Islay beach finds.

Having unpacked - here's the week's beach finds.

Skate egg case: by the wind sailors; pottery; bottle stoppers and more stuff to clutter up the house!

Saligo Bay - two versions.

An oil and a splishy sploshy acrylic ....

The acylic

The big oil!

Islay wildlife highlights.

Back home and it's raining...somehow there isn't the impetus to tog up and go out that there was on Islay!

...and the final set of Islay prints.

Inspired by the rocks at Saligo bay ...apologies for the shiny nature of the photo - taken in poor light under a daylight bulb.

Tom's Port Ellen geological excursion!

We bought a copy of 'A guide to the Geology of Islay': Webster, Anderton and Skelton- a really clear and informative book. So now we know what the key features of our walk were - see the captions below the pictures.

The left hand picture shows blades and the right hand picture shows a rosette of kyanite in a thin metamudstone interbed near the top of the Jura quartzite. 

Cubic crystals of pyrite. 

Singing Sands and otters.

Up and away promptly so as to catch the best of the day's weather. There was a glorious light on the sea as we walked on round the coast past the Singing Sands and great views of three otters playing in the surf.

First the paw prints - then the ripples and then the family of three.

Hares on Islay.

Just my favourite animal.

Drying out in the stubble fields. 

Mussel prints

I began by using a gelli plate but then the mussels were using foam that had been painted to try to achieve a more banded effect on the mussel shells.

Saligo Bay - chasing the waves and light!

A spectacular afternoon!

Machair Bay

It appears there was rather a lot of rain overnight....the car parking was submerged and the beach looked more like an outwash plain! Walked along to the north of the beach through the dunes and then along the beach crossing the river where it entered the sea.

The wreck on the beach just as the tide reached it. 

Port Charlotte Hotel - dolphins...

While sat in the hotel bar blogging, there was an excellent display of bottle-nosed dolphins leaping and playing - a good view from the window!

Killinallen and onto Doodilmore

For a day that wasn't supposed to be sunny we had a real treat! The ground was relatively dry and the wind wasn't too strong. Rocky ran and ran and the views beyond Gortantoid were superb as always.

Goose barnacle gelli prints

A damp afternoon on Islay, so time to print!

Loch Gruinart RSPB hide.

Lunch in the hide - as it was rather damp outside rewarded us with some lovely views of a female hen harrier quartering; catching prey and being mobbed by a hooded crow. Fabulous.

Saligo waves....

As always there was a good sea on at Saligo! ....and then it began to rain!

Otter footprints; oystercatchers and a happy dog! 

Lovely folds.

Bowmore to Gartbreck, Islay

A lovely afternoon and the sun came out too!

Bridgend woods and cemetery, Islay.

A duller day was forecast so we stopped off at Bridgend while there was some degree of light for photography. The snowdrops were over, but still a good display.

Bridgend woods; scarlet elf cups, Jew's ear fungus and snowdrops.

The cemetery was completely overgrown ....but very atmospheric.

Ardnabreck art work...

I am trying to do some art work everyday while we are away....here are my cup and ring inspired gelliprints.

Ardnave ...(2).. By the wind sailor strandings.

..and continuing from the previous post...

The stock at Ardnave farm ...always in good condition.

A moist morning!

The middle pictures are of a 'mass stranding' of by the wind sailors -
we've found single ones but never in this number on a wrack line. 

Ardnave point .....(1)

A drizzly day with a few clear spells. Off around Ardnave.....this little walk never fails to provide plenty of interest. Infact so much I'll have to split the blog into two!

I never can resist a good wave! 

View from our picnic lunch; oystercatchers and sanderling. 

Goose barnacles on an American buoy - probably from a tuna long-liner. 

Achnabreck Cup and Ring

A lovely, if not a tad damp, walk near Lochgilphead to see the cup and ring carvings. A short walk through the 'Scottish Rainforest'....lots of mosses, lichens and liverworts. No one is sure what the markings are but they are between 4000 and 5000 years old and are very striking.

Spring Gentians and bird's-eye-primrose.

Playing around with gelli prints and photos....

Digital media gelli prints

I've been playing around with combining gelli prints and photographs in Adobe Photoshop elements and think that this may just have opened up a whole new avenue to explore!

Wild Alexanders

Wild Garlic 

From Three Tarns towards Great End and Broad Crag.

So this was the photo ...

...and the oil....

Kite Feeding Station ...Laurieston, Dumfries.

So lucky with the weather today. A fabulous display and even some sunshine!