High on Mountain Tops.

 

Watercolour inspired by the Lochs in Scotland .

High on mountain tops to fly

Descending water cascading by

Reflections in mirrored lochs

While sheep roam free within the flocks

~~

Highland Cattle with horns so long

That welcome smile where hearts are strong

And heather gathered for luck on moors

While crofter’s homes have open doors

~~ 

Whiskey brewed with waters pure

The Land where Brave Hearts endure

Where Shetland Ponies roam and run

And Thistle Emblems once begun

~~

Spinning, weaving, crafts galore

A cottage garden, home and more

Fishing nets and lobster pots

Bagpipes drone in beauty spots,

~~

The Highland Fling, with Tartan Kilts

With pointed toe, and sporran belts

A wee dram here, and wee dram there

The Ceilidh spirit is everywhere

© Sue Dreamwalker 2017

Inspired by the Scottish Highlands

 

I know I have been quiet recently on WordPress,  so I thought to add a poem and some art that I created recently.  I hope you all enjoying the start of your New Year. 

My Intentions for 2018 are to Create! 

 So I  have been immersing myself in several projects, including paintings, and model making. Here are just a couple  of my paintings in watercolour

 

In the mean time, have a beautiful weekend All of you,

Look After Yourselves. 

Oban~ Scotland.

The above view  is taken of Oban Town, from the  The Colosseum-like structure of  McCaig’s Tower.  The view looks out onto the various Isles in the distance. Below is a plaque which shows you the Isles,to which the ferries travel back and forth, to Mull, and other islands, sorry the focus is out on the one below. 

 

Oban means ‘The Little Bay’ It is from here you take the ferries to Mull, and other islands.  I took these photos from this advantage point. The McCaig’s Tower. Which stands high above the town 

John Stuart McCaig (1824 – 1902) commissioned the build  over a five year period from 1895 until his death in 1902. You can find out why it was built by opening the link.   

Inside there is a garden and it looks like this

To get to the tower you walk the steep climb.. We took the steps, all 144 of them on Jacobs ladder, we came back down via the road, it was a steep climb but well worth the view over the bay. It sits 220 ft above sea level. The circumference is 600 ft, and its height is 45 ft. 

The view above was taken half way up when we took a breather as we climbed the steps. 

And I will leave you with a view as we took the ferry across to the Isle of Mull.  This is the Lismore Lighthouse . You can see the snow on the mountains in the background.  More information is provided at the links. 

On a personal note.. I have not been on my blog or in WordPress much this past week. The modem has been turned off, as I have like many this time of year lots to do. I am gradually working my way back to those who always leave me your kind comments..  So if I have not yet paid you a visit since my returning from holiday, I hope to catch up with you soon..

Enjoy your weekend.. And  Look after yourselves

~Sue~ 

 

 

The Edge of Time.

Standing on the edge of time

Looking back on what once was mine

I see the fragments of my soul

As I lost sight of all of my goals

~~

Each Earth decent, I’d start anew

With plans created through which I grew

To Parents born, plus wounds to bare

Each Lesson learned, I’d climb the stairs

~~

Every step, a blueprint plan

Through Aeons of time in many clans,

All with one objective held in mind

To re-connect with self, to find

The part of me I thought once lost

Of which I strove at any cost

To connect the pieces that were lost and gone

That allowed me now to join as One.

~~

It was then as each life I saw

In separation, fallen, trying to even scores

I saw the struggles and suffering pains

Of Karmic Balance, and Human Blames.

~~

Compassion swept through my human lives,

As I witnessed Triumphs, the Highs and Dives,

Each leading me to the Point of Now.

Standing on the Edge of Time. – I bow

~~

For now I see, I was never broken

I was a scattered seed, now awoken

Reaping all of Aeons Past

Now I’m Whole- And Home at Last..

 

The photos are some taken at the end of November on my trip to Scotland.. We woke up to snow this morning here in England, but I am as snug as a bug in a rug.. Wishing you all a wonderful Weekend.. And thank you for all of my new subscribers and for my faithful friends who stick with my comings and goings..  The poem I wrote the day before my trip. 

Much Love to you all and have a perfect Weekend  

~Sue~ 

I am Home..

Three Sisters -Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach, and Aonach Dubh

Sitting in the silence I listen to the echoes of repeated words that bring forth their visions. Which play out the scenes, in the space of the shadows of my eyes.

 

The Kelpies Scotland The history of how they were built and why can be found HERE

 

They are only given form as my intent brings them to life, as they dance to the tune of my mind.

Each thought rushing, colliding, sending chills tingling down my spine. 

Only I give them life. Only I can make them laugh or cry.

The echoes of silence held the drum-beat of my heart as I change the pattern of my thoughts, calming the chaos I’ve created.

Commando Memorial

I listen to its rhythm pounding my ears. I breathe deeper, slowing its pace.

I hear a sound, I feel its vibration.  My voice is its creator, as I chant Omm

The shadows fall away and  a pin-prick of light I see clearly opening wider behind my closed eye lids.

I find myself transported, as I fly through the tunnel at the speed of Light

I am Lighter, no longer of this Material plane, as I step out into a New Earth.

Colours fill my vision like nothing seen or can be described.

Her shimmering waters fill my senses in a musical symphony of tiny bells as each dew-drop holds a note within the frequencies of her vast oceans.

Loch Ness

Mountains of grandeur flank vast lakes. Above me I hear the call of the Eagle, beckoning me to follow her flight path.

I ascend effortlessly in her wake, I glide by her side as she shows me her domains. We turn and soar, dip and dive, swooping close to the water we both touch it, she with wing tip, I with my hand.

Loch Ness

We become One and the same, I am home, One with the Earth, One with the Universe. For inside my BEing I am all and yet I am nothing, I am the BEginning with no end.

For I am Infinity and BEyond

At one within the ocean of consciousness

And the Love I hold explodes from within, like a Galaxy of stars from which I was born.

Now within this moment, I experience a New Birth of what awaits. Where When we let go of old paradigms and let go of fear which has held us trapped within the cycles of time.

So, close your eyes with me

Enter that silent space

And create a New Dream

As we allow it to show us the way Home

© Sue Dreamwalker

Written Between dream time on the 27^th May 2017..

Included are some of the photo’s from our Holiday in Scotland..

Love and Blessings.. 

The Isle of Iona~ Now A Place of Peace..

So the tour continued from the Isle of Mull in to the crossing by ferry from there to the peaceful  Isle of Iona. But this island although it became a training centre for Monks who would in those early years live in beehive shaped stone huts, where they would meditate in solitude within their prayers. It became a major  pilgrimage  centre when the Abbey was built..   Iona is also an Isle situated upon the trading routes between Ireland and Western Scotland.  And many Kings are buried there..  Many scholars believe that The Book of Kells  started its creative life there in the 8th Century.

It also saw its share of violence in many Viking raids as they plundered the riches of the Abbey.  Many  Monks were slaughtered during this time.. More history of these events you can find out by clicking the underlined links .

The Ferry came in as we waited on the shores of Mull, above are the stunning views as we waited for the Ferry.

The Isle of Iona is a serene Isle which only has a population of around 13o people.

Our first glimpse of the Abbey as we approached by Ferry the Isle of Iona you can see the small cottages spead around it. 

It has one of the oldest and most sacred religious places in all of western Europe..  It was founded by St Columba in AD 563, the fully restored Abbey is one of Scotland’s most significant and sacred sites which is reputed to be the burial place of 48 Kings of Scotland, including Macbeth. 

We walked up from being dropped off by the ferry past this row of houses which overlook the shore line

As we walked up the narrow lane we past several small cottages and these were some of their gardens overlooking the shore

This plaque shows how the nunnery once was

The first site to greet us was the ruins of the Old Nunnery,  which was founded in 1200, by Reginald, son of Somerled (Lord of the Isles).  Who installed his sister Beatrice there as prioress  forming the first order of Nuns there. The Nunnery earned the name of The Black Church because of the black habits worn by the nuns 

This part of the Abbey has not been restored and still lays in ruins.

Here you can see the ruins of the Nunnery and the The pink granite walls that remain, are amongst the best examples of a medieval nunnery left in Britain.

Before we walked the rest of the way up to the Abbey of Iona we went past a small cottage with a sign in its window.. Home Made Soup.. It was well past lunch time so we went in and had a take away bowl of home made broccoli soup and home made bread roll. The occupants were delighted to see so many of our coach party and promptly sent the message back into their kitchen as more soup was put on as we said there were at least 40 more walking up the hill .. It was delicious 

Just a little further along we got to the Abbey of Iona  Gates  If you look you can see a Stone Cross in the middle of the Abbey above the people walking. More photo’s and information can be found  Here about these Crosses which have looked out across this ever changing World for more than 1,200 years.

Walking up the lane to the Abbey

The Graveyard at the side of the Abbey

We went walk about’s in the time allotted to explore a little bit more of this community and passed the local Fire Station

This was the Fires Station on the Island

And this was the only Post Office in this little Hut on the right with the red post office sign..  you may need to click to enlarge

We went exploring some more coming across this memorial cross with the names of those who gave their lives in the 1914-1918 Great War.. And one must wonder what impact losing so many husbands and sons had on this small community..  The names of which and closer pictures of this cross can be found at the sight of The Scottish Military Research Group Here  

Memorial Cross of those lost in the 1914 – 1918 great war.. I hope you use the link above to see clearer photo’s of this Cross. 

And to finish off this beautiful peaceful time spent on the Isle before we caught the next to ferry back to the Isle of Mull I will share these lovely views with you. 

Wishing you ALL a very Peaceful Weekend 

Love and Blessings 

~Sue~ 

The Isle of Mull~Enjoy

After our 45-minute crossing from Oban we re-boarded our bus which came over on the Ferry with us to make our way across the Island. Our driver set the ambiance by playing The Mull Of Kintyre made famous by Paul  McCartney .

Please click onto the gallery pictures this will take you to the enlarged versions with narrative below

We set off to cross the Isle of Mull for we had a date with another ferry to take us to the Isle of Iona.

The countryside so unspoiled dotted around with a few sheep and cattle here and there

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It was on the waters edge where we saw a sea otter swimming before I could focus my camera it had dived.

Travelling along the cost road from our own mode of transport A bus So if you see shadows in the reflections this is why as I took these photo’s while we traveled along.

Traveling along a the coast of the island these views were gorgeous

Although the island coastline covers some 300 miles there are less than 3,000 people living on Mull, with the island’s capital town of Tobermory accounting for nearly 1,000 of those.

The capital is Tobermory, unfortunately our trip did not include this picturesque colourful place which is featured on the Children’s BBC.. in the fictitious Preschool TV programme of Balamory  A link of Tobermory can be found here with its colourful cottages in another short video.

This was Bunessan Primary School. Here they take pupils from Nursery School to the age of Eleven years old.

We were curious about the schooling on the Isle of Mull. Our Driver guide told us that the Children go to school on the Island until they are 11 yrs old.. After that they have to travel to the mainland on Scotland. He said it is nothing for a child to be travelling 2 hours before starting school and 2 hours back.  Which made my own 5 mile journey from our small village when I was small seem nothing at all.

A small community on the edge of the shore line  which we approached via a small bridge. 

This was the local Bus which traveled from the ferry port throughout the island and back. We were on our own bus following it for a short while until it took a different route

Inlets merging with the coastline. This stream ran under the bridge we just went over.

Travelling along the coastal road on the Island. It was along such a shallow place among the sea weed we saw our first Otter who was swimming along and he dived from view.

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The star attractions with many who visit are the with Golden and White Tailed Eagles, dolphins and basking sharks, deer, otters and puffins among other bird wild life. We were hoping perhaps of a sighting of a Dolphin on our crossing, (I think they had all swam out to Ireland!) Big smiles Bela.   But we did spot a sea otter swimming close to the shore line among the sea weed before it dived out of view. Too quick for me and my camera. But it was a joy none the less.

These views just kept getting better and better as we travelled the length of Mull

This spectacular cliff overlooked the other side of the bay from where we were travelling on the Isle of Mull . No wonder this is whole area is a sanctuary to wild life. And why those eco tourists keep on coming. 

You can see a small community here on the Isle of Mull in the distance. Small cottages were scattered here and there along the coastal road we were following. Many stood isolated miles from others. I wish I had had more time to explore the Isle of Mull, but its memory will remain embedded deep within my heart 

 I hope you enjoyed the Isle of Mull as much as  I did.  

Enjoy your Weekend

~Sue~

PS Thank you all of you for following and for all the new subscribers. Those of us who have been friends for a long time here on WP and understand about Numbers and synchronicity may appreciate that as I scrolled down to proof read my draft in the preview. 

My Followers update said this 

Join 1,111 other followers

Amazing!

THANK YOU ALL OF YOU

🙂 

 

 

Ferry Crossing from Oban to the Isle of Mull

I hope you are all enjoying your week so far? Well here at last I have managed to find time in-between my catch ups here on WP and gardening, plus I started  a knitting project just before I went on holiday which I am now three quarters of the way to finishing.. My hands are rarely still smiles.. 

This photo I did not take.. Photo credit is HERE and more about How one can get across to the Isle of mull and the Isle of Iona is found also at this site. Credit Source:http://www.welcometoiona.com/index.php?id=10

So I hope to tell you this journey in picture format.. So all aboard the Ferry as we set sail from the town of Oban  heading for the Isle of Mull and then later that day to travel to the Isle of Iona.. But today’s post is all about that Ferry ride and the Isle of Mull.

Oban shore line as we set sail on the Ferry. We went to the top deck to get the scenic views as it was such a wonderful morning. So stood in the fresh air with the wind in our faces 

The water was calm as it reflected the blue of the sky, and we could not have picked a better day for our trip to the Isle of Mull and Iona. 

Full Steam ahead as we look back to the mainland of Oban Scotland

Dunollie Castle is built on the headland at the entrance to Oban Bay.
This castle is visible as you sail into or out of Oban Bay, and is shrouded in the trees

Castle Dunollie belonged the MacDougall clan. It was gifted to his Son Dugall when Somerled Lord of the Isle died in the year of  1164.  Its foundations are said to date back to the Iron Age.  Dugall became the first chief of one of the most ancient clans in Scotland. And this small castle is steeped in History more of which can be found at this Link  about the families  eventual down fall to the supremacy of Robert The Bruce. Better known perhaps as Braveheart..

 The History of Wallace and Robert the Bruce can be found at this Link    I hope those who are interested in Scottish History do follow the links, as it makes this journey even more interesting to see the places steeped in so much history. 

We travelled on and I was clicking away at everything that came into view  if you click each photo within the gallery you will find narrative below them. This Light house came into view next 

 

Eilean Musdile Light House becomes visible as you cross from Oban to the Isle of Mull

The beauty of the shoreline and ocean was breath taking.

Eilean Musdile got clearer as I zoomed in on my little camera. Eilean Musdile (Mansedale) is an islet, and lighthouse to the south west of Lismore in the Inner Hebrides.

the Light house in a clearer view as we traveled still closer and past it. Look at the head land behind.. Wonderful..

The views just kept getting better and Better. Had it been misty or raining most of these views would have remained hidden..

This was another Castle which appeared on our left as we traveled to Mull

Another Zoom shot.. This is Duart Castle.. more of which I will explain about the scaffolding below.

 Duart Castle  greets you from the ferry when you sail out of Oban harbour.

When we sailed by we could see as we got closer that scaffolding now encircled this old Castle. I read up on returning home and because of the huge amounts of rain we had in 2013’14 the castle lost four ceilings due to water penetration through the chimneys. There is now an appeal on going for donations to help restore it.. This castle is still open and again more can be found at the link above. 

Astounding views with dwelling dotted around within the trees..

This was the shore line of Mull as we approached ready to dock the Ferry

Every one looked towards the shores of Mull as we got closer to the Ferry Port.

 The Isle of Mull is for next time.. Wishing you All a wonderful week

~Sue~  

 History Source Credits:

http://www.duartcastle.com/visit/duart-castle/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eilean_Musdile

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oban

http://www.dunollie.org/

http://www.dunollie.org/dunollie-castle-conservation/histor/

 

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomand

The second day we set off to explore more of Loch Lomand..  This loch is one of the largest Fresh Water lochs in Scotland and is around 25 miles long  around 39 Km.  There are numerous small islands too within the Loch itself I believe our guide on the boat said around 30 . Loch Lomond and Trossachs area of Scotland was awarded National Park status in July 2002. And you can see why this beautiful land needs to be preserved in its natural state.

All aboard

There was no better way to explore the length of Loch Lomand other than an hour long excursion on a cruise boat.  So off we sailed and below are the views we saw along the way.

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This wonderful house is called Cameron House

In front of it sat a small sea plane, which we saw take off, if you click the link on Cameron House you will find out more about this House which eventually was bought and turned into a luxurious Hotel.

Sea Plane in front of Cameron House Hotel

Sea Plane in flight

Further along in our cruise we passed the Maid of the Loch moored up to the Key-side. 

The Maid of the Loch

This is the last paddle steamer built in Britain. Once upon a time Paddle steamers would be on the loch dating back to 1818.  This one was loving restored. It is now open to the public as a venue in which weddings can take place and a Tea-room where visitors can have refreshments.  She officially was placed on the UK “Designated Vessels List” which recognises vessels of “Substantial Heritage Merit with Local and regional significance.

After our cruise we walked through a large shopping area and walked to the edge of the loch where the Maid of the Loch was moored up.  

Edge of Loch Lomand and the ‘Maid of the Loch’ Paddle Steamer

You can see in the space of that couple of hours how the sky began to clear and it was beautifully Sunny for the rest of the day. This was how each day was while we were in Scotland. Beginning with cloudy mornings which by midday the Sun was shining through. 

Maid of the Loch

We sat here many a while soaking up the Sun and the view.

We watched a family under their own steam row out into the loch on this beautiful day.

And enjoyed watching the gulls enjoying the Sun in the shallows.

I hope you enjoyed this tranquil journey as much as we did. Next time will be the Ferry ride out from Oban to the Isle of Mull and what a beautiful calm day that was , and the views not to be missed. 

Have a wonderful week, I am still in the process of catching up with you all so hope to see you all soon. 

Love and Blessings 

~Sue~ 

Source Credits:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Lomond

http://www.maidoftheloch.org/about/steamship/