Taexalia

wild.life

Getting High With Mither

If you are going to climb Ben Nevis then I highly recommend not doing it on the first heatwave day of the summer. I don't recommend doing it during any other heatwave either - but the first heatwave of the year and climbing Ben Nevis is a combination that will leave you puffin, pechin, puggled an pitifu... Last year we didn't heed this advice. Thinking about it, we didn't really not heed it, we just didn't really think about it in real terms. The day before we just thoucht "Aye fine ... read more

Scottish Landscape Gallery

I'm fiddling with my image plugins and trying to discover the coolest way to display a whole gallery of my images... So here's the NextGen Smooth Gallery with some of my landscape and scenery photos taken in Scotland. ... read more

Burntisland Solstice

The message from the Firth of Forth this morning was of light following dark. Yule, the shortest day, eases into the longest night. The wheel turns. Life moves on. Bright ... read more

Snake(s) In The Grass

Oh how things change. For years I have travelled to America visiting many interesting places, spending my tourist pounds and being curiously welcomed by strangers asking if I know any Ferguson's in Falkirk as that is where their great grandfather's second cousin twice removed came from. The only thing I've ever done in Falkirk is visit the Falkirk Wheel. My closest link to a Ferguson is the tractor my Granda drove around Belt Croft. My knowledge of ... read more

Women With Altitude

My Mum and Dad have been known to do the odd bit of walking in their time. Their pursuit of height has seen them conquer more than one hundred Munros, as well as many other smaller hills and winding paths. I have joined them on occasion and my own walking resume includes some long paths like the Lairig Gruh, as well as a small puckle of Munros and assorted hillage. There are various reasons why our hill-walking exploits have been curtailed in recent ... read more

Sandwood Bay

I have wanted to visit Sandwood Bay for quite a while. In March 2008 we found ourselves at the top of the track in an unexpected and un-planned stop but the lateness of the hour meant we could not undertake the four and a half mile walk to the beach (and the four and a half mile walk back).When I created my Day Zero Project, it was an easy and obvious goal to add to the list - and a quite stunning goal to mark "complete". That said, I want to make the trip ... read more

Stones of Note

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery is a treasure trove of heritage. The displays are presented in an accessible and interesting way, which made us wish we had a little more time. I did have time to indulge in making colourful rubbings of the replicas of the Pictish Art which formed my favourite part of the exhibition. Above is the Wolf Stone which is an incised Class I Pictish Stone. This wonderful throwback to our ancestors of 2000 years ago was found embedded in a wall in 1903. It's hard ... read more

Oh Shit Sherlock

Having a plan is always a good idea, setting goals is often a great motivator and laying a good foundation is generally clever. Embracing life as it comes, accepting failure and letting go of expectations is wisdom. I had a long list of Things To Do On Holiday and they did not come to pass in the ways I had hoped and planned for, but the surprises and the unplanned moments more than made up for the not-quite-there-yets. Like my nephew learning to stand then gradually having the confidence ... read more

Battle on to save Red Squirrels

This is an actual Fetternear Red Squirrel

The Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is under threat. The two main culprits are habitat loss perpetuated by human development, and the spread of the non-native Grey Squirrel (stupidly imported from America in the 19th century).

Scotland now accounts for 75% of the UK Red Squirrel ... read more

Wordless Wednesday ~ Red Squirrels at Fetternear Estate

Glimpsing Spring

I've covered a fare bit of ground over the past week really. My folks took us over to Lomond Shores which is basically a shopping centre at one end of Loch Lomond. It wasn't as awful as it might sound, but since I'm not a stuff buying addict I was more interested in the scenery. I'm also still trying to forget the cloying stench of perfume that permeated the air - I hate perfume and can't see the attraction of a) perfume shops and b) walking around with a chemical cloud for an aura. We ... read more