Fantasy Landscapes

This weathered log washed up on an East Lothian beach ignites my imagination.

I see landscapes .....

Rocks  -  Pools  .....

Lakes  -  Sky .....  

Patterns connect with the surrounding environment  .....

Constantly changing with the tides  .....

Rock Pools  -  Seaweed  -  Trees  .....

Fields  -  Forests  -  Mountains  .....

It's a windy 14° C (last week)  -  in the distance someone is wind surfing  .....

My dogs enjoy running in the wind !

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Ships from the Past

Painting by Nicholas Roerich   -    "Guests from Overseas" (1901)

Nicholas Roerich was a Russian painter,writer,archaeologist,theosophist and explorer.
Born in Saint Petersburg in 1874 he lived in various countries around the world and died in Naggar,India 1947.

I sometimes dream about ships from past times sailing in from the North Sea, some carrying cargo
and passengers  -  others intent on war and conquest .....

On a sandbank out in the estuary, swans and gulls wait for food on the incoming tide .....

Brightly coloured bramble and rose foliage and a few wild flowers along the coastal path ..... 

Clover .....

Thank you for visiting



Image 1  :   Source  - Wikipedia
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Remarkable Trees - Part 2

Looking towards the 18th century Palladian style mansion over what was once a formal garden.
When viewed from the house the monolith was intended to draw the eye out to the
landscape beyond - also controlled by design.

This beautiful estate has been owned by the same family since the 1500s .
The house and grounds are open on designated days in summer.

Young Lime avenue .....

Oak,Chestnut and Beech probably planted about the time the present house was built ..... 

Beech .....

Trees in the designed landscape date from 1700 onward  .....

Tree species include Beech,Larch,Oak,Sycamore .....

Douglas Fir,Giant Redwood,Noble Fir .....

Yew,Cedar of Lebanon,Holly .....

Monkey Puzzle,Sweet Chestnut,Silver Fir .....

North American firs were introduced to Scotland by Scottish botanist and plant collector
 David Douglas, after whom the Douglas Fir is named.
In 1827 the first Douglas Fir seed was germinated on Drumlanrig estate where the tree still stands.
Soon seedlings were planted on country estates around Britain.

Douglas's explorations were done over a ten year period mostly in the Pacific North West of Canada
 and the United States. He died while plant hunting in Hawaii in 1834,aged 35.

Estate farmland .....

Harebells .....

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Remarkable Trees - Part 1

Louise and I are off time travelling again  -
and are on our way to visit trees on a country estate.
We enter by an avenue lined with magnificent lime trees planted in 1824.

Beautiful ethereal cloud formations .....

Mature lime tree .....

More beautiful clouds ..... 

Lime fruits .....

Dried flowers still cling to the stems.

Lime (Linden) blossom honey has been popular for thousands of years,it has a unique
flavour and is said to have specific medicinal properties ....

Black face sheep graze in fields behind the trees .....

The William Adam house,built in the early 1700s is surrounded by landscaped park lands .....

To be continued .....

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