Finished at last

I finally finished off the landscape this week which I had started at a recent workshop. I would be quite happy not to make any more French knots for the next  while!  Although watching Wimbledon on the telly while I sewed helped things along.It just needs ironed and then I will probably find a frame with a deep mount which should show the texture in the flowers. I like the finished result though and it would be a nice technique to use for smaller projects such as cards.

Since it has hardly what one might call Flaming June, it’s a case of going out and about between the showers. On a recent outing to Redcastle, which is on the other side of the Beauly Firth, there were some Canada geese on the shore. More the sort of thing you might expect to see here in Winter perhaps. It was one of those very calm Summer mornings and the view is looking back towards Beauly.

Canada geese on the Beauly Firth

 We spent a few days staying over on the West coast at Clachtoll last week. We stayed in a cottage not far from Lochinver and from the hill above the cottage you can see Suilven which is only a few miles away.We set off with wellies and wet weather gear at the ready, but apart from the first day, we were lucky and the sun shone.

The skies on the West coast always fascinate me. They seem more dramatic there with intense vivid blue colours and great cloud formations. We drove up the coast to Balnakeil on the North West corner of Scotland where we hoped to see  the elusive corncrakes. They are known to nest in the grassy area above the beach and although we heard their distinctive call, we didn’t manage to see any. Maybe next time…

Balnakeil beach

 Further along the beach, past Faraidh Head there are huge sand dunes. The scale of them is difficult to imagine, but certainly, I have never seen anything like it in Scotland. It is easy to imagine you are in some far off desert country.

Dunes at Faraidh Head

 

The countryside is gorgeous  here on a good day.

I happily snapped away at anything that took my fancy. The colours of lichen on this rock appealed to me.

And these lovely little sea pinks which are so undemanding in where they grow.

While we were at Durness we bought another floating stone made by the Danish ceramic artist Lotte Glob. We love the colours she uses and the story behind her floating stones. http://www.lotteglob.co.uk/newsetc.htm Worth having a look.We are looking forward to visiting her Retrospective exhibition “50 years in clay” at her croft at Loch Eriboll.

Lotte Glob floating stones

 We have our ones floating in a blue glass bowl in the garden and they make a pleasing gentle ringing sound when they brush the sides of the bowl.

At Kylesku  we spotted some  jellyfish beside the jetty. They are so beautiful to watch in the water. Very graceful.

We enjoyed a walk in the Assynt Estate which is teeming with wildflowers and birdlife and seems to be a haven for dragonflies. We came across this little shelter  with a turfed roof overlooking the loch. I like the way it fits into the surroundings.

The water lilies are not quite out yet, but they look lovely anyway.

The bog cotton looks so graceful shimmering in the breeze.

We had some visitors back at the cottage, who wandered right past the back door. Some wild red deer who seemed totally unconcerned by our presence. We are quite used to stepping over the sheep to get through the front door, and the odd wildcat has been spotted. You can’t put the rubbish out too soon, or the badgers get into it, but we have never seen deer this close to the cottage before.

Back home from our little break and the garden is filling out well. Plants which seem to struggle for the first year or so, seem to thrive once they get their roots down through the clay. The lupins have gone a bit mad and we will probably replace some of them gradually, with other things. They have been great for filling up the borders with colour and height over the first few years though. Amazing what one packet of seeds provides.

One plant we are thrilled with this year is a lemon meconopsis which we planted 2 years ago. This is the first year it has flowered for us.

We have a family of blackies in the garden just now and there is much furious flapping and crashlandings going on as the babies learn how to fly. Lovely to have them here and they are so amusing to watch.

The first seedheads are appearing now from the Spring flowers and I especially like this anenome.

It looks like it will be too wet to garden much this week, so perhaps I can get on with some arty crafty pursuits.  Hope the weather is sunny where you are.

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