London Marathon 2009 & my Mum

Apologies to anyone who has enjoyed my blog, work demands have inconsiderately disrupted my photography and I don't really anticipate much time to take pictures until I retire this time next year. I'll leave the blog up, folks have 'borrowed' some of the pictures from time to time and that's ok by me.

Next year, I'm running in the London Marathon on April 26th, in aid of Alzheimer Scotland. Like many, I've enjoyed watching it for years and fancied a go myself but never got around to it until now. It should be a great experience! One of my colleagues told me not to start too fast because if I was in the lead, I'd have no one to follow and might get lost!

My mother died in 2004, following six increasingly problematic years with Alzheimer's. It was difficult for us, watching her struggle to retain her identity and her dignity, but how much more difficult was it for her?

Alzheimer Scotland provides services, advice and support for sufferers and their carers. It is a fine organisation, doing invaluable work. If you would like to donate to my fundraising effort, go to www.justgiving.com/josephtaylor. The money goes straight to the charity and attracts 25% Giftaid from the government, if you are a UK taxpayer.

See you next year.

The point of the journey

The point of the journey was to attend the marriage of my nephew Kolyan to Maricar in Detroit. It was an Anglo-Indian/American/Filipino bash, a great mixture of people and a lot of fun.

Greenland

Once again, the clouds parted for a while to reveal the southern tip of Greenland.

Skye from Sky

Skye and the Cuillins from 30,000 feet, the clouds conveniently parted to reveal this view. Click on the picture for detail.

Portree Harbour

Portree was beautiful today, bright sunshine and lots of visitors enjoying the village and the views. I wondered if they thought that the summer weather was always this good in the Hebrides!
In gaelic, Port-an-Righ, King's Port, named after James V who sailed into the harbour in 1540. I learned today that the Royal Hotel in Portree, where the Health Board have lodged me on occasion, was the place where Flora MacDonald saw Bonnie Prince Charlie safely onto a boat for the Outer Hebrides in 1746. It was MacNab's Inn in those days but still does good porage and poached haddock.
If you look on www.bbc.co.uk/highlandsandislands there are some lovely pictures of the island, a bit heavy on the bridge but some spectacular coastline too.

Big Thistle

Scotland is famous for its thistles, here's why!

Showing off

We are pleased with our garden, three years to turn it from a mudheap into an oasis! Karen is weeding, Jasper is relaxing and the Calla lilies are from my late father's garden.

Lonely Steading

Near Lochluichart this afternoon, a ruined steading. It looks as if it was once inhabited, no noisy neighbours!

Cuillins from Sligachan

The island is becoming busier with visitors, rewarded with this lovely view yesterday. It wasn't possible to keep the telegraph poles out of the frame, Loch Sligachan is immediately to my right and the tide was in!

Coals to Newcastle!

Much local hilarity. An advertising company came to Skye this week to film a Volvo commercial at Portree Harbour. Just to be sure, they brought along their own wind machine and a fire engine for watery effects. As it happens it was a quiet week so perhaps they were right!

Beinn na Caillich, Skye

'Peak of the Old Woman' in English. The village of Broadford sprawls beneath the Beinn, the largest white building in the far distant centre of the photograph is Mackinnon Hospital, where I was working this afternoon. Someone has to do it.

Navy Grey

The Royal Navy use the Inner Sound between Raasay and Applecross for exercises with submarines and torpedoes, so I imagine that this minesweeper, moored just below Kyle of Lochalsh this morning, was possibly something to do with that. It couldn't be much more grey could it?

Eilean Donan

Eilean Donan Castle from Dornie on Loch Duich. It must be the most photographed castle in the country, in scores of calendars. It featured in movies such as 'Highlander' and 'The World is not Enough'. It's a tourist magnet, even at this time of year.
It was taken by the Spanish in 1719, trying to set off a Stuart rebellion, and was flattened by three British warships soon afterwards. The Spanish were quickly beaten at the Battle of Glen Shiel a few miles away. Now, they are very welcome!

Common Seal

Seals are abundant in Cromarty Firth and conveniently take their ease right next to the A9! Wildlife is wonderful here, within a week and without making any special effort, I have been able to photograph three marvellous species.
At other times I've seen an osprey struggling for height over the Firth, with a large wriggling fish in its talons, a pine marten with a lovely bushy tail and rich chocolate coloured coat, watching me drive past. If the weather was decent, everyone would want to live here!

Red Kite

Great bird life around us, lots of buzzards, the odd osprey and quite a number of Red Kite. This one was over our garden this morning, a bit far away by the time I ran indoors for the camera.

Wild Animals

Continued very cold weather has encouraged the Red Deer down into the glens to feed all day, rather than early or late. This group were about 100 yards from the road in Glen Carron and posed for twenty seconds before becoming nervous and moving off. There were about eight together but it isn't unusual in winter to see 50+ in a group.
A fully grown stag is very large indeed, a couple of years ago I came upon a wrecked car, badly smashed at the front and a dead stag the size of a pony on the other side of the road. On another day, a half-grown deer jumped out into the road and galloped alongside my driver's window for a few yards. They don't mix well with traffic but I've seen very few dead ones this year so maybe they're learning. I see a lot waiting for the road to clear before they cross but if one makes a move, they all do!
Considerable groups of Japanese tourists in the Highlands this week, I met a few walking alongside Loch Ness, covered in snow on the windward side! They seemed quite stoical, quietly enjoying themselves. They are most welcome but might be advised to come in May or June next time.

Hugh Miller

Hugh Miller, 1802-1856, was a geologist, writer and evangelical christian from Cromarty. He became interested in geology when he worked as a quarryman. Self-taught, obviously brilliant, he was instrumental in the development of the Free Church in Scotland and actively opposed the idea of evolution, preferring to believe in creationism but conceding that it must have taken God rather longer to create the world than previously thought. He produced a weekly newspaper called 'The Witness', writing up to 10,000 words every week.

He suffered, or thought he suffered, from a disease of the brain and shot himself on Christmas Eve 1856. They thought enough of him to put his statue on a pedestal looking out over Cromarty within a couple of years of his death and there he is today. Next to the statue is the Gaelic Chapel, built for gaelic speakers in the 1770s.

Cuillins - again

I've pictured these a few times before but don't they look fine in snow? There is something 'Lord of the Rings' about them, although perhaps not the tarmac road and white lines! Taken from above Loch Harport.

Uig Bay

Ferries to Harris and North Uist leave from Uig in Skye. It's a small working harbour, busy as the ferry loads up, then quiet again. Basking sharks come into the bay during the summer, that doesn't happen in Dover!

Staffin

Staffin is a community around a bay in the north of Skye.

Scottish Volcano

North of Portree on Skye is the Kilt Rock. The pleated effect is caused by lava forcing its way up through sandstone a very, very long time ago. If we had a volcano, imagine the tourism, it would be just like Hawaii.