The Green Isle of the Great Deep

Starfish circles, originally uploaded by ccgd.

The beach was littered with starfish the other morning, but all very much alive and making their way back to the water in a very determined, but not almost very accurate way.

A most unusual sight. Slighty disturbing.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

Wasp and spider, originally uploaded by ccgd.

Not a great technical shot, but interesting in what it shows, a fairly large spider dispatching a wasp on the window beside my workbench.

I was working on an old computer, and luckily had a camera beside me when the wasp was trapped by the web, and out pounced this spider.

All over in about 90 secs, just long enough to try a couple of shots, No Macro lens of course, and bright light from outside, but the effort just shows how hard this type of photography is.

Oh and Ruth has asked me to clarify that this shot is from my very messy shed - and not the house!

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Barn 2, originally uploaded by ccgd.

A trip around the Highland Housing Expo, on the Brae just outside Inverness. I must say that I was most impressed by the exhibition, the buildings and the architecture.

It did feel however that I was in a suburb of Stockholm, Reykjavik or Helsinki - modern low carbon building designs borrow a lot from Scandinavia, or they are just 10 years ahead of us.

This building - the Barn - was my favorite. Light without being full of glass windows, innovative timber construction, and upside down in the sense of bedrooms on the ground floor and living space upstairs.

It did however remind me of a modern version of our 300 year old Cromarty home - Albion House - similar proportions, similar living spaces (our living space is on the 1st floor, and has been since the 17th Century) and similar use of local relevant materials.

Well worth a visit. Its on until the end of the month.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments

Little and Large, originally uploaded by ccgd.

Cromarty has been busy with visitors this year, the Firth has been busy with Liners but the harbour area has been significantly quieter.

No Ferry, you see.

Not for want of trying I’m sure. The Cromarty Ferry Company sold the 25 year old Cromarty Rose last winter, and bravely invested a significant sum six figure sum of there own cash in a brand new larger four car ferry from a yard in Southampton. All credit to a local firm investing in a new facility.

The new vessel was supposed to arrive in May, then June, then July. But its not here yet, and one can only image the problems that has caused to the ferry company, and to travellers looking for the Ferry. It’s the cyclists I feel sorry for, as the short journey across the Cromarty Firth is a popular short cut for both touring cyclists and the Lands end to John O Groats lot.

A 35 mile detour at the end of a long day is not a great option.

So lets hope the new ferry arrives soon and rescues just a little bit of the end of the visitor season.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments

Equinox morning, originally uploaded by ccgd.

The North Sutor at 6:30 on an August Morning.

Constant blue skies, can be a bit overrated.

Dry would be nice though.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments

Alcazar sunrise, originally uploaded by ccgd.

Toledo, August 2010

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

Sierra Nevada Sunburst, originally uploaded by ccgd.

Some times there are just a couple of clouds in Southern Spain.

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

Nightfall, originally uploaded by ccgd.

Looking west over the foothills of the Seirra Nevada

July 2010

Posted by Flickr Scotland at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments