Birth of a Llama

Yesterday was another one of those Scottish days where the sun was really trying to shine but the rain clouds were dropping their wet contents on us every now and again.

We decided to have a wee drive to Inverurie and Banchory to visit our favourite charity shops to see if we could find a few bargains, which we did, but the best part of the day was on our way home.

As I had my camera with me, on the way home I asked OH if we could go the way that takes us past the field with the Llamas, this was to turn out to be the highlight of the day. Luckily the rain had stopped so I started snapping a few photos of the Llamas.

But wait! what was that I could see a little further down the field? Was that tiny legs appearing? Spring has sprung! and a Llama was having a baby :)

.......and a Llama was born. Well it wasn't quite that quick and easy for mummy Llama but I don't want to bore you with the 200+ photos I took so I didn't miss a moment.

I love how the peacock appeared on the wall to see the new arrival. I actually lost count of the peacocks that would appear from behind the wall and walk across the field. A couple of other Llama's, maybe Llama Aunties, came over to welcome the wee one into the world and help mum clean her baby.

The wee one was gradually gaining strength and was able to sit and hold its head high. With a little encouragement from mum it was time for the wee one to find its feet.

There was many shaky attempts to stand and wobbly falls to follow

the wee one eventually managed to find its feet

So glad I went to see the Llamas and had my camera with me. Mother Nature is wonderful :)

and just to finish off a few photos of the peacocks. The first is from behind the peacock while he was showing off his beautiful tail feathers. This is an angle I've never looked at a peacock before, but I find it just as lovely as from the front and so interesting to see all the white spines of the feathers. The guinea fowl on the grass is not interested though.

Then the peacock turned around to show off his fine feathers as the guinea fowl flew off.

and then it rained again! but that couldn't dampen my day :)

Dark Skies, Bluebells and Swans

Yesterday was a day for just going out with my camera for a while

*WARNING* photo rich post... but really only a small selection.

Summer still hasn't arrived yet and the sky at times was so dark, but I love big cloudy skies

I found some Bluebells that are still in flower

But the main reason I was out with my camera was I'd been told there was a flock of swans in a field near me, I have never seen so many swans at the same time. Sorry only 2 in this photo

I love the sound the swans wings make as they flew over me

and then how silent they can be as they glide in to land

I also found Mrs Swan sitting on her nest. Nearby was a heron but it flew off so fast before I could get a photo, I think I will go back here another day as I'm looking forward to seeing how many cygnets hatch.

A bit of a closer look at Mrs Swan

I took so many photos yesterday of all sorts of things, some of these will feature in another blog post soon.

Redwood Gallery

It's raining again today (Scottish weather, but thinking positive thoughts....Summer is coming!) I decided on a wee drive along to Redwood Gallery in Echt, Aberdeenshire this afternoon.

I love this little shop, it is packed full of amazing and beautiful things. The window display was bursting with colour that brightened up the dull day.

The other window had a lovely hand painted heart (bit hard to see from my photo) and I love the vintage cake stand. I can imagine scones and cupcakes on there, or maybe tiny triangle sandwiches and strawberry tarts :)

Over the next couple of weeks the gallery is running a Heart Shaped Art Exhibition ......which I know I've already posted about earlier today..... can't believe I've blogged twice in one day! Look at these paintings, such intricate patterns and beautiful colours,by Nicola Dallas. My favourite is the heart in the black frame. 

A tree of hearts

More hearts and could that be my very own Highland Coos?

 The Gallery sells a plethora of items, there's photographic prints......oh there's the Forth Bridge....I miss seeing the bridge.....must get down to Fife for a visit soon.

There's also original watercolours and oil paintings, jewellery and greeting cards. Sculptures, woodturned and carved creations. I like the use of the old (recycling) computer motherboard on this handmade wooden box.

 Theres also painted furniture small and large and a selction of vintage items.

Natural home fragrances

 Crystals

and just arrived today some amazing digitally manipulated photography prints by Beate Allerton.

WOW! these have to been seen,

and I mustn't forget there's also the worlds smallest Tearoom (unofficially).

The Gallery is well worth a visit :)

Have you been to Redwood Gallery? Do you have any work displayed there?

Heart Art & Local Gallery

Not far from me is Redwood Gallery and Gifts, I pop in now and again to absorb the creativity that is on display and I follow their Facebook Page. They also organise Craft Fairs in the village, which I also love to attend and you never know one day I might even get around to having a stall.

Anyway a couple of weeks ago Lin had posted on the Galleries Facebook Page that she was having a Heart Shaped Art Exhibition at the Gallery and was doing a shout out for art of all kinds to be submitted. Lin had wrote "Submission is open to everyone, whether you're a professional artist, or keen amateur or student. Don't be shy...take a deep breath and go for it."

Well what could I do? there was some umming and ahing, but then I took that deep breath and decided not to be shy. I was going to do this!

I had less than 2 weeks till submission day so sketchbook was out and lots of quick heart shaped doodles started to appear.

I decided to go with this one....What is it?..... well I did say they were quick doodles lol

This is Highland coos! Can you see it now :) I have a real love for these creatures and they were going to be the Heart Art that I created. 

I spent hours totally absorbed in Adobe Illustrator creating my Highland Coos, which are now in the Gallery on display and for sale. A3 Prints (unmounted and unframed) can also be bought from my online shop or pm me on my Facebook Page.

While ordering prints of my Highland Coos I also ordered some greeting cards to be printed too and these can also be bought at the Gallery or from my online shop or pm me on my Facebook Page.

I thoroughly enjoyed creating Heart Art and have a few other quick doodley sketches that might see their way to being created digitally and printed.

If you're near Echt, Aberdeenshire pop into the Gallery for a wee look, they also have the worlds smallest tearoom (unofficially) there.

I'd love to know what you thing of my Highland Coos and if you'd like to see more Heart Art.

I had a quiet moment the other day so created a new profile pic (which looks nothing like me lol) for my Facebook page. The tartan was created in Adobe Photoshop and the character created in Adobe Illustrator. The tartan is going to be part of something else I'm working on at the moment, all will be revealed soon.

Yesterday was....

...... another one of those dull wet Scottish days, I keep telling myself Summer is on it's way and it will be worth the wait.
The fire was lit and I was working on my computer in the warmth (which is near a window) when out of the corner of my eye a flash of white caught my attention. The white horse in the field at the back of the house seemd to be lit up and just looked stunning against the dark miserable sky. I grabbed my camera and out I ventured into the cold, I even ended up sitting on the ground to get the right angle so it was just the horse and sky in the photo.

These were the 2 shots I was happiest with, both did have a little bit of trees in the background in the bottom left corner, which I removed using Photoshop where I also cropped them. Other than that the photos are just how they were shot.

I've signed up to The Institute of Photography to do their Advanced Diploma in Photography as I really want to learn more and use my camera better. So there will be plenty of photos being added to my Flickr Albums and here on my blog. I'm hoping to see improvements in my photography as I work my way through the course. Just need to find time to fit the course in around everything else I do, I never seem to have enough hours in my days, but I'm sure I'll manage somehow :)

Kelpies, Fairies, Stone Circle and Fish

At last it stopped raining and the sun came out yesterday (must add that its raining again today), it was a beautiful day and we weren't going to stay in the house. We'd heard that The Kelpies maquettes were at World Horse Welfare at Belwade Farm, I fell in love with these when I first saw them in 2009 at the Falkirk Wheel and then was totally blown away last year when I saw The Kelpies at the Helix in Falkirk. As OH has never seen either this was the first thing we were going to do.
Unfortunately the visitor centre, shop and cafe at Belwade Farm were closed on a Monday (which surprised us with this being a Holiday Monday) but the car park was full of people wanting to see the wee Kelpies, which we were all able to do. OH was impressed and said "they were bigger than he thought they would be and he can't wait to go see The Kelpies!"

***PHOTO ALERT*** as I had my camera with me most of the day there are a few pics in this post :)

I love the wee man looking up at the Kelpie ... Can you see him?....I'm thinking he is to scale to give you an idea of the size The Kelpies at the Helix

Also at the farm is a modern day stone circle

Some of the large stones had holes drilled through them...... was this where the explosives were put to blast the rock out of the quarry?........ I like the holes

Behind the stone circle is the Fairy Wood so we went for a wee stroll. Just last week I was looking at Fairy Doors and Gardens and have made a board on Pinterest as I was thinking of making some. So it was a nice surprise to find where the fairies live in the wood :)

I never saw any fairies but maybe thats because the  troll was out enjoying the sun

Home for a quick coffee and pizza and to let the dogs out and then it was time to go fishing out on the Lairds wee loch.

When we arrived at the loch we met Davie and his beautiful Hungarian Vizslas

It was a beautiful evening down at the loch

Our boat for the evening

and I caught a brown trout which was released so it can be caught another day

and OH caught one too :)

I also saw 2 deer, an Osprey, a red kite, geese, swans, ducks and trout jumping in the loch.

I had a great Bank Holiday Monday.

How was your day?