View allAll Photos Tagged February2018
Eilean Donan is recognised as one of the most iconic images of Scotland all over the world. Situated on an island at the point where three great sea lochs meet, and surrounded by some majestic scenery, it is little wonder that the castle is now one of the most visited and important attractions in the Scottish Highlands.
Although first inhabited around the 6th century, the first fortified castle was built in the mid-13th century and stood guard over the lands of Kintail. Since then, at least four different versions of the castle have been built and re-built as the feudal history of Scotland unfolded through the centuries.
Partially destroyed in a Jacobite uprising in 1719, Eilean Donan lay in ruins for the best part of 200 years until Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911 and proceeded to restore the castle to its former glory. After 20 years of toil and labour the castle was re-opened in 1932.
There are four generations of the MacRae family past, present and future who are still the Constables of Eilean Donan Castle today. You can explore nearly every part of the castle and enjoy a journey through the history of the area. Some people say Eilean Donan is the most beautiful castle in Scotland. Come and decide for yourself!
The castle is regularly described as one of the most photographed monuments in Scotland, and is a recognised Scottish icon, frequently appearing on packaging and advertising for shortbread, whisky and other products. Eilean Donan has made several appearances in films, beginning with Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1948 and The Master of Ballantrae in 1953. The castle was the setting for the 1980 short film Black Angel, filmed to accompany screenings of The Empire Strikes Back in cinemas. It featured prominently in Highlander (1986) as the home of Clan MacLeod, was backdrop to a dance scene in the Bollywood movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998, and served as the Scottish headquarters of MI6 in The World Is Not Enough in 1999. In Elizabeth: The Golden Age Eilean Donan stood in for Fotheringhay Castle in England. In the movie Made of Honor Eilean Donan can be seen as home of the groom's family.
The Isle of Skye has always been seen as a magical place. Along with the beautiful landscape there are plenty of myths and legends to stimulate your imagination. With the landscape it’s easy to believe these stories. The Sligachan Bridge has a great tale, and what’s more you can gain eternal beauty from dipping your face in the waters below the bridge.
Sligachan has long been an important junction on Skye, and the bridge across the River Sligachan forms part of the only road leading to the west end of the island.
The oldest known bridge is that still standing alongside the modern road. Whether it replaced an even older bridge, or more likely a ford, is uncertain. The bridge itself appears to have been built in the 1820s and consists of three arches. The middle arch is the widest, but the side arches are not mere flood arches, as the River Sligachan is a wide and ferocious piece of water for most of the year. The roadway is slightly humpbacked over the large central arch and only single track.
The new bridge at Sligachan is similar in style to the many 1930s bridges built in the Highlands, although a definite date has not yet been found. It has a single, wide concrete arch to span the river, and is then rubble faced to help it blend into the landscape. The junction between the A87 and A863 remains immediately to the west of the bridge, with the slight change being that the A863 has been extended slightly northwards to meet the A87s new alignment.
Our lives are generally fast paced. We work hard. Sometimes that ethic bleeds over into our recreational time. I frequently find myself frequently trying to do and see too many things in a short period of time. When I visited the wild horses on the Pony Express trail this year I knew I only had a day or so to spend. I decided to pass the time enjoying those horses that I managed to encounter easily rather than running from place to place to find others. I also took some time to play with exposures and walk the landscape. At one point, a few horses came running by. I slowed my shutter speed and did a few panning shots. Panning photos, for those that are not familiar, are essentially motion blurs but with one caveat. The one necessity is that at least one portion of the photo should be in relative focus. Otherwise, you simply have a blurry photo. Not everyone loves pan shots but I love the sense of movement and activity that they convey. It also allows me to slow down and enjoy my time in the wild. #WildHorses
Have a lovely weekend all my flickr friends whatever the weather. Thank you for all your kind comments & faves. Hellebore in ST James`s Park London.
Have a great weekend all my Flickr friends & thank you for all your kind comments & faves! Crocus taken in Bushey, so lovely to see them again!
As the day unfolds, bands of wild horses slowly approach the roadway for the puddles of water that have accumulated along the ditches. There is no snow out on the plains and no visible signs of water. They know where to go. They can detect water miles away. Looking at the open expanses of land, it’s hard to believe that there is a necessity to restrict their numbers for any reason other than greed. #WildHorses
Niall with his Snow lady in Cabinteely Park, Dublin, Ireland.
I also took a photo of Niall and his family. I gave him my contact card to contact me for a copy
Swallow AD for L'Homme Magazine
February Issue: issuu.com/lhommemagazinesl/docs/lhommemagazinesl_february...
Photographer Magissa Denver
Model: Cub Smit
Have a wonderful weekend all my Flickr friends and thank you for all your kind comments & faves. Lovely to see daffodils again, St James`s Park was full of them!
Stylist & Photographer: Michaela Vixen (VampBait69)
Location: Vixen Creative Studios
The view from my window this morning, hello Skye! :-)
What a wonderful view to wake up to, feel so lucky.
That yellow is so bright, the sun seems to hit it and make it even brighter, I tried to tone it down a bit in Photoshop. But that is actually how bright it is in sunshine.
. . . A view of the D. H. Day barns and farm house from the far east side across the field, on Day Farm Road and Stocking Road. I have walked all around the property on the fence line, but had never viewed it from this road.
Have a great week Facebook, Flickr, and 500px friends!
In 2018 I spent some wonderful time following and photographing the Onaqui wild horse herd in Utah. The herd is comprised of about 400 loosely associated bands of wild horses. You can see how wide open and empty the stunning Utah landscape is. There were days when there was barely a horse to be found. Despite this the BML (Bureau of Land Management) has decided to “round-up” 8 out of 10 of these horses. The round-ups are aggressive, with horses chased across expanses of land by helicopters. Many horses are injured and die in the process. Those that are captured will be sold predominantly as meat. Why is this done? To provide more land for the cattle ranchers! It’s time to stop the senseless slaughter of one of America’s greatest icons. Help #SaveOnaqui #wildhorses There are safe, existing fertility control programs that can be implemented.
Please call the BML at:
Utah 801 539-4001
Washington, DC 202 208-4896
Tell them you are opposed to any round-up but support safe fertility control programs. I’ve done it. It’s easy. Please!!
I've got a feeling that I've taken a similar photo to this one, for WW before.
If I have here it is again!
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
. . . Northern Michigan's signature party spot on a pristine lake has finally frozen over (except for this small patch at the mouth of the Torch River), after being almost ice free just two weeks ago! Now instead of a Burger Barge out there, ice shanties dot the surface! I wonder if they sell frozen fish?
Have a great week Facebook, Flickr, and 500px friends!
A full side view of St Mary's church in the village of Roxby in North Lincolnshire - lit by the bright February sunshine and backed by a crisp blue sky.
The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.
Therese of Lisieux
Peppers Food set up at home, Cabinteely, Dublin, Ireland
Flickr Explore 9 February 2018 - My 4th Explore of 2018 and Explore number 29 in total, since my first in March 2015
Another camellia from my garden, this is the only one growing in the soil, the rest are in large pots. Just got back from London, will catch up with you all later.
Off the south west coast of Mauritius, about 200 meters from the shore, sits this rock in the middle of the ocean, in the warm sapphire blue seas. Crystal rock itself is pretty, but it is the views around that make the experience magnificent, especially with the view of Le Morne Brabant Mountain.
The landlord of the house we rented had a friend with a boat who took us out for the day, we saw 3 pods of dolphins swimming around Le Mourne Brabant Mountain, which came right up to our boat (photos to come), and then we had a freshly caught lunch of lobster on the uninhabited island of Île Aux Bénitiers. Such a perfect day. :-)
Caldas, Colombia on a rainy day.
The Pale-naped Brush-Finch (Atlapetes pallidinucha) is a common species found at higher elevations in the Andes Mountains of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. They are most numerous from 3,000 to 3,600 meters (10,000 to 12,000 feet) above sea level. The Pale-naped Brush-Finch forages fruits, seeds and some insects in brush under-story and forest borders. This species is about 18 cm (7 inches) in length.
“In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet.”
― Albert Schweitzer
15th February 2018:
Graham and I spent the better part of the morning in town having our hearing aids organised, at long last. We'd had the hearing tests in December and have now only just had the fitting for them.
Another hearing test for each of us and then a fitting for the actual aids. But, we now have another two weeks to wait before we can go and pick them up.
While Graham was being dealt with I had a quick walk round. Saw that the lamps to the pizza restaurant were on a grabbed a shot.
I've taken one of these for my photo for the day before, but they weren't lit and looked so different today that I thought it was worth using.
Here's the photo when it wasn't lit up:
www.flickr.com/photos/44506883@N04/30449729915/in/album-7...
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
This was taken on the beautiful Strathaird Peninsula, near Kilbride looking out across Loch Slapin. I think this was my favourite peninsula. We stopped here and had a picnic looking out over this amazing view. :-)
Strathaird is the peninsula on the south coast of the Isle of Skye that lies between Loch Slapin and Loch Scavaig. The smallest and least populated of the main peninsulas, it is reached via the scenic B8083 road which winds its way through the Red Cuillin Hills, around the head of Loch Slapin and through the hamlets of Torrin, Kirkibost and Elgol.
With rocky cliffs, sea caves, the Small Isles offshore and abundant marine wildlife - including White-tailed Eagle and Otter - the coastal scenery is a real attraction. But perhaps even better than this, the west of Strathaird provides the best views possible into the Black Cuillins, Britain's most ferocious mountains.
I would much prefer to be social distancing with the wild horses of Utah’s Onaqui herd. I’m growing tired of the social unrest and self-entitlement of Americans who think they know better than the experts. Of course, it doesn’t help when our own President refuses to take the advice of leaders in their field. The antibody tests for Covid 19 are numerous. None of them have been well studied and the FDA waved any scrutiny to get them on the market. That means that many will likely give false positive and false negative results. If you are a false positive, you will be lulled into a sense of security thinking that you are immune to Covid 19 when, in fact, you are not. Almost all hospitals are dealing with grave shortages of protective gear. My colleagues and I are using raincoats as gowns and recycling single use N95 masks. If we are hit with a tidal wave of patients, we will have to choose to let some die. So much for self-entitlement. #WildHorses #Covid19
At Purace, Cauca, Colombia.
Andean Condor Pair (Vultur gryphus)
The male Andean Condor arrived first then was joined by the female. We were fortunate to observe the courtship dance that followed, and that ultimately led to copulation.
This Anna's Hummingbird is one of a few that have pretty much become part of our family, paying us multiple visits daily. They're quite amazing. We had flurries last night, and although it is sunny today, it's windy and cold; yet, these tiniest of birds take it all in stride.
This was taken on the beautiful Strathaird Peninsula, near Kilbride looking out across Loch Slapin. I think this was my favourite peninsula.
Strathaird is the peninsula on the south coast of the Isle of Skye that lies between Loch Slapin and Loch Scavaig. The smallest and least populated of the main peninsulas, it is reached via the scenic B8083 road which winds its way through the Red Cuillin Hills, around the head of Loch Slapin and through the hamlets of Torrin, Kirkibost and Elgol.
With rocky cliffs, sea caves, the Small Isles offshore and abundant marine wildlife - including White-tailed Eagle and Otter - the coastal scenery is a real attraction. But perhaps even better than this, the west of Strathaird provides the best views possible into the Black Cuillins, Britain's most ferocious mountains.