Here in the hills where the wild sheep grow, tended by rain soaked winds and sun kissed clouds, the grass grows impossibly green. It rolls in velvet folds across the low green lands, giving way to a thick plaid of golden frosted heather and bracken, as the earth rises to meet winters crumbling mountain stones. There is a line which runs all across the high slopes, above which the bare rock heads of the mountains peep through the soft coloured blanket of soil and plants. The bald grey and black of gabbro and basalt, running in frost shattered rivers of scree, towards the soft fertile pastures of the glens far below. On the highest peaks, soft wool clouds dust the cold stone mountain tops with icing sugar snow daily. The clouds drift through on the wings of wind which may have begun thousands of miles south among emerald Caribbean isles. We can only wonder what tales are whispered by the snow filled wind into the stone ears of the mountain peaks, and what the mountains say back to the passing breeze. What we do know for certain is that the wind brings the rain and the snow clouds, which water the thirsty grass, which feeds the hungry sheep, which grows the warm soft wool, which is knitted into gloves and jumpers to keep our soft bodies warm…..in the biting cold wind…….which brings the rain and clouds.
The photos are taken in Glen Brittle on the Isle of Skye, Scotland in response to this weeks WP challenge ‘landscape’.
breathofgreenair 
Seonaid! You’ve really out done yourself with that first image. Truly first rate. Totally love it. Bands of color. Texture. And, even a few sheep. What else could one ask for? This is a genuine winner. I’m not sure which way to look … there’s something that draws my eyes to the right … but the bands of color converge and drag me back to the left. Nice, nice, nice. Beautifully processed too. D
Well I thought you might enjoy the sheep David….and was actually thinking of you as I lay belly down in wet grass to catch the right angle😋😜
I’m certain that you will have noticed quite a few of the sheep are heavily pregnant in both shots….but still very spritely on their feet….lambs immanent 💕
Such lovely images and poetic prose. A delightful post indeed.
Thanks Suzanne😊😊
The layers of color are so vivid! Beautiful!
That’s how the layers looked…I. Just delighted I could capture and portray the beautiful layers💕😊
These are really breathtaking landscapes – such an elevating feel to them, it makes me want to run and jump…
Now I will appreciate my pure wool knitwear even more than I did before, although I don’t have any Scottish wild-sheep wool knitwear but mostly Nordic, which may also be from wild-sheep wool. I’ve always wanted to visit the Isle of Skye but have never had the chance. It looks so peaceful and far away from the crowds that I’ll never get used to in the SE of England.
I was down in the SE of England just a few weeks ago….and crowed and busy doesn’t even begin to describe it😬😰
I’m lucky in that I live on a hill, with the South Downs behind me and a view over the rooftops to the sea, so I can escape from the crowds up to a point, but I can always hear the traffic droning away in the distance. My favourite time of day is at dawn, when it’s comparatively quiet.
Gorgeous scenery!
Beautiful photos and words. I love the colors in your photos. Blues transitioning to yellower tones. 🙂
Thanks Nandini….this time of year the earth has a lovely palette of colours and tones😊 What I live about these landscapes is the way they change colour as the year rolls through💕
Gorgeous images .. Oh do tell again 😃
Julie, great to hear you enjoyed my wee tale of the earth😊💕
And we will return to the earth . . .
So true….how could I miss that part Gilly?😵😊💕
Gorgeousness!
Many thanks 💕
Beautiful, beautiful images and poetic prose Seonaid! I have only been to Skye once, but I loved its windswept wildness
Wild is the word for Skye, and yet it has pockets of utter peace…..a place still shaped more by natural forces than man😊💕
Indeed, and such places are becoming rarer in the 21st century….
I’m catching a hint of that chill in the wind. Letting my mind drift to the Caribbean skies… Ah, but it’s all blissful, Seonaid. Have a happy weekend! 🙂
Thanks Jo, I’m also letting my thoughts drift to warm Caribbean seas…..that would be perfect right now😊
very poetic images and text… 🙂 love the peaceful harmony in these images – pastures, sheep, mountains and skies blend together so beautifully…
Alexandra it is a really peaceful spot, so I’m delighted to hear that came across in the images. These fields lie at the edge of the sea, at the very end of the long Glen Brittle….most folk don’t make it down past the famous fairy pools….so it’s not busy here. It’s like a timeless land, unchanged by the modern world, and lapped by the ocean😊💕
You write so well, and the photos are gorgeous 🙂
Many thanks for the generous praise😊
Wonderful images, Seonaid and your words could be the first paragraph of a mystery bestseller. 🙂
Oh I must keep writing and finish that best seller Sylvia!😆💕
Beautifully captured.
Thank you….it did of course involve me lying on my belly in rather wet grass!😆
Lovely – sky, mountains, grass, and sheep. 🙂
Thanks Judy…..it’s the simple things in life right😆💕
Wind-carried tales would soften any stony ears. What a delicious way you have of making even the wind a thing of mystery and global romance. 🙂
Thanks Brenda….I do love the mysteries of the wind…..but then I do live in quite a windy place😆💕
How beautifully you tell the story of this wild landscape Seonaid!! I love the lines about growing sheep 🐑 😀 Have you read Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series? If not you so should!!
I have and I loved it😆I just love the depth and richness he weaves with humour💕
I have to admit that I cried when I read his final book! I love the Tiffany character, so intune with the landscape and its inhabitants 🙂 The depths of those mountains really reminded me of her!
He is/was one of those incredible writers who could pull me right into the depth of his imagined world…..and keep me smiling while he did that! A rare gift……
A rare gift indeed! I met him at a couple of booksignings and he was such a quiet unassuming man. I’ve loved everything he’s ever written either solo or with others. He’s worked with some exceptional artistic talent too! It’s a legacy that will live on through the centuries I think. I hope!!
I agree with you, Sarah!
Thanks Sue💕