Kayaking

Shadowed by the policeman of a lingering pod of orca, shallow into the shore of an appointed camping spot.  Being tail-flipped into a series of rollicking capsizes by a playful dolphin, off the rocky extremities of Cape Wrath.

Two anecdotes told with relish by a consummate storm-going veteran of the outdoors.

He'd rounded our tents as we packed up for the early ferry.  What time did it leave? We shared our journey in German and English, back from Castlebay, through Oban to Glasgow.

I asked whether he had ever written about his experiences.  No, only his log books.  There were other writers.

Some refuse to accept the wild sea and land as unwelcoming realms,  but respectfully occupy their own place amongst other creatures and weather fronts.

We fixed his phone and I gave him a postcard drawn at Howmore a few days before.

behind the new house

Second time lucky

Sometimes I send drawings on a postcard to people who I don't know, using twitter to collect victims. 

In September I sent the card below from Howmore, South Uist to @aikowrites.  But I addressed it wrongly and it never arrived.  Did have funny correspondence with @RoyalMail who said that the card would have been destroyed.  This is what happens to miss-addressed post.  Maybe someone saved it from the shredder and has it on their pinboard.

Here are the other cards I sent at the same time.

On 2nd Jan I drew this and posted it, again to @aikowrites.  aiko sent me a photograph when it arrived safely:

St Oran's Chapel, Iona, in the Reilig Oran.  Here, as at Howmore, there are graves of Lords of the Isles.  Somerled himself might be nearby.

Bedroom for the undead Saint Sea Otter

Happy New Year

Postcards from the Edge II

All of these cards were posted at Howmore, South Uist on 6th September.  Some were sent to twitter followers, the rest to family and friends.  Some other cards had already been given away * * , and some came home with me *.  

The cards shown were drawn between the 30th August and 6th September in a few different locations: Howmore; various locations on Berneray; a couple of ferries; St Clements, Rodel, Harris.  Picture taken on the table at Howmore hostel, as I did the divvy up. 

Twitter followers who responded to the offer of a card #postcardsfromtheedge:

@aikowrites *, @randmhousekpr, @tinyblob, @davidtuckisgay, @benrobertsphoto (card), @homespunvintage, @caponicus, @mrkipperling, @bremnerdesign, @mhutchings, @jencrabtree, @stjudes

*card m.i.a. 

update:  the card sent to @randomhousekpr turned up 2 months late and with an Edinburgh postmark.  Particularly odd as it arrived on the same day that I had got in touch with Royal Mail to see if it could be traced.

A Very Long Engagement...Card

Congratulations card for a dear friend and her husband-to-be, pictured in their bookcase in London.

A panorama done on the move: the changing view on the crossing between Rum and Arisaig.  Taking in the mountains of Skye, Knoydart, and Lochaber.  Watercolour on cheap lion brand blank postcards.

And a special envelope made from the Companies & Markets pages of the FT.

A Drawing for A Dram

He was a rigger in recalibration after a stint of night shifts.

A large dram was administered as I sat outside drawing.  John sat on the other bench with the bottle of Bushmills.  He wore a jumper forgotten on the pulley by another (smaller) hosteler.  A couple more draughts were drawn before he disappeared rig-lagged into his room.

I don't know where this drawing is now, possibly on an oil rig miles out into the North Sea.  Autumn migration south may have taken it to a different beach hut.  A swap: heather and reed thatch for palm.

A Tale of Two Saddles

I made a wee sketch of a tandem aboard the MV Loch Portain, the Berneray to Harris Ferry.  The sketch went home with the owners of the bike, lovely Alan & Wendy, who we had met the day before.

The tandem has been Alan & Wendy's mode of transport on adventures all over the world, while we are touring novices; it was great to chat panniers and packing with them.

This week Alan & Wendy sent a photograph of the drawing, up on their wall alongside mementos from their other trips.

A & W also did a tour blog - warning - this site has quantities of powerfully diverting reading material!

 

Herring Gull finds something interesting in a bin

Berneray 31st August: Electrical & White Goods, Lobster Pots.

2010, berneray, drawing, Loch a Bhaigh, pen, plein air, postcard, scotland, west, outer hebrides,

Over Meadowbank Stadium to Inchkeith and Fife

Nelson's Monument & Edinburgh's Disgrace

for a girl (grill?) who likes to BBQ

lindisfarne from the flying scotsman 22.06.10

postcard: to self, the cocktail isles

eigg nog!

1 o'clock 2 o'clock Wedlock

dornoch cathedral ink drawing

Guise

Postcards from the edge

Postcards from Canna. Some sent to twitter followers who responded to pre-trip offer of a card. More details here.

birthday card

after grandad's birthday lunch, down the road in lower largo. it rained.