David, what a profoundly elemental and utterly terrifying experience; in other words, it fits the definition of the sublime. Did the ferox inspire the legend of sea monsters in those dark lochs? Sleeping suspended on that "thin wafer of darkness between two oceans of stars" while giant fish lurk just below makes for a powerful and very discomforting image. Thank you for sharing your small loop of black silk with us. xo
Oh yes, I hadn’t thought of the sublime. I’m so glad you said ‘discomforting’. So much of our time in nature is joyful and warm and uplifting. But we spend less time dwelling on its fury and darkness and decay. Now, though, I think we maybe need both the carrot and the stick :-)
Hi again Kathleen. Thanks for reading some more. Well, there are many more sequels and back-stories of the crooked loch. But it might be a while before they bubble up to the surface :-)
Thank you for reading on, Mari. I don’t always know where I’m going - but there do seem to be harebells along the way, more often than not. Their tinkling, tremulous bravado always gives me hope :-)
Hi Thea. Funny, on the desk in front of me is ‘A’ Ghàidhlig is Lochlannais air Aghaidh na Tìre’ (Gaelic and Norse in the Landscape - Place names in Caithness and Sutherland). I’m sure you’d love it, midgies and all :-)
Well, I’m a bit of a home-boy now. We live, as you’ll be well aware, on the fringes of Rheged. Once you chip away the Norman Castles the Norse land patterns and the old Brittonic dialects start to come into view just before the mist clears of a morning. I’ve just finished my PhD on the Gaelic of Achill Island so my ears are slowly re-tuning to a different old song :-)
Well, here I am on the other side of the world reading Niall Williams' This Is Happiness, and here comes David Knowles stunning piece of music. Perfect timing during our hot, dry summer to feel the cool mist you bring.
Lovely and lulling and magic as always.
Thanks for coming back :-)
Stunning Suilven and Assynt - I love it there! Thank you for your beautiful words 🙏🏻
Thanks for taking the time to read them, Lindsay :-)
I sent them to a friend who remembers you from the Falklands! How amazing is that? 💚
Thank you for bringing us in this exquisite - if midge plagued - journey.
Thanks for coming along, Leah :-)
I am transported, David!
Hi there Patricia. Always room in the boat for you :-)
David, what a profoundly elemental and utterly terrifying experience; in other words, it fits the definition of the sublime. Did the ferox inspire the legend of sea monsters in those dark lochs? Sleeping suspended on that "thin wafer of darkness between two oceans of stars" while giant fish lurk just below makes for a powerful and very discomforting image. Thank you for sharing your small loop of black silk with us. xo
Oh yes, I hadn’t thought of the sublime. I’m so glad you said ‘discomforting’. So much of our time in nature is joyful and warm and uplifting. But we spend less time dwelling on its fury and darkness and decay. Now, though, I think we maybe need both the carrot and the stick :-)
Exquisite, enchanting, beautiful. I am once again transported and inspired by your writing. Thank you, David
Thank you so much for taking the time to read some more, Luci. People’s time is a precious commodity - I do my very best not to waste any of it :-)
Will there be a Part 2 telling us a about the new shore on which you were deposited?
Hi again Kathleen. Thanks for reading some more. Well, there are many more sequels and back-stories of the crooked loch. But it might be a while before they bubble up to the surface :-)
Oh dear. Well, I'm sure I'll enjoy your next tale then, although I'll always be wondering about that unexplored shore!
Enchanted. Always.
Yes, Emily. You are indeed a one-person feedback loop of enchantment, refining it with your esoteric crafts at each turn of the wheel :-)
Extraordinary. The sacred is never far from you.
No, never far from us. But sometimes it hides in the long grass ;-)
Exquisite.
Hey, old friend. Lovely to know that you are keeping an eye on me and my scribbles :-)
Always!
Thankyou for reading- really makes it evocative
I love the wind coughs and splutters and the midges following the pied piper of your breath
Such special writing 🙏🏻
Thanks for coming back for some more, Sharon. I love it when an odd, gamble of an image makes someone smile :-)
Such an evocative landscape and atmosphere coming to life, thanks so much for the conjuring… (and the harebells in particular!)
Thank you for reading on, Mari. I don’t always know where I’m going - but there do seem to be harebells along the way, more often than not. Their tinkling, tremulous bravado always gives me hope :-)
Thank you for sharing David, even with the midgies it still sounds like an empowering trip.
Hi Thea. Funny, on the desk in front of me is ‘A’ Ghàidhlig is Lochlannais air Aghaidh na Tìre’ (Gaelic and Norse in the Landscape - Place names in Caithness and Sutherland). I’m sure you’d love it, midgies and all :-)
I love most parts of Scotland even with midges. Are you travelling around much while your there!
Well, I’m a bit of a home-boy now. We live, as you’ll be well aware, on the fringes of Rheged. Once you chip away the Norman Castles the Norse land patterns and the old Brittonic dialects start to come into view just before the mist clears of a morning. I’ve just finished my PhD on the Gaelic of Achill Island so my ears are slowly re-tuning to a different old song :-)
One of the most enduring parts of British history is the multilayered bits of language that emphasise what a melting pot we are as a people.
Beautiful writing Hopi g to connect again with you and Sharon next month x
Hi Karen. Lovely to hear from you and picture you still up on the bow of the ship, so to speak :-)
Well, here I am on the other side of the world reading Niall Williams' This Is Happiness, and here comes David Knowles stunning piece of music. Perfect timing during our hot, dry summer to feel the cool mist you bring.
Thanks for taking the time, Susan. Glad it dropped by at the right moment :-)
Beautiful!!
But--- what happens next ? 😊
Love it --- thank you!
Isn’t that just the best of questions, Lynn :-) Bravo !