Godfellow and his pictures

"Heavens above will you look at that Tanya and let's just shut this window like right now!" 

It was just before eight am, the sun was shining and there was not a breath of wind to rustle the purple heather landscape in our secluded perch above Loch Sgiopoirt in South Uist. Tanya was, as usual, having her morning tummy rub on the bed as I lazily came to after a good night's sleep. I often open the sliding window at the head of my bed which is at the rear of the motorhome. Tanya loves then to put her nose outside and have a good sniff of morning and all its doggy promises.
However; ..... sunny warm morning ....... not a breath of wind ........ Scotland in all it's colourful Hebridean August glory ....... Well; It means only one thing ........ Midges!! ....... Huge clouds of them cavorting in ecstatic dances of blood sucking anticipation of Sadie disgorging its human and doggy content.

They really are a sight to behold when appearing in such vast numbers outside of every window. But the morning was beautiful and I knew brisk movement would render the number of midges able to bite face and hands tolerable. So it was on with the recently purchased 'George from Asda' hoody which was duly tied tightly round the face. Binoculars and camera in pocket. A quick spray of 'Avon Skin so soft' to further deter the blood suckers. A leap from the door into their midst and away Tanya and I went at a brisk pace which thankfully did the trick of providing a moving target accessible only to the fittest and most intelligent of midgy society.

Oh! And what a reward. To be overlooking a western Isles sea loch, deathly still and mirroring the morning sky of benign blue and fluffy white is to see Godfellow and his/her artistic skills in the no walls or roof gallery of 'now' or 'in the moment'. Human artists can capture and portray skillfully such vistas and indeed they too take your breath away with their accuracy, use of colour and individual perception. No one though, can provide such a gallery as this Godfellow artist. Every millimetre twist and turn, of the eye, a new three sixty degree panorama of unsurpassed beauty presents itself. My attempts to photograph wee bits of this breathless vista were, I knew, mere pin pricks of mediocracy against such incalculable perfection. Plus we could not stop moving or within milliseconds the squadrons of midges gathered together in numbers also incalculable!

We were soon back in Sadie enjoying breakfast along with a few guests who, as is the Midgy way of life, died off relatively quickly and left us in peace. The door was opened again at ten thirty. Not a midge in sight and another pleasant walk was enjoyed. The magnificence of the early morning was now not to be seen. No; there was now a breeze rippled bluish grey sea loch under an amassing mixture of high hazy stratus and rolling grey Cumulus. Bright, benign and with blue sky to the north it still was, but the unwordable beauty of the early morning had gone.

What now then Tanya eh?" Says I as I mentally struggled with 'shall we move on? Shall we stay? Or whatever. When I reach this point in my deliberations there is usually a shrug of the shoulders as once again I acknowledge the 'don't know' aspect of this new life of mine. As usual too, something always turns up. This time it was two local ladies taking advantage of the weather and arriving for a walk and a picnic. They pointed out a particular walk they had done previously which of course saw Tanya and I well into it ten minutes later. I guess, looking back, it was the icing on the cake. The sun re appeared as we meandered around the sea loch and I just could not resist working down to the shoreline, stripping off and skinny dipping in the cold, but not as cold as expected, loch. Exhilerating!

The wonderful day continued as we drove over the causeway into North Uist and perched for the night on the magnicent North coast beaches between Machair and Solas.

I reckon Kite flying tomorrow eh Tanya?