breathofgreenair

Stone on Earth

Posted on January 3, 2013 by greenmackenzie

Plockton, Rosshire, Scottish Highlands

Applecross Peninsula, Scottish Highlands

Western tip of Portugal

I have been doing a bit of organising with my photos, and a friends Facebook post inspired me to make some small elemental themed galleries. So here is my first one – Stone on Earth.

Stone on Earth reminds me to take the time to sit still and rest for a while. The stones are in no hurry, they are comfortable with their place on the earths surface. Their lifespan is so much greater than ours, and in their slow and steady pace is a good hint to me to slow down and breathe a little slower. Whenever I rush I’m in terrible danger of missing whats unfolding around me, so perhaps I can learn the lesson of the still stone, and just watch the world for a while.

Posted in photos, travel | Tagged mindfulness, nature, photo, photography, scotland, spiritual, travel | 23 Comments

New Horizons: New Year

Posted on December 31, 2012 by greenmackenzie

We have just walked beneath the reddening sky of this years last sunset. It was deep red, as though the sky was bleeding as the sun sank westwards. As we prepare to celebrate the incoming New Year Scottish style, it’s worth pausing to notice the ending which precedes the new beginning. We are so eagerly looking forwards towards new horizons that sometimes we forget to pause in the moment. As the sun sets for the last time this year I feel peace settle into me. This past year of sorrow and strife, mixed with impossible happiness, is drawing to an end. At this moment all is well.

In the kitchen a huge pot of Thai curry is cooking, filling the house with delicious smells. The curry is for the meal we will share this evening with a gathering of family, friends and neighbours. We will eat and drink together, reaffirming life, despite its trials, and then when the bells sound at midnight we will toast in the New Year. Some will toast with whisky, others with sparkling cava. We will all join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne, which means ‘old times long past‘, and we will hug and kiss everyone present.

Then as a group we will set off to first foot the house of everyone at the party. To ensure the best possible luck for the year, the first foot across the threshold should be a tall dark handsome man, and he should be carrying some whisky, some coal and some food (we tend to use chocolate, but traditionally it would have been blackbun). We’ll share a drink and some food around the fire in each home, filling it with life and laughter for the coming year…and then finally sink into our own soft beds….often well into the wee small hours of the night.

It’s a lovely night filled with warmth, friendship, drink and song…..along with reminiscing for those whose faces are no longer present. Wishing you all a Happy New Year from Scotland. See you on the other side.

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll take a cup o kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint-stowp,

and surely I’ll buy mine,

And we’ll take a cup o kindness yet,

for auld land syne.

For auld land syne, my dear

for auld land syne

we’ll take a cup o kindness yet

for auld lang syne.

We two have run about the braes,

and pulled the daisies fine,

but we have wandered many a weary foot

since auld land syne.

For auld land syne, my dear

for auld land syne

we’ll take a cup of kindness yet

for auld land syne.

We two have paddled in the burn,

from morning sun till down

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld land syne.

For auld land syne, my dear

for auld land syne

we’ll take a cup of kindness yet

for auld land syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty friend

and give us a hand o thine.

and we’ll take a right good-will draught

for auld land syne.

For auld land syne, my dear

for auld lang syne

we’ll take a cup o kindness yet

for auld land syne

Happy 2013!!

Posted in friends, history, mindfulness, poem, thoughts | Tagged auld land syne, change, life, mindfulness, new year, photo, poetry, scotland, spiritual | 9 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge – my 2012 in pictures

Posted on December 29, 2012 by greenmackenzie

The weekly photo challenge to end this year is to make a tiled gallery of pictures illustrating my 2012 in photos.

This is quite a challenge as I have only been writing this blog since August this year, so I have about 5 months which I can easily choose from, but the first half of the year are more difficult. The earlier months of 2012 were actually quite challenging, as my father-in-law was dying of cancer which couldn’t be treated. We are a smallish family, but very close, and my husband and I live the closest to my parents-in-law so much of the day-to-day responsibility and anguish fell on our shoulders. It was a painful and harrowing process watching someone who had been larger than life in many ways, slide inexorably towards death. He became very frail and weak, and it was a lot for my husband to bear. Not only has he lost the man who he admired most in the world, but also his business partner, and so as I’m sure you can imagine the gap he has left behind is enormous. One of my reasons for starting to blog was to help me get through a low patch following my father-in-laws death, and so it is somewhat ironic that I now find blogging itself has thrown me back into the grief filled months of 2012.

However, as is often the case with life, amidst the sorrow and loss came the joy of new life in the form of a puppy. Little Molly has brought lots of smiles and laughter, and is the puppy of one of our own dogs. So the year has been full of change, death and new life, tears and laughter, and I find we have survived and are ready for the next cycle of change which will inevitably unfold this year. I have raided my photo archives and without further ado here is my 2012 in pictures

Hawthorn berries – January colour in the Scottish Borders

Beardies and the Eildon Hills – February 2012

Molly at 12 days – March 2012

April apple blossom

Molly and cherry blossom- April 2012

East Lothian – May 2012

Queens Diamond Jubilee – May 2012

Isle of Skye – June 2012

Shell Love – Scottish Highlands 2012

Scottish Highlands – July 2012

Garden Lillies – July 2012

Tenerife 2012 – Canarie Islands

East Lothian – August 2012

Scottish Highlands 2012 – peat bog reflections

Edinburgh, Arthurs Seat – September 2012

Edinburgh September 2012 – Queen Marys Loch

Scottish Lowlands, October 2012 – Newbattle Abbey

Edinburgh, October 2012 – Molly

Edinburgh November 2012

Edinburgh – December 2012

St Giles nativity, Edinburgh – December 2012

Midwinter sun at Dalkeith Palace

Posted in dogs, Edinburgh, photos, weekly photo challenge | Tagged change, life, nature, philosophy, photography, postaday, scotland, spiritual | 25 Comments

Here comes the Sun…..we hope

Posted on December 27, 2012 by greenmackenzie

Midwinter – Dalkeith

Well the weather has been so miserable here in Scotland for the past week, that I don’t think we have even seen a glimmer of sunlight. It’s not that it’s been raining all the time, but that the sky is so heavy with clouds that not a single sunbeam has made it through to illuminate our grey winter world. This has not only brought a gloomy feel to the landscape, but has rendered conditions totally unsuited to taking photos. The grey cloud-filtered light makes for very flat pictures, which has left me feeling very uninspired. To try to counteract this today I have been looking back at some of my photos from midwinters past. These shots of a highland cow made me smile, so I thought I would share them.

This was three years ago, and the temperatures were well below freezing, as the midwinter sun was sinking fast towards the horizon. Walking the dogs in the grounds We came across this beautiful cow, just in time for me to capture the last rays of the winter sun dipping between her horns. There was something quite primal feeling about the light of the shortest day, contained within the horns.

I would dearly love to see the suns rays again this year, as we are all beginning to suspect that it might not make a reappearance……and I guess the only remedy for this would be some more feasting and drinking. Duty calls and we are off to celebrate with some newly arrived family. Who knows perhaps we will get lucky tomorrow and see the sun once more.

Midwinter sun at Dalkeith Palace

…here are the first few lines of a Scottish Blessing about light……

May the blessing of light be on you

-light without and light within

May the blessed sunlight shine upon you, like a great peat fire,

so that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it

Posted in celtic prayer, photos, spiritual | Tagged light, midwinter, musings, nature, photography, poem, scotland, walk, winter solstice | 4 Comments

Weekly Travel Photo Challenge – Transport

Posted on December 17, 2012 by greenmackenzie

blinged up speed boat – Dubai 2009

This blinged up speedboat made us laugh out loud when we spotted it cruising past us at super slow speed. We were in the middle of the exclusive and glossy glamour of Dubai Marina, and the bright unrestrained colours popped out amidst all the tastefully restrained tones around us.

When we visited the old Harbour in Dubai, it felt as though we had entered another world, far removed from all the modern artificial gloss of the highrises. It was chaotic and busy, and merchandise was piled high wherever we looked. These wooden cargo ships were berthed 4 deep, and health and safety didn’t get a look in. We jumped onto one of the tiny crowded passenger ferries which zig zagged across the river, and it was a fairly hair-raising ride. The next shot was taken from onboard, about half way across, and although it looks quite tranquil, what you’re not seeing behind us is the mayhem which our tiny wooden boat has just navigated through.

Passenger ferries – Dubai Harbour

And of course there were no seat belts 🙂

The next photo was taken in the crumbling labyrinth of the Spice Market, which is in the old harbour. It made me smile to see such old-fashioned transport, compared to the high-end 4×4’s which seemed to dominate Dubai’s super modern seven lane highways. It looked like we had found the original old town of Dubai, and really we could have been anywhere in the middle east.

Dubai Spice Market

And just to finish off the Dubai themed transport, here is a shot taken in the desert which surrounds Dubai, and some of the traditional local transport. The haziness of the photo is due to the large quantity of red sand in the air.

camels: Dubai

I have ridden camels on a few occasions, and have to confess to finding them a very comfortable ride….once they get going. The mount and dismount still make me squeal in a very girly fashion, even though I know whats coming. I still get taken by surprise by the sudden and dramatic lurch and lunge of the camels rising up, or sitting down, and am certain I am about to hit the sand face down.

Visit Ailsa to see more interpretations on her weekly travel photo challenge – Transport

Posted in history, photos, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged Dubai, Dubai harbour, musings, old Dubai, photography, transport, travel, vacation | 8 Comments

Edinburgh Christmas Cheer

Posted on December 16, 2012 by greenmackenzie

Christmas at the Bailie

I went on a wee mindful evening stroll through some of Edinburghs Christmas delights, and thought I would take you with me. I find taking photos of where I am helps me slow down and soak in the little details I might otherwise miss. Instead of rushing through, I pause and experience what’s around me. It began, as do many things in Scotland, in a pub. Not just any pub, but one of my favorites. The Bailie is at the top of Stockbridge, where it feeds into the beautiful Georgian New Town, and it has a wonderful atmosphere with its cozy open fire and its gorgeous circular wooden bar. You can feel as though you have been transported back in time, and its full of local regulars, enjoying the space. The pub is under street level and they had decorated the antique lamp over the stair so beautifully for Christmas, that I was immediately smiling.

Entrance to the Bailie

After a little liquid refreshment we headed uptown and passed Britannia sitting resplendent over the entrance to the Royal Scottish Academy (of Art) at the foot of the Mound. She looked fabulous illuminated in festive red….(but I must invest in a better camera for capturing low light images!)

Britannia over RSA in festive red.

From here we headed into the Scottish Village and German Market, strung along the top of Princes Street Gardens. It was packed with visitors and locals alike, and everyone seemed to be smiling and having a good time, with cups of mulled wine to warm their hands. There were lots of romantic looking couples, as well as family groups, and this pretty stall was selling yummy hot chocolate and sweet treats.

Hot Chocolate stall

In the cold crisp air the fairground lights seemed to sparkle with a life of their own, and I found myself mesmerised with the bright colours set against the black night sky.

helter-skelter fun

It was like being transported back into childhood, and memories of fairgrounds and Christmas seeped into my mind, filling me with nostalgia.

Carousel at Christmas

This vintage style soldier had me thinking of Christmas visits to see the Nutcracker ballet as a little girl with my Mum and Granny. And this spilled into memories of Swan Lake and all the beautiful swirling skirts, and the ethereal beauty of the ballerinas, who seemed to me as a child to live in a world of impossible glamour. Ahh….Christmas past

Christmas soldier

Shifting my attention away from the sparkling lights and music of the fairground I saw the open air ice rink, below us in Princes Street Gardens. It looked beautifully enchanting and otherworldly with it pastel lights and its pristine white surface. It was just about to open, and soon the rink would be filled with the wild screams and excitement of skaters jostling for position on the ice.

Princes Street Ice Rink 2012

It was beginning to rain, and the temperature had plummeted while I was busy soaking in the sights, so it was time to head home to the warmth. Ahead of me, through the light spangled trees, the New Balmoral Hotel was bathed in golden welcoming light…there’s a lovely Edwardian Bollinger Bar tucked in here……

The New Balmoral from the Christmas Market

Posted in Edinburgh, photos, thoughts | Tagged Christmas, Christmas market, Edinburgh, life, mindfulness, musings, photography, things to do in Edinburgh, travel | 13 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge – Delicate

Posted on December 15, 2012 by greenmackenzie

Former Islamic school – Tunisia

I took this photo back in 2009, while visiting a former Islamic School in Tunisia. From the outside the brick building was simple and quite scruffy, but once we passed through the ancient wooden doors, a breathtaking display of mosaics and carvings were revealed, in a delightful rolling sequence. This space was quite deep within the complex, and was my favorite. The room was a perfect square, with a round doomed roof, and the marble carvings were so delicate and intricate, that I could have stood for hours soaking them in. Each panel was unique, and there was no repetition around the room, it was incredible. Such delicacy worked in cold hard marble.

I also loved the tiny delicate coloured glass windows, high above, and the amazingly delicate crystal light fitting. I had always pictured lights like this in historic European buildings, but it looked perfectly at home in this delicate space. It has me wondering where chandeliers like this originated…….

This weeks photo challenge is delicate, and this photo seemed to fit the bill to me. Click the link to see more interpretations of Delicate.

Posted in history, photos, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged delicate, islamic art, islamic marble carvings, Islamic school, light, marble art, photography, postaday, travel, Tunisia | 16 Comments

Relax! It’s only Christmas

Posted on December 10, 2012 by greenmackenzie

This is my first attempt at a Dp challenge, but the idea of ‘change perspective‘ sounded fun so here goes!

Relax! Its only Christmas

Time to wake up you say? That was a good sleep, but I just need to shake the dust off a bit and stretch my hoofs. That’s much better, now you can see the full lustre of my glitter coat. I can see lots of old friends around me, and a few new ones. I wonder where I’ll get to sit this time……Great a front row seat, with a full view of the room, I’ll get to see all the action from here. Not like last year when I was stuck with a side view, missing all the fun, and having to rely on others to tell me what they could see.

The people are so strange, always rushing here and there, and all the time saying how busy they are. They’re only busy because they’re choosing to rush here and there, and do a hundred things at once. I mean they could just sit down, put their feet up for a minute, and take time to admire their beautiful decorations. All the other things they feel they need to do would still be there waiting patiently, but they might be a little more relaxed.

The Mum is the worst. She tries to do everything at once. Just watch her now for a moment. She has a huge pile of Christmas cards stacked in front of her, next to her open address book. She’s busy writing little messages to family and friends, but she isn’t really giving it proper attention. How can she when she’s also speaking on her phone to her Mum about who’s cooking what for the huge upcoming feast. And she’s not even really fully listening to that because the 7 year old is standing trying to read her Santa list to her. And that’s only the stuff happening in front of her. There’s also a huge to do list constantly running through her head, each task crying out that it’s the most important, and it really needs to be done or at least thought about right now. If you look closely you can see the panic behind her tired forced smile. I don’t think she’s really enjoying this.

If only she would pause long enough to actually land in the here and now, and let go of all the things in her head which she feels she should be doing. She could sink back into that beautiful soft couch, and just for a minute look around at her lovely home. She could hang up the phone and close her ipad, and take the 7 year old onto her knee and read the santa list with her. After all in a few Christmases there will be no Santa list. If only she could enjoy this year, this unique Christmas, as it’s unfolding around her instead of being caught up in the future to-do list.

Then she could take one card at a time, without any thought for the fifty others she really needs to get written tonight so that she can get them to the post office tomorrow to be weighed and stamped, before she misses the last posting day for Australia and Canada. She could focus just for a minute on what she wants to say to this person, and on why she is sending them a card at this time. She could park everything else, just for now, and she might actually not only enjoy the writing, but also get it done quicker! She won’t though. I’ve watched her too many times. She will plough on crazily multi-tasking as though the world is about to end. After all if she doesn’t keep the whole show spinning everything will fall apart! And you know what, she really believes that.

Ah well perhaps I just don’t understand how much there is to be done at Christmas. After all I’m just a stunningly beautiful decorative deer, who gets to hang out on the Christmas tree for a few weeks every year. Trust me on this though, if you had to sleep in a dark box for 50 weeks of the year with nothing happening, you too would want to savour every moment of the precious time you had in the world. You too might look at all the people around you, living in their yet-to come futures, from their punishing to-do lists, and think them a little crazy for wasting the moments which are actually happening right in front of them.

You might even wish you could leap down from the branches of the Christmas tree and shout
” Wake up! Life is happening right now. Don’t waste a moment of it. Enjoy it as it is, because right now it’s exactly as its meant to be.”

Posted in mindfulness, philosophy, relaxation, spiritual, thoughts | Tagged Christmas, DPchallenge, mindfulness, philosophy, postaday, relaxation, shift perspective, thoughts | Leave a comment

Weekly Travel Photo Challenge: Circles

Posted on December 9, 2012 by greenmackenzie

Circular plant tunnel: Tenerife Botanical Gardens

Urchin at Yellowcraig

Coral beach shells – Plockton

Ailsas’ weekly photo challenge is Circles.

Nature is full of soothing intriguing circles, and here are a few from my travels. The first one was taken this summer in the Botanical Gardens on the island of Tenerife, in the Atlantic Ocean. I loved the effect of a living tunnel, and it gave very welcome cooling shade from the fierce summer heat.

The second one was taken this summer on one of our local beaches on the East coast of Scotland, and the third was taken last summer on one of the white coral beaches on the West coast of Scotland, up beside Plockton. I am always blown away by the beauty and colour of shells, and had never really thought about their inherent roundness until Ailsas’ challenge 🙂

Posted in nature photo, photos, Uncategorized, weekly photo challenge | Tagged circles, nature, photography, postaday, scotland, travel | 3 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Changing Seasons

Posted on December 8, 2012 by greenmackenzie

Frosty swirl

Frosty winter afternoon. Dalkeith Country Park

frosted ivy

Here in Scotland, the season is turning and Winter is unrolling her cloak across the land. The trees are bare now, stripped of their summer clothes, and the only green is from the evergreens which will endure all winter. There’s no snow yet but frost hangs in the air spraying everything, untouched by the watery sun, with a crisp white coat.

These photos were taken on a dog walk in Dalkeith Country Park. The ground was gripped firm by ice, and the leaves crackled with frost beneath our footsteps. The sun barely seemed to lift her head above the horizon, and our breath curled like dragon smoke in the air above us. The promise of snow hung heavy in the sky all day, and the puddles remained glazed hard despite the suns best efforts.

Click here to see photos of other changing seasons from around the world