what  normally would be extremely soggy peat bog

rivers can be walked across without getting soggy socks

A boy

and his dog.

The Highland Hospice walk was a long walk - 17 miles we think . Here we are on the homeward straight

We passed one or two desirable residences on the way that could have made a killing selling cream teas!

 We've had a lot of visitors. Oliver came from Denmark with his Mum and Dad.

A Viking he may be - but from time to time it gets chilly without your clothes on

Robin (son) came to visit and helped carry the canoe up the garden

back                                                                        to                                                                         front

A trial run to see if it would fit on the  roof rack of the car for a planned (maybe) river trip in September on the River Spey.

 When Robin wasn't lugging the canoe (and his Dad) up the garden path he went for a walk with his aged parents

We climbed Beinn Alligin. It was brilliant. We didn't complete the circuit, as we left it far too late in the day to get going - my short legs and general faffing I think, are to blame.

but he was very patient (Robin that is - and actually, so was the frog)  and waited while I photographed reptiles

and dragonflies

 and sunsets 

More friends arrived and we went to Handa Island (my favourite Island)

And finally, I've attempted to paint a picture 4'' x 4'' It's tiny. Seen on the left I painted it from the photo I took on the right. An Talla Solais,  a visual art centre in Ullapool is holding an auction in August. All members were invited to take part. A tiny piece of plywood (driftwood) arrived in the post and we were asked to create from it an object or picture that related to the sea. I chose the sea - I'm not very imaginative! 

And that I think brings my life in the highlands up to date, although I've still left stuff out, it's a start and therefore makes it much easier to start next time.

Lots of space

I think you should all come to this beach. It is absolutely wonderful and the colours and scenery very special

Here it is and here are the directions. Follow the highlighted yellow road on the left hand  side of the map up to the yellow blob at the very top of Scotland to a place called Faraid Head.

You won't be disappointed 

Follow a sandy path through the dunes

and down on to the beach

whichever way you look

the sand sea and sky fill the space

At times the camera couldn't find a focus point, I used the black dot on the sand (my husband) who was a handy fixed point - when he wasn't moving!

Breathtaking. There were black headed gulls and terns flying overhead and little birds that looked like swallows but without the long tail - we thought they might be sand martins. 

Although it was overcast the light was bright and the colour of the sea almost turquoise in places

The beach is flanked by enormous sand dunes

the highest in Scotland I read

At the start of the walk sits Balnakeil House and near it just through the car park by the gate 

this old ruined church. You can't miss it. I'm assuming you'll come by car, or coach, or bike, or even on foot  (it's a long walk) you will, in all probability, come through the car park and you'll see the church on the other side of the wall.

On our homeward journey from Faraid Head we followed the road round the shores of loch Eriboll before taking a sharp right hand turn and following the smallest of single tracks  overgrown with grass, to reach the second yellow blob on the map.

Dun Dornaigil Broch. A picture of how it was and how it is now. An iron age broch some 2000 years old. 

We came upon it by chance on the banks of the river Hope. I really recommend this detour home. A twisty winding track. I'm sure you'll love it too. We drove for miles and didn't meet a single car - which was just as well as passing places were very overgrown, but the scenery was beautiful. We saw deer, rabbits and pheasants and birds that were too quick for us to identify.

We got home late and had a well deserved cup of tea. A day full of sea and sky and staggeringly beautiful landscapes - as you'll see when you take the tour!