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You (luckily) won't find many pictures of me on here, but this was my 10,000th picture on the G11 - so a special one : )

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Ardnamurchan Lighthouse

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Loch Nah-Achlaise

Like so many others, we only briefly passed through this hauntingly beautiful landscape, but one I have always wanted to see. I long to go back and spend a week wandering around it's bogs looking at it's secrets.

Rannoch Moor, Scotland.

Rannoch Moor SSSI is located in the central Highlands of Scotland, to the east of Glen Coe. Within its area of 10,102ha, it encompasses an extensive blanket bog as well as fen complexes, which combined constitute about 72% of its area. Blanket bog occupies hollows, level ground and gentle slopes, with species composition reflecting overall wetness and water movement. There are large areas of heath on shallow peat and small areas of grassland, bracken and native woodland are also present.

The moor contains many waterbodies that constitute 10% of the area, and which vary greatly in size.

The smaller ones are peaty and have low species diversity from the low nutrient content. The large waterbodies have an intermediate nutrient level and a greater range of species. Uncommon open water and moorland bird species regularly breed at the site, including black-throated diver, greenshank, dunlin, common sandpiper, greylag goose, red and black grouse, stonechat and wheatear. There are also beetle, moth and fly species of interest.

Taken from the fascinating document "Review of Status and Conservation of Wild Land in Europe"
Source: www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/1051/0109251.pdf

Other recommended reading http://www.wildlandresearch.org/index.html

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Day 2 of Scotland Trip

In short, the day consisted of camping at Kenbridge, a drive over the Queen's Way to Creetown rock & gem museum, and whistlestop tour of Wigtown's bookshops and the Bladnoch Distillery, then back for some fishing!

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Day 1 of our Scotland Trip

The Ken Bridge Hotel and Ken Bridge over the River Ken. In 1821 the present bridge was built from granite hewn from a local quarry after the previous bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1811. Alongside the Ken Bridge hotel provides food, ale and fishing. Heaven.

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Mile 0

All ready to go on our Scotland 2011 Road trip!

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Hosta Veins

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Hide & Seek

Smooth Newt / Madfall Ddwr Gyffredin (Lissotriton vulgaris formerly known as Triturus vulgaris)

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Green Alkanet / Llysiau'r-gwrid gwyrdd

Macro of a the blue flower of Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens). The plant is an introduced species to the UK, probably introduced for it's roots which produce a rich red dye used in eclesiastical robes(Alkanet is the arabic word for Henna).

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Sand Lizard / Madfall y Tywod

A beautiful male Sand Lizard / Madfall y Tywod (Lacerta agilis), showing the distinctive green flanks - this lime green colouration is particularly vivid in the 'Merseyside' race of the lizard. The sand lizard is the rarest lizard in the UK and afforded Category 1 protection by both UK and European legislation.



This was taken as part of the Sand Lizard Monitoring Training Day run by Denbighshire and Flintshire County Council.

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Karine and Stuart Polwart doing a show at Trelawnyd Memorial Hall, a fantastic evening and a greatway to start the Easter Break.

All three are incredibly talented in their own right, and together were fantastic. A lovely evening and I must admit I was moved to tears by a couple of tracks.

Have a listen at www.last.fm/music/Karine%2520Polwart?ac=karine

http://www.therecordjournal.co.uk/livekpolwart.html

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Bigger than a Bathtub.

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Coltsfoot seedhead

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A lovely sight, our Apple tree loaded with blossom : )

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Alder / Gwernen

Spring is here : D

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My First Basket!

My first basket, and the tools used to create it.

Basket making is quite an impressive craft. On the face of it very simple, using few tools and simple techniques; however once you have tried it, you realise the skill and mastery involved in turning those simple twigs into an impressive array of incredibly sturdy objects. I've got a long way to go before I can say I've managed the basics, but I'm glad I've started the journey.

From left to right. An iron, or any weight used to hold the basket stready; willow - in this case 'greens' or recently cut (1 month old) willow, a bradawl for opening gaps and splitting, a knife for creating 'slype' (diagonal cut at the end of a rod), a rapping iron for tightening the weave, and secateurs for creating cuts.

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Time Forgotten

I spend most of my time rushing, there never seem to be enough hours in the day. Work is spent juggling all the different demands, deadlines and timetables that a college can throw at you; home time is spent prioritising all the tasks that I should've been done but haven't.

Today was different.

I spent seven hours weaving. Little else - no distractions, no noise, just sitting in a North Wales woodland on a beautiful spring day learning how to ply green willow. It's my first basket, so not a work of art, but already ideas are forming...but best of all, the chance to sit and concentrate, undisturbed, hard work but so relaxing!

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Seemed appropriate as we have a weekend of basket making coming up!

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Forest in minature

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Smile

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On the edge...

...of the pavement
...of darkness
...of the road
...of despair
...of the day
...of reality
...of time

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Basil seedlings

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Farmhouse and Ash Tree
Vale of Clwyd

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Marsh Marigold / Gold y Gors

also know as Kingcup (Caltha palustris)

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In the UK, Caltha palustris is known by a variety of common names, varying by geographical region. These include Marsh Marigold and Kingcup (the two most frequently used common names), Mayflower, May Blobs, Mollyblobs, Pollyblobs, Horse Blob, Water Blobs, Water Bubbles, Gollins and the Publican. The common name of marigold refers to its use in churches in medieval times at Easter time as a tribute to the Virgin Mary, as in Mary gold.



The specific name palustris, Latin for "of the marsh", indicates its common habitat.

Richard Mabey, in Flora Britannica, describes Caltha palustris thus:

"Marsh-marigolds are in decline as agricultural land continues to be drained, but they are still the most three-dimensional of plants, their fleshy leaves and shiny petals impervious to wind and snow, and standing in sharp relief against the tousled brown of frostbitten grasses. Most of the plant's surviving local names - water-blobs, molly-blobs, water-bubbles - reflect this solidity, especially the splendid, rotund 'the publican' from Lancashire."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltha_palustris