The Western Isles

Whoop, whoop... holiday time with some lovely peeps off North to spend some time on the Western Isles as the title suggests.

We met up at work, piled (very precisely.... think of tetris) all our luggage into the minibus and off we went. Slowly until the driver got used to the van.

I don't often get driven around and it was quite relaxing to sit up front ( I get car sick) and check out the scenery.
Up the A9 and then a much needed comfort break for expulsion and imbibing of differing fluids at ******

Another stop to take in the scenery and I could have stopped for a while but we all really wanted to get to our destination.





Driver doing a fabulous job and I was helping navigate.

Not many photos today as mostly we were driving.
We eventually got to Ullapool, had our chips, wandered about a bit, you know, postcards, checking out the wet weather gear.

Arrived at Stornaway and then the final stretch .....................

 

Losgaintir, here we are....unpack, sort out rooms and chill along with a short walk on the beach.

... and that was Sat over.

Aha... Sunday

Beach at Losgaintir

Today was mainly spent exploring as this was my first time on Harris. Enormous skies and views to calm and inspire.

So glad I'd bought myself a new jacket, being cosy made all the difference to the day.

Enjoying the shapes in the rocks and the patterns formed in the sand by the wind. Ideas beginning to form.







And..... Monday!
After breakfasting, we all loaded up into the minibus and headed to another part of the island for a walk.

The sea is such a beautiful force, twisting and churning at the rocks, continuously molding the coastline.

 

 I could spend hours looking out to sea, breathing with the constant movement of the waves - but today, a little chilly to sit still so onwards we went.

Not sure of the friendliness of the cows here so we bypassed them further up the hill, seems like they found a tasty lunch though.

In the distance is a building on a small rise and this is where we're headed, I'm happily jumping around the rocks admiring the striations and configurations in the stone.

The ruined building must have been such an isolated place to be, I think it may have been a church.

Love the limited views through the wee windows and of course the doorway with the muted colours of the land outwith the walls.

More next time.

Such a beautiful place.

 

London Wedding

Had a brilliant time at a wedding held in Croydon, London.
The event itself was beautiful with Ella's Grandfather walking her down the aisle, kilt swinging.
I was so pleased to have been invited and was able to see some old friends and celebrate with them.

The handfasting was probably more memorable than the service if a little cold. Many there, myself included, took the opportunity of jumping the broomstick.
After the meal, along with drinking and dancing we could also take photos in a specially curated booth in honour of Star Wars - lightsabre, Princess Leia head piece and a grand dark hooded cloak.

Before the event, I took advantage of being in London to visit an old friend and we visited Kew Gardens, amazing! Some lovely sculpture and a fantastic exhibition with hundreds of dried flowers threaded and hung from the ceiling. We were able to walk through these - astounding.
Then there was the bee place! wow!
This incredible structure has been built to replicate a bee hive.

"The Hive is a unique, multi-sensory experience designed to highlight the extraordinary life of bees. A feat of British engineering, it stands 17 metres tall, set in a wildflower meadow.

The Hive is an immersive sound and visual experience. The lights you see and the sounds you hear inside The Hive are triggered by bee activity in a real beehive at Kew.
The intensity of the sounds and light change constantly, echoing that of the real beehive. The multi award-winning Hive was inspired by scientific research into the health of honeybees. It is a visual symbol of the pollinators’ role in feeding the planet and the challenges facing bees today."
(https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/attractions/the-hive)
You can walk inside and it is a strange experience but very beautiful.

The Hive

inside The Hive, top level

inside, bottom level

The gardens themselves are beautiful to walk around and much bigger than expected, could spend all day there with a picnic and sketchbook.

the greenhouse

greenhouse again

The structure just leant itself to some arty photos and I couldn't resist.











During our walk we came across a wonderous line of gorgeous statues. The carving is excellent and made me a little envious, must practice more.

detail

 

There was also an amazing exhibition/ installation of dried flowers. Walking amongst them was quite surreal and would have loved to have been able to be there with no other visitors, but hey, that's the way it goes.