I had spent weeks trying to get a beautiful shot of bluebells in sunshine, then we left Edinburgh and headed up North for a 10 day break. Look what we found in the field the hour after we arrived. A sea of bluebells bathed in glorious sunshine.
Molly was perfectly at home, and recovering nicely from her surgery. Even she couldn’t believe how many bluebells were here. The warm sun has pulled the lush grass from the earth, and the air was full of the calls of cuckoos. Away in the background the ancient trees which line the brae are covering themselves with gorgeous green foliage. Still not quite thick enough to hide the shape and form of their branches.
As Molly runs towards the camera she steals the show, but look behind her at the background. The crags fill the space between earth and sky with their weathered stone forms, and the ocean glitters enticing us to walk forwards into the landscape.
I find I’m not sure where to place my focus, surrounded by all this spring beauty. The bountiful bluebells are ringing in the air, calling for attention. Molly is full of energy and joy, demanding to be played with, and the background of stunning hills and trees and grass waits patiently to be noticed.
Taking my time to sink through the layers of energy and beauty I finally rest within this lush landscape. There is nothing to be done other than notice and open my awareness to the earth and her wonderful show. It’s all here only briefly, before passing away, making room for the next wave of life to wash through. So I lie on the soft green grass for a while, melting into the background, and feeling the silence of wind in grass and bluebells. Finally, just as I stop looking, there they are right in front of me. I find this happens a lot in life. When I stop chasing things, there they are already, patiently waiting for me to notice.
You can see lots more photos with the theme of background at the weekly photo challenge.
breathofgreenair 
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Beautiful shots. The bluebells have been out in force this year 🙂 got a double dose coz they came out a bit earlier over here, then our trip down the mainland gave us another chance to spot them 🙂
Lucky you, I don’t think I can ever have enough of the beautiful blue bells. Somehow they seem to ring with joy, and always they signal spring has won over winter.
( sorry for the very late reply)
Awesome shots … and I’m speechless 🙂
Wow, speechless is an incredibly strong compliment…. Now I’m speachless! Thanks so much for the delicious feedback.
My pleasure ♥
Molly enjoys so much of the freedom and nature 🙂 Lovely landscape!
It’s a beautiful place, and these are shot in our field, literally at the back door 🙂
What a beautiful place you live in, Seonaid. Molly looks so happy amongst those bluebells. 🙂
These photos were taken up in Plockton, the wee Highland village where my mum grew up. It’s a really beautiful place, with really different scenery from Edinburgh and Midlothian where we live. I love the contrast!
Molly is very happy on her holiday 🙂
i love seeing molly so happy! and those views. i could get lost there for a long time.
Thanks Jannas, Molly is making me happy too. Glad you like the views 🙂 Stay as long as you like.
You have a beautiful dog and I love the featured image!
Thanks very much, on both compliments 🙂
I lay for a while among the flowers soaking up the beauty.
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Bluebells of Scotland. How beautifully they decorate the spring landscape.
They do Mary, and we waited for their colour for a long time this year 🙂
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Gorgeous, spectacular, beautiful!!!! Hey you, I nominated you for some awards!!! http://shazza91321.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/7-wonderful-encouragements/
Shazza, what a lot of amazing compliments in one comment 🙂
Thanks so much for the awards, that’s so kind, and so encouraging. I promise to try to get round to doing what needs doing very soon. In the meantime thanks again, and I love your photos too.
Top of the morn’ to you from where I am,
Spring is my fav of the year and I cherish watching the magnificent change. I am so glad to find you in your neck of the planet sharing the beauty you find on the way.
Peace and Love! Ken
What a great comment Ken, I get lots of pleasure from sharing what I see through my lens, but also seeing what everyone else is posting. A photo shared is twice the fun!
Wonderful shots of the bluebells, the stunning scenery, Molly and friend! All so fresh and full of the promise of summer to come. Lovely 🙂
Glad you like the photos, I loved your bluebell woods, and have some shots like them to post myself, but this open field of flowers was such a treat. That’s Molly’s mum Willow in the background 🙂
Such joyous pictures
All that sunshine and colour definitely lifts the spirit, I was smiling as I lay in the soft green grass 🙂
Seonaid those are stunning and they are made more gorgeous by your beautiful dogs 🙂
Aw, what a lovely comment Dory, thank you.
I LOVE these pictures. I was lucky to be able to spend June 2012 near Edinburgh, and I fell in love with the city and southern Scotland. Want to go back!
What a lovely comment, and falling in love with Edinburgh, and Scotland in general is terribly easy. There should probably be a health warning as you enter the country 🙂
Health warning is right 🙂
Seonaid , what lovely pictures as always and beautiful colour contrasts. I am really imagining myself in that landscape, can feel the clear air. Your dogs look very happy, and I can understand your challenge of where to have the focus. Bluebells are so pretty and quite unusual to see them in such an open setting, saw them for the first time while running on Friday in the Dell, had not noticed them there before and they looked perfect hiding in dappled sunshine.
Thank you, and running in the Dell will have been wonderful at this time of year. I have never seen bluebells out in full sunlight like this either. I don’t know if they are specially adapted for the climate and landscape up here, but they certainly gave me an irresistible splash of colour in the green sea 🙂
you’ve organized a wonderful day for Molly!
P.S.: Limes = old wall built by the Romans, in the background?
Well if truth be told it wasn’t really just for Molly, but she looked so beautiful among the flowers and grass that I kept being drawn back to take more shots of her 🙂
As far as I know the Romans never made it this far North and West in Scotland. These lands were held since the beginning of time by the Picts, briefly by the Gaels, and then by the Vikings. Finally they were part of the Sea Kingdom of The Lord of the Isles, before finally being subdued…..
The trees are planted along the old brae for shelter. The brae gives access to the strips of croft land belonging to the village.
Such a happy dog! I would be too if I’m playing in the field with those beautiful flowers. Lovely!
Your are so right, it’s very difficult not to be happy here in the wildflower meadow.
Indeed! 🙂
I love bluebonnets! These are beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing!
of course I meant bluebells 🙂
Thank you, and I really like the name bluebonnets…..is there a flower called this or is it a wonderful creation of your mind?
wow, what a lovely couple of dogs, your Molly & Co., are they Bearded Collies ? have 2 Collies, Lassies, but they’re growing older these 2 past years, both with back trouble…(14-15 y)…itś more and more difficult to go for a walkie…:-(( …hope they stay here for some years more…
Yes bearded collies. Molly is just 14 months, that’s her mother Willow in the background, she is 6, and there is a third, Maisie who is 11. Hopefully they will live to at least 16 years like your lassies 🙂
hey…a fresh night news…think you be a green night-owl too…sleep well, my dear friend…and sweet dreams dear Seo..:-))
The pictures of Molly are stunning. Love the first one of her and the last one.
Thanks so much Colline. It took me a while to narrow my choice down to these four. The wonders of digital cameras meant I took about 100 shots!!
She just looked so happy among the grass and the flowers.
I feel a little windblown and freshened just looking and reading…absa delightful, gorgeous
It is a beautiful spot to just relax and let nature sweep in. Refreshed was exactly how I felt among all that bright green grass, with the sound of silence filling the air.
‘The bluebells of Scotland’ reminds me of the song as sung by Kenneth McKellar – one of my favourite singers. I love the scenes here, with or without pooches.
Glad you like the photos, but I’m afraid to say I have never heard of Kenneth McKellar, or his song, the bluebells of Scotland 😦 I will Google it and have a listen 🙂
I am amazed you haven’t come across him – a particularly fine voice. I had a record with him doing an unaccompanied version of ‘She Moved Through the Fair’ and I often speculated on how many ‘takes’ must have been needed to get it so perfect. Then he came on tour to SA and sang the same song on stage – every bit as faultlessly. Hair-prickling stuff.
I will check him out let you know my thoughts 🙂
Love those bluebells along with the dog!
You were right, these bluebells are different from ours. They seem to thrive in bright sunlight in the fields, whereas ours prefer semi-shady woods and wet areas.
Well yes, but this is very unusual. I have never seen them in open sunlight like this anywhere before. I have also never seen them in the field before, but I think they are late this year and perhaps we are not usually visiting when they put on their show!
I have some shots taken in the woods back in Edinburgh which shows then in their usual habitat, but these full sun shots are such a treat, much more vibrant and showy than usual bluebells 🙂
Mother Nature always has some surprises up her grassy sleaves.
You all look good, so I understand you’re having a good time! Hugs to Molly too!
Thanks Anna Christine Molly is getting lots of hugs!
Yay Molly! It is so good to see her running and obviously recovering well on her Plockton holiday among the bluebells. Gorgeous images as always, but Molly is the star today. Sorry, Nature
Thanks Kellie, and I think I have to agree that Molly steals the show today. She gets better and better each day, which means she has even more energy to be bounced off 🙂 bluebell fields obviously make for great recuperation.
There is a special magic that comes with finding bluebells. Some day when I am old and wise I wll be able to explain it.
Charlie, you are already wise with this comment which s full of truth 🙂
Bluebells stir something deep and magic whenever I encounter them.
Your dog looks so happy, and yes, chasing things seldom works. (boys, happiness, sunshine… I could go on)
I haven’t found any bluebells yet this year but was out of the country when they’re usually about. I may yet be lucky. 🙂
Who knows Jo, maybe you’ll find some just when you stop looking 🙂
And Molly looks so much happier now that we know what to feed her, and her operation starts to get her liver working properly. The miracles of modern veterinarian medicine 🙂
I love Molly!
Aw thanks, me too 🙂
It’s great to see her having so much fun, and hopefully her liver will work better and better each day now.
Great pictures.
Thank you 🙂
That’s a happy dog! Where were you?
We are back up in Plockton, Rosshire…in the North West of the Scottish Highlands. My favorite place to escape…
Nice part of the country. 🙂
Yeah, my Mum’s from up here so we visit a lot 🙂
Stunning, stunning landscape, and really great shots.
What a lovely comment, and yes I couldn’t agree more about this landscape…..it still takes my breath away after all these years 🙂