An adventure on Skye

+ a(nother) long overdue catch up!

Hello there!

Like most people, it seems, I can’t believe it’s October already! In my last post (in July!) I was optimistically writing about getting back on top of things and writing regularly again. And just like that, I’m writing for the first time since then and Autumn is here, the heating is on, and there are beautiful golden crunchy leaves everywhere.

I had set aside the first two weeks of this month as a holiday, to catch my breath a bit after a hectic summer, and regroup before *that* busy time of year gets going again. Last week we had a glorious wee trip to Skye (more on that in a bit) and this week I’ve been loafing around at home, battling a cold, and trying to take it easy and take time to rest, whilst I have the chance (and doing little bits of work here and there).

I have managed to get my diary organised for Christmas Pet Portrait commissions - expect a proper launch next week along with a post all about how much I love painting your beautiful pets. However if you are keen to get ahead of the curve you can click here to be the first to get booked in!

My personal work is still on the back-burner, which I’m sad about. I did manage to make a little bit of headway in August, but shortly after I got a chemical burn in my eye (silly accident which led to a trip to hospital + lots of eye drops) which hindered my progress just a bit! It’s been hard to find the time to pick things up again but I’m going to try my best to make time for it because I miss it.

A wee peek of what I managed to get up to…

OK, onto our trip to Skye now…

This month my husband and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary so we wanted to go on a wee holiday. We had initially planned to go to Argyll but, long story short, it fell through due to some emails getting lost in the ether, leaving us wondering whether to just stay at home or find something else last minute. After searching online for a while, thinking of different locations in Scotland to look at, we found the most beautiful wee cottage on Skye, and as luck would have it, it was available for our exact dates. We booked it, and got our bags packed ready to make the journey the following afternoon.

We had a lovely week - the cottage was gorgeous and we wanted to move in! It was right on the water so we could sit on the sofa and watch the tides roll in and out, perfect.

The highlight of our week was a boat trip to Loch Coruisk - it was incredible. I’ve been determined to see seals in the wild for ages and my husband Tim knew this boat trip would be the perfect opportunity (having done it a few years back when his friend got married there). It did not disappoint! The scenery was just amazing, and it was a gorgeous sunny day. As we approached the Loch, we caught a glimpse of an otter popping its head up and disappearing back into the water with a flick of its tail. Soon after, we saw lots of gorgeous seals lying on the rocks in the sunshine. It was just wonderful to see them and it still makes me feel really emotional thinking about it! It was a really special experience.

Loch Coruisk itself was magnificent too - glassy green water, completely clear at the edges, dark and inky in the middle. Rocky slopes and hills enclose it and make it feel like a really magical place. I did almost have a nervous breakdown trying to cross the river on some wobbly rocks but that aside, it was one of the best places I’ve ever been to.

After we returned on the boat, we did a long walk over to Camasunary Bay, which was also glorious. We saw just a handful of other people (and a snake!), and when we reached the Bay we had it all to ourselves, and I ran along the sand with Jeffers. It was an incredible day.

The rest of our time on Skye was spent exploring the beach outside our front door, and a few more coastal spots on the island. We managed to catch a glimpse of some more seals (or maybe otters) from a distance, and I think I might have seen a porpoise too.

I sometimes feel like going to Skye is a bit of a cliche, since it’s so popular… but it really is such a beautiful place and I’m so glad we went. We mostly managed to avoid the busy tourist hotspots, although we did stop off at one of them and it was sad to see a huge tarmac carpark, and a viewing platform where people were just getting a quick photo and then leaving. Someone was even talking on their phone as they leant over, looked up briefly to get their photo taken, and walked off. It just feels like a bit of a shame for these beautiful, wild places to not feel fully appreciated. I know lots of people do appreciate it though (us included!).

I’m sad it’s all over now but it was a much-needed break and change of scenery (even though we do live in another beautiful part of Scotland!). I took my sketchbook with me but it sat on the windowsill untouched… I think it was good to just switch off from everything though, and I have plenty of photos and memories to use for inspiration in the future.

Alright, that is all for today. Onwards with getting things in order and back on track, or something like that…