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❤️Short ❤️Sweet ❤️Magical…

…inspiration from some of my best places on earth!

Welcome to my home made mini movie!

 

Postcard from Edinburgh

Linking the old and new town of Edinburgh is a secret stairway of steps snuggling into the magnificent former offices of The Scotsman newspaper. Built in 1899 the 104 steps are in an octagonal stone tower connecting North Bridge with Market Street.

A secret stairway between new and old Edinburgh: the Scotsman steps

Unbeknown to many who scamper up and down the beautiful steps, they are a Category A listed artwork created by Martin Creed in 2010, a commission by The Fruitmarket Gallery.  Creed revitalised the old stairway by refurbishing the steps with different marbles from around the world; walking up and down the rainbow slabs is a fantastic treat.

Many marbles from around the globe in Martin Creed’s functional artwork

There’s nothing precious about the hard working steps, you might well find them decorated by abandoned liquor bottles or perhaps smelling pungent; they were made to live in the city!

At the top of the steps is The Scotsman building, an imposing palace of wood panels and marble! The former HQ of Scotland’s leading newspaper is now a hotel, with vestiges of publishing grandeur everywhere.

The extraordinary grandeur of The Scotsman newspaper offices, now a hotel

The hotel now has a whisky bar where previously the newspaper’s front page was created!

In The Scotsman Hotel…

 

On The Scotsman Steps…

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Here’s a glimpse of windswept and barren Pendle Hill infamously associated with witchcraft trials, executions and magic since 1612.

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On a magical day under a spring sky beside a swelling, rolling tide, I made this mini movie of Evan sorting fish to bait creels for crab and lobster.

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In a favourite bluebell wood.

The air filled with heady scent, wish I could share that here too!

Dancing with Life!

Inspirational, uplifting and romantic too; a glimpse of favourite highland scenery. Love sharing it! Music to my soul!

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Home made mini movies from favourite places…definitely music to my soul!

Welcome to my world!

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The River Mersey is a mighty waterway in northwest England with an extraordinary history. John Lennon airport sits on the Liverpool bank, facing the shores of Wirral, where the Manchester Ship Canal transports shipping inland.  Here’s a glimpse of it all, from an easyjet flight on the runway into the sky above the clouds on a beautifully clear day, with low tide in the river below.

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This is my friend, an extraordinarily kind woman who has been visiting the swans of Liverpool’s glorious Grade 1 listed Sefton Park on a daily basis since 2010, forming an incredible bond with the resident adult pair and the cygnets they raise each year.

Feeding them only healthy food, especially sweetcorn, she is trusted absolutely by the swans. They recognise her from afar and it it is astonishing to see them fly or swim some considerable distance to reach her.  On summer days, after feeding, the family group will often gather beside her on the grassy bank, to sit peacefully in the sunshine.

This young male cygnet is less than one year old and will soon be departing with his siblings to establish his own territory elsewhere. Meanwhile his parents will prepare the nest for this year’s young, all being well.

Burning up the old year, welcoming the new: the hogmanay bonfire of Biggar

The extraordinary hogmanay bonfire of Biggar

The Scottish ritual of hogmanay ushers out the old year and welcomes the new.  And while there’s much tradition around whisky drinking with neighbours and taking a sod of peat or lump of coal for their fire, the South Lanarkshire town of Biggar celebrates hogmanay in a wildly pagan way.

Holding their breath! Homes and public buildings close by the Biggar bonfire

In awesome annual spectacle, the citizens build one of the biggest bonfires imaginable on a public highway, using Manitous to reach the upper heights!  The mountainous pyre is lit on New Year’s Eve and burns for days; the street party begins  early evening December 31 2016 and ends sometime in the afternoon of January 1 2017.

Pagans consider fire to be a purging force; cleansing the air of evil spirits, cleansing the ground of disease and making way for fresh new growth.  The good folk of Biggar are purging for the world!

Burning up 2016!

While many tourists visit for the beauty of the local landscape, and especially the Pentland Hills, the mighty  bonfire is becoming an attraction of international renown. For those who can’t make it, there’s live  webcam coverage.