Trinket: My Wee Highland Coo

OK, I'll admit that I brought back more than a few trinkets and treasures from our trip to Scotland in '11.  But none of them gave me more grey hair than this one!

I found this 'coo' at a darling pottery shop in Skye as we waited for our ferry over to Harris Island.  Skye was one of the first places we visited.

Isn't she adorable??

But oh so delicate!

The shop did a grand job of wrapping and boxing her so she would travel safely for the rest of our adventures.  Even so, I still gave the stink eye to Himself or Dave when they got too close to that box.

Not one 'hair' was harmed.

Not even her little tail!

I so recommend a stop at Uig Pottery in Uig, Skye.  It's right by the ferry dock, just a few steps away.  Great place to chill out while you're waiting for the ferry to arrive.

Linked to:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/handicrafts-trinkets-and-memories-31/

Travel Theme: Frame (Through the Windows of Scotland)

The theme for this week is 'framed' photos.  Easy topic for me since I love doing this with my photos.  I think my very best photographs often use the framing method.

Here are some of my favorite 'framed' photos I took while in Scotland, using a window or door.

Dunstaffnage Castle, partial ruins

One of the oldest stone castles in Scotland, it dates to 1220.  This view looks out to Loch Etive.

Stirling Castle, these buildings date to the 1400s.

One of the most important castles in Scotland, with several kings and queens having been crowned here.   The window reflects other portions of the castle.

Argyll's Lodging, near Stirling Castle.

A view of Loch Duich from the iconic Eilean Donan castle.

Castle Urquhart window overlooking Loch Ness.

View of the Highlands from our window on the Jacobite Steam Train.

Sorbie Tower, seat of the Clan Hanna.

The Baptist church on the west side of Colonsay Island...

... and the Church of Scotland on the east side of the island.

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2015/10/30/travel-theme-frame/  

Travel Theme: Dogs (The Angriest Dog in Scotland)

September 30, 2011 was a dreary rainy day on the island of Skye.  A driech day they call it.  The reason Scotland is so green.

We stopped at the museum home of the Scottish giant Angus MacAskill, and the gentleman who keeps the place came down from his house to let us in.

And his old Border Collie came with him... probably from his comfy bed in front of a warm fire.

We looked and visited for quite a while, to the sound of collie sighs.

When it was time to go and we said our good-byes was the first time the dog looked happy.  He headed straight away up through the rain to the front door.... until...

...Himself decided I needed to take a photo of the museum keeper...

... and his dog.

Mister happily called his faithful dog down for the photo op.

Dog was angry...

...very, very angry!

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2015/09/04/travel-theme-dogs/

Travel Theme: Land Meets Water...

This week for Travel Theme Ailsa asks where is our favorite place 'where land meets water',

So easy... SCOTLAND!

From our first day there to leaving a month later, land met sea over and over.  Each time was absolutely beautiful.

Colonsay Island - home to my McPhee ancestors.  This 'raised beach' was the view from our B&B breakfast table.

Skye

Harris Island - home of the famous Harris Tweed.

Lewis Island

Did you see "Brave"?  This is where the 'standing stones' are located.

At Durness... way north on the main land.  It was a wild and beautiful day of gales and rainbows.

Tiny Crivie on the east side of Scotland.

Our last days in Scotland were spent in this seaside cottage in Port Williams, Gallway... home of my Hanna ancestors.  Sunshine and gales both were here.

We walked along so many beaches during our month in Scotland.

None of them disappointed.

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2015/07/10/travel-theme-land-meets-water/

Lighthouse on Lewis Island, Scotland

Did you know that today is "National Lighthouse Day"?  

What is it about lighthouses that fire our imaginations?  The romance overshadows the reality of the hard lives of lighthouse keepers.

On our trip to Scotland a few years ago, we traveled to the northern most point of Lewis Island.  It is know as The Butt of Lewis or Rubha Robhanais in the Scots Gaelic.  It is wild and stormy with strong winds on the mildest of days.  In fact, it is considered the windiest place in the UK.

So here stands the Butt of Lewis lighthouse.  It was built in the 1862 to protect the ships rounding this point of land.  It used to have 3 keepers and their families living here.  It was automated in 1998.

It is built from unpainted red brick with gold yellow trim around the windows and edges.  It is 121 feet tall with 168 steps in the stairs to the top.  (It is closed to the public).

The light from this lens can be seen 25 miles away!

Looking out into the North Sea.

A small fishing boat heading in from its day.

These cliffs are 60 to 80 feet tall.

And those cliffs are still forming!

Casting a big shadow.

That night this was the view from the window of our B&B... tho several miles to the north, every 20 seconds our room brightened a wee bit all through the night.  It made me smile to know I was being lulled to sleep by the lighthouse.

Telling the story . . . (guest post by Himself)

Part of the art of storytelling is not just the story but the way it is presented.   Two people could tell the same story but, if told separately to you, you would likely get two different takes on it.   Is that ‘bad’?  Not necessarily.  Not in the context of what you may be going after -- the art of sharing a story.   I learned that when collecting family history from the elder members of my family.  With so many pictures for them to peruse and comment on I didn’t have time to write down data on each picture.  Nor could I write fast enough or clear enough to catch all that they were saying.  What to do?  Tape-record the stories!

Although it took time for the older family member to stop glancing at the tape recorder in nervousness or consternation, the pictures laid out before them soon caught their interest.  Then you got your first smile.  Followed by a big grin.  And then the stories started.  Words flowed, as did laughter and sometimes tears.   You might even catch the slap of a leg on tape as Uncle George (or whomever) grinningly reacted to a picture that got its first leg-slap 40 years ago after its first telling of some escapade that he was a part of.   Of course, his partner-in-crime (my own father) had HIS version of the story too!   With his own leg-slapping.   Did they match?  Usually not, but it didn’t matter.  It was that time together and the telling of the story.  

All of that older generation is gone now -- but I have on tape their voices, their laughter, and their memories.    Back in my own home I could then transfer the recorded data to specific pictures.  One can pick and choose what to actually add onto or under the old pictures – perhaps leaving space for ‘another version’ of the story from another relative!  (A suggestion is to grab your own pictures & tape recorder and please, get those voices and memories on tape from your own family members . . . while you still can.  I cannot emphasize how special it is to listen to them years later.)

A technique in recording your own stories and/or writing them down?   A suggestion is to listen to people you like listening to.  It could be an older relative’s quiet voice, or as different as a comedian telling a story in a way that you never get tired of.  One I like in style & presentation is Bill Cosby.  He not only tells a story with humor that makes you smile, but he gets a point across in a way that makes you think.  And remember.  Nothing wrong with recognizing and perhaps honing a style close to your own that helps laying it out – either factual data or maybe just the story.

One person’s style I observed and enjoyed was a guy named Frank in Scotland.  While Teri and I were touring a historic house in Sterling, Scotland, he was the tour guide.  After touring many places, walking around and ‘just listening’ was by now routine for us.  However, I noted myself listening with more interest to this guy – not because the house was more fascinating than any of the other historic houses or castles.  No – because Frank himself was!  Think the old-fashioned Ichabod Crane . . .     A strange looking fellow, he used that feature to his advantage.  While wringing his hands with expressions of despair and dismay one moment to wide flares of his arms and looks of elation the next, he kept all of us enthralled as he took us from room to room and event to event.   He carried on like he had personally experienced the dramas of long ago but was delighted that he was back in the here-and-now to share them with us.  Only when he finished did he ‘break character’ and say with a smile, “Ladies & Gentlemen, I hope you enjoyed the tour as you listened to my stories, lies and exaggerations!”   It was then that I realized why I had enjoyed this particular tour the most; we had experienced a lesson in history by a master story teller. 

Was everything he said (and how he said it) totally historically ‘accurate?’  Probably not.  His tales were fantastical.  But I found myself wanting to not only follow his stories, but believe them.   And wanting to hear more.     And, like Frank, I enjoy sharing an exaggeration . . .   Or perhaps a lie or two . . .   

;-)

And the stories continue . . .

"Himself"

Tweed... Harris Tweed...

Do you have a favorite fabric?  Mine is tweed.  And today is National Tweed Day.

What is tweed, you ask?  “Tweed is a rough, unfinished woolen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is made in either plain or twill weave and may have a check or herringbone pattern. Subdued, interesting colour effects (heather mixtures) are obtained by twisting together differently coloured woolen strands into a two- or three-ply yarn.”  (Wiki)

And the best tweed of all is the Harris Tweed: “A cloth handwoven by the islanders on the Isles of Harris, Lewis, Uist and Barra in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, using local wool.

Harris Tweed is a cloth that has been handwoven by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.

Harris Tweed is protected by the Harris Tweed Act of Parliament 1993, which strictly outlines the conditions in which the cloth can genuinely be made.  Authentic Harris Tweed is issued with the Harris Tweed Orb Mark, the United Kingdom's oldest registered trademark, after inspection by the Harris Tweed Authority, the industry's governing body.  "Harris Tweed means a tweed which has been hand woven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the islands of Harris, Lewis, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra and their several purtenances (The Outer Hebrides) and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides"

Today, every 50 metres of genuine Harris Tweed are checked by an inspector from the Harris Tweed Authority before being stamped, by hand, with the Orb Mark.”  (Wiki)

So what does all that mean?

It guarantees that your ‘Harris Tweed’ came from someplace that looks like this… (the croft of Mr. John McKay on Harris Island).

… from a machine set up like this…

…and powered like this…  (Yep, those are foot pedals!)

And it produces fabric that looks like this…

… deep, rich wool fabric.

And it is stamped with the Harris Tweed Orb.  (They also issue labels for use on finished goods.)

Mr. McKay’s yards of tweed he has woven.  I was like a child in a toy store; which one did I want?

THIS one!  Seriously, how could I pass up a purple tweed?! 

I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do with my yardage. 

But you don’t have to travel to Scotland to find Harris Tweed.  There is another way… at your local Goodwill store!

I can usually find a men’s jacket of Harris Tweed each time I visit.  I look thru the 50% off tags and come out with beautiful fabric for about $3 to $5.  I have a nice little stash built up that I will be soon putting to use.

Maybe I’ll cover a clock like Mr. McKay did with a piece of his own fabric.

There are all sorts of things I can do.

Fun stuff!

Love the oversized button on this purse.

Lovely.

This scarf is a cool idea for scraps.

I could use some new pillows for the couch…

Even little scraps can be made into something cute!

Right down to the last threads!