St Kilda – Island on the edge of the world.

Anyone who saunters through my blog will very soon find that I was, for over 28 years, an Army man, a soldier, a squaddie!

This involved living in all sorts of weird places, in peculiar circumstances, and doing all sorts of things that the average joe doesn’t get to experience.

One of the places I lived was on the remote island of Hirta, in the archipelago of St Kilda. In all I spent over 8 months there, normally on a rotational basis of 6 weeks on, 12 weeks off. You can read a little about it here, and here.

During my time there I don’t think that I ever experienced the superb 4 day block of good weather that Angus Mackie and his group of kayakers did for their trip that is shown here.

This post is not about me but it does show a place that is dear to my heart, and to anyone who has ever been lucky enough to experience it.

Just as anyone who has experienced a true desert will know  what “desert fever” feels like, those who’ve been to Kilda will be forever drawn back there, even if it is only in memories!

This expedition report is rather lengthy, and will be hastily skipped through by some, but for a few it will be of great interest. The link at the bottom will take you to a marvellous set of photos and videos. It takes a while to load as they are high resolution, and lots of interactive 360˚ shots. I hope you have time to enjoy them.

A link to a newly updated blog post of “A Superlative St Kilda Sea Kayaking Expedition with Skyak Adventures.”

St Kilda is a place of superlatives!

The remote island archipelago of St Kilda lies some 40 miles west of the Outer Hebrides and not only is it a UNESCO World Heritage Site but it has the highest sea cliffs in the UK, the largest seabird colony in northern Europe and a quarter of the world’s gannet population.

It’s also an amazing place for sea kayaking…!!

 

I’m Angus Mackie, a professional forester and photographer, based just north of Inverness on the beautiful Black Isle.  I’m on the North Coast 500 and am well placed to discover most of the Highlands.  The iconic scenery of Glen Affric and the Cairngorms are close by whilst many of the wild and dramatic locations on the west coast are within easy reach.

Mountains, landscapes, coastlines….  As a landscape and panoramic photographer who specialises in 360° photography, I enjoy exploring Scotland and its wild and remote places and have discovered some of the best photography locations in the Highlands over the last 35 years of living up here.  With a broad and wide ranging knowledge of the Highlands, I still enjoy finding new locations and fresh perspectives for my photography.  The use of natural light to capture stunning scenery at spectacular locations is very much a key factor for my photography.

I’m a qualified Summer Mountain Leader, a Sea Kayak Leader and a UKCC Level 2 Sea Kayaking coach, with many years experience of leading and guiding.  I am also a longstanding member of Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team.

Copyright © 2018 Scotland360° and Angus Mackie.

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Lundi limerick #19

A shrimp who was sailing the seas

had terrible pains in his knees

He headed for land

got stuck in the sand

and then got infested with fleas

Flippin’ awesome

What’s not to love about penguins? Check out Kelly’s lovely account of her wander through Melbourne’s Sea Life Aquarium.

Kelly With A Why

Penguins fascinate me. Flightless, skilled swimmers, they are an oddity of the animal kingdom. Fish out of water, or rather, birds out of sky. I admire their resilience, adaptability and noble sense of duty in the face of adversity. Out there in nature, survival is not assured for the entire black and white army – it is only for the fittest and luckiest of its soldiers. These guys live in harsh environments and face prey at sea as well as on land. I can’t bring myself to watch wildlife documentaries, it’s too much reality. Ignorance is bliss – as is a leisurely hour observing and appreciating these beautiful creatures at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium.

I like to wander through Melbourne’s world-class aquarium every year or so. Sea Life is home to an impressive array of marine life, with the King and Gentoo penguins the star attractions. There are beautiful…

View original post 342 more words

Twittering Tale #95 – Raindrops on Glass – 31 July 2018

It’s time again for Kat Myrman’s wonderful challenge to tax our creative souls. Just take her photo prompt and write a story, inspired by it, in 280 characters or fewer.

Photo by markusspiske at Pixabay.com

Here is this week’s prompt and my contribution. Check out all the fabulous entries here.

I do love a seaside holiday.
So do I, but not the West coast of Ireland!
You must agree there’s some fantastic scenery?
I would, if I could see it!
It’s getting lighter over there.
That’s just wishful thinking.
Oh, come on. Be more positive.
Two more pints of guinness please landlord!

(278 characters)

 

Song Lyric Sunday Theme for 28/01/18

Helen’s theme this week is one that immediately set my music brain to The Sound of Music, but we are not going there! Oh no!

The theme is goodbye/farewell, and I can think of no better example to share with you than the absolutely divine, stupendous, moving music that is obviously enjoyed by not only the audience and the singers, but also by the whole orchestra. Played, and sung with the utmost feeling, it is “TIME TO SAY GOODBYE”

This piece of Operatic Pop has been hugely successful in many countries, used for sporting events, film scores, and, of course at concerts. It has been covered by numerous artists, and translated into many languages.

To appreciate this to its fullest extent you really need to sit down, get rid of all distractions, watch on a larger screen, and turn the sound UP.

Lyrics

Quando sono solo
Sogno all’orizzonte
E mancan le parole
Sì lo so che non c’è luce
In una stanza quando manca il sole
Se non ci sei tu con me, con me
Su le finestre
Mostra a tutti il mio cuore
Che hai acceso
Chiudi dentro me
La luce che
Hai incontrato per strada

 

Time to say goodbye
Paesi che non ho mai
Veduto e vissuto con te
Adesso si li vivrò
Con te partirò
Su navi per mari
Che, io lo so
No, no, non esistono più
It’s time to say goodbye

 

Quando sei lontana
Sogno all’orizzonte
E mancan le parole
E io sì, lo so
Che sei con me, con me
Tu mia luna, tu sei qui con me
Mio sole, tu sei qui con me
Con me, con me, con me

 

Time to say goodbye
Paesi che non ho mai
Veduto e vissuto con te
Adesso sì li vivrò
Con te partirò
Su navi per mari
Che io lo so
No, no, non esistono più
Con te io li rivivrò
Con te partirò
Su navi per mari
Che, io lo so
No, no, non esistono più
Con te io li rivivrò
Con te partirò
Io con te

 

Songwriters: Francesco Sartori / Frank Peterson / Lucio Quarantotto

Time to Say Goodbye lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Global Talent Publishing