Karens Notes, Sketchnotes

The art of asking questions

Posted on March 27, 2021October 20, 2022 by Karen Reyburn

27
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ON THE GRAM

Jun 29

Sunday morning walk and sea swim. Followed by hot black coffee while I stand on the sand and feel like my body is still moving with the waves. The best. #seaswimming #islandlife #scotland #isleofmull #wildswimming #sunday #rest

Jun 20

Sitting in the mist at the edge of the world.

Made it to St Kilda yesterday and that’s a feat in itself. The boat trips are booked two days at a time because the weather is so unpredictable, and the landing so challenging, it’s very likely one of the days will be cancelled so the other is there as a backup. I spoke to several people who had tried three or four times (with a 2 day window each time) and not managed it.

My boat went on the second day, and the mist hung lightly over the whole island: but for me that only added to the mystery and beauty.

I’ve read a few books about Kilda and have long been fascinated by this remote, far flung island at the western edge of the world: populated for over four thousand years before the community trickled to just over thirty, who were then moved off-island as they could no long sustain living there.

The land and abandoned villages felt sad to me: like all the sadness of the villagers taken from the only home they’d ever known was seeped into the ground, in the stones.

The sadness lifted with the mist, as I climbed as high as I could go, and caught glimpses of an archipelago of islands (once a volcano, now the mere edges of it), and sat with the birds only for company.

I think for me the sadness feels connected to a way of life no longer liveable as our world became more “modern”; and 36 people who desperately did not want to leave their island home but had to.

I’m so grateful to get to live on an island which most days hardly feels remote at all, with three different ferries going daily back and forth to the mainland, and life very liveable and comfortable. But that liveable line feels thin indeed when you stand upon a place such as this.

Here’s to living life in the place you love, as long as you love to be there.

#islandlife #kildacruises #stkilda #scotland #travelscotland #boattrip #beautyeverywhere #mistymountains #seastacks #hirta

Jun 15

When you’re hiking in one of your fave places and come round the corner just as the train does… #glenfinnan #hogwartsexpress🚂 #steamtrain #scotland #highlands

Jun 15

I love rain.

I mean I really, really enjoy it. I love the pattering sounds, the cooler air, the mist and clouds. I look out and see a misty day and am very, very happy.

I’ll often leave my hood off when walking because the fresh water feels so good on my face. (Even more so when it’s a fine mist that comes and goes.)

I love the way it fills up the rivers and the waterfalls. How I can hear the water falling and rushing and splashing and laughing.

I love how it makes everything so green: and often on a wet day, brings out the colours so brightly.

And when we had nearly five weeks of pure sunshine, I was struggling.

I felt like about the only one: everywhere I went people were excited and happy and praising the sun. “Don’t you wish it could be like this every day?”

Nope, no, definitely not. Thing is, there are places where it’s like that most days. Scotland - and particularly a western island - is not one of those places.

And I love it. I’m in the right place for the rain of all kinds - pounding rain and misty droplets and rain with wind and every rare once in a while, thunderstorms. And the water, everywhere.

I’m kind of obsessed with water. When I leave the island and am in a city for a few days I start to get really antsy if it’s too dry or too many buildings. The moment I’m near water - rivers, waterfalls, lochs, the sea - I can literally feel my shoulders drop and I start to relax.

I also love the variety, the changeability. I was on a long drive today and it was mostly mist: but also bright pockets of sun, and shafts of light breaking through the clouds, and bright greens lit up by a golden glow. And a pink and purple sky at the end.

I’m glad so many people got to enjoy so much sunshine, and found themselves so happy. I really am. I enjoyed a lot of it, as well!

..and then as the weeks went on I found myself getting grumpier and grumpier…and the utter relief when the rain returned was great indeed.

At least I know I live in the right place. ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✨☔️💧🌧️

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