Week 1

 So we have made the trek up and across the globe and once again find ourselves back in our beautiful, restorative cottage in the Scottish Highlands.

The first week is always one of recovery and re-settling, remembering the rhythms, the places and the ways in which we move through this part of the world, differently to Australia.

Not much creativity has occurred as we re-adjust, so here is a sequence of images from our first week.

We stopped overnight at Pitlochry and the heather was beginning. We have seen only the tiniest fragment of heather further here in the Highlands thus far.

After a week or so of heavy snow, we were fortunate to be able to drive safely 'up through the middle' rather than hugging the coastal main road. The remnants of snow and the clouds and the sky were magnificent. We stopped frequently to photograph the wonder of it.

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On arrival, our stones at the front door welcomed us once again. I always think of this collection as The World is a Circle - and here somebody has placed a peace dove which may have been felled by a storm or high winds.

The rock garden was fairly spare - Spring has barely had the chance to begin, and it seems as if each timid advance is followed by the need to retreat and take cover for a little bit longer. The tiny, resilient cyclamen astonish me with their capacity to be covered by inches of snow one week, then blooming bravely the next.

Our first morning here we headed for the cove and were rewarded with this wondrous turquoise colour.

Back at home, the daffodils have begun to show their faces. There are so many waiting to emerge, I hope they can find their way to blooming.

As ever, the light captivates and the fishing net drying poles fascinate. And the silhouetted horses...

A different perspective on the cove as Barry heads out to the edge on the other side.

I stayed where I was and turned around to capture this bluebird sky and the fence line...

And then this morning - snow and hail! This was the first round of hail, gathering in our front door mat, creating a beautiful black and white checker board.