October and November 2020 on Lewis

 I did this post last week but for some reason it hasn't published so I will have to repeat it.  Not sure I will remember what I wrote before.

On Friday 2nd I drove over to Cliff to see the new studio which had opened in April this year.  Beautiful paintings but I resisted temptation and confined my purchases to cards.  I have always driven past Cliff and Cnip beaches to go to Reef, so I thought I would wander around both.  I was lucky there were surfers at Cliff.  

Loving the ripples over the stones

This guy was a good surfer

Images from old boats at Cnip

This is an icm image of the paint on the boat

Heron at sea

I keep going down to Portvoller to see if the jellyfish have returned but I think I will have to wait until next year.  

Images from Portvoller bay

Had a lovely walk with a friend in Lews castle grounds.  This is the only place there are enough trees and a possibility of colour changing but there was nothing to inspire me.  David Clapp - www.davidclapp.co.uk  rang me to say he had arrived on Lewis with a client and was returning in a few days.  He was based in Harris so I drove over last Thursday to meet up.  Unfortunately, I didn't realise the reception was so bad.  We managed voicemails but I missed meeting up.  Still a lovely day out, especially watching the seals jumping at the lookout at Quidnish on the Golden Road.

Juvenile buzzard on the Rodel road out of Leverburgh with small prey

Harris waterfall

rain on the horizon

Seals at Quidnish

Working on Luskentyre beach

Whooper swans have been arriving and leaving from the loch.  Spotted a few flying over this morning but they didn't land.  I had a walk from the Braighe carpark towards Stornoway on Friday morning.  There were a number of seals about and a few followed me as I walked along.  They would come close in looking towards me then have a dive and go further out.  They repeated this as they followed me.  

Looking back over to Point from Braighe

Seal companions

25th October

I am noting the Whooper swans on the loch as they arrive or fly over.  They don't usually stay long.  If I am lucky they will come close for a photo.  Had a walk in Lews castle grounds to find some tree colour.   Managed to get to Bowglas to hear the deer rut.  I only spotted three but there were more about in the hills.  Stopped at Taste of the Ocean for scampi and chips then home.  Trying to find a good place to take a night sky shot as the Hebridean Dark Skies festival on Lewis has been announced for February.  I had a lovely walk with Jenny at Arnish.  She and Murdo had been when they first came on to the island and she wanted to see if it would be okay for the dogs - ie no sheep.  Well there were no sheep but it got close to the edge at one times.  The view was beautiful and the little harbour was a delight.  I will be back as there was a lot of photographic.

Leaves on the ground

A multiple exposure

A fern

The resident heron surrounded by gold

Whooper swans flying over

Swans that came close

Stonechat at Bowglas

Largest loch on Isle of Lewis Loch Langabhat

You will need to click on the image to spot the two deer

Deer on top

I took this because of the light and hoped I would see some deer in the distance but have not spotted any

Two men in a boat

Gathering the sheep

Peat on a rock

Escapees being rounded up

Rainbow on the loch at Portvoller

The old harbour at Arnish

Panoramic view

A wave

I had a lovely walk along the Creech river in the first week of November.  It is a fishing river but there was no one about.  I spotted two dippers.  I could have kept going but had to return for my first hair appointment on the island.  Will return as the river goes to the Pentland road so a good walk if the track is easy going.

an old hut 

one of the dippers spotted

Another walk down to Portvoller bay for beach images.  I got caught in a hailstone storm so was a little wet but it kept dry until I reached home again and a change of trousers!

A lot of seaweed had been blown further up the beach after the storm

A view through my lounge side window with the rain on it

There was finally a sunny day for me to take pics of the small clump of beech trees on the outskirts of Stornoway.  

On the next dry day, I drove toward Bragar, stopping on the Pentland road for a coffee break.  A lovely day.

Flowers sent from my friends Mary and Terry

Seen on a walk with Rupert to Portnaguran

Looking over to the Harris hills from Pentland Road

Not much to see other than the moor

islands in the stream or foam in the river

I am a sucker for a ram with curly horns

A mad cocker spaniel at Dal Mor

Dal Mor

A bonus for me a windsurfer and a surfer at Bragar. There were two surfers but they were all quite far away

More ripples on sand in Bragar

I thought this looked like a face.  I needed to include more of the hair though

a caught feather

A cluster of feathers

There were a few sheep eating the seaweed on the beach

A little brown bird

I met with Jenny for coffee at The Blue Lobster last Saturday (7th Nov) and we went back to Arnish to recce the walk on the other side.  Yet another beautiful day.

Arnish lighthouse

The building is boarded up but the garden is being kept up. 

A pano of the walk for the dogs as there are no sheep and this bit is away from the steep cliffs

Having been told my new windows would be done in December I was delighted to be told there had been a cancellation and they are being started today (9th Nov) and should take a couple of weeks.  Hurray.

Have new windows now and curtains for the lounge will be fitted on Wednesday.  I had a lovely walk last Sunday with my friend Liz on the coast by Portnaguran.  The light was very flat so the photos were just records.  I will do this walk again when the light is better as I can walk from the house.  We have had gales and lots of rain since then.  I have missed a couple of northern lights which were around 8 pm on 22nd and 23rd November.  Luckily I should have other opportunities to get out to see them.

Wyre Law a wrecked trawler

Seaweed pattern

Lots of fungi about

skeleton

 I had a walk with Jenny and then on Saturday a stroll out towards Goat Island.  A few images and some abstracts I have been working on.  I put some flower heads in a vase and waited for them to start dying.  It was good to see the bubbles after a few days but then they went in to a grungy mess.  Not what I wanted.  

Dying flowers

Kate

Ollie

Wildflowers from Dal Mor blended with scratched metal

Starting a new post for December.

www.davidclapp.co.uk