Flowers, Flowers, Flowers

I was told before I came to Scotland that the bonus of all the rain the country gets is its lush green foliage and flowers. Knowing that was not enough to prepare me for the beautiful green hills ( I swear they were alive with the sound of music) and the colorful rhododendrons and brilliant ferns.

This lovely yellow tree makes me smile and I'm determined to discover its name before I leave here.

I've already sung the praises of the fields of rape grain, but now I have to add another yellow beauty--gorse bushes. The name does not do justice to the brilliant yellow of these plants that dot the mountains and the roadsides.

Isle of Skye Gardens at Castle Dunvegan

Garden at Inveraray

Oban

Imagine teaching a creative writing class with this backdrop--not to mention church bells and bagpipes as sound effects--and should I add the sound of waves lapping against the sea wall and the smell of the Atlantic Ocean and the call of sea gulls? That's where we have been writing and talking about writing for the past four days. I know now why we are meeting people on holiday from surrounding cities and from England who have come here for years.

The Highland Games and Glamis Castle

Think lovely castle grounds and regional competitions mixed with the flavor of food vendors, fund-raising booths, carnival games, and rides for the kiddies. That was the Highland Games experience we had today, but the background music through it all was bagpipes--team after team of pipers and drummers. Kilts were the costume of the day--for young and old. And, I must add they were worn proudly. Other than the videos I took to get the whole effect of the day, this was a wild mix of tartan, hammer throwing, bicycle races, bagpipe competitions, and dancing children.

The really fun part of the day was getting to walk around behind the scenes and watch everyone practicing for the events. This young piper had set off a spot for himself to practice before he entered the solo piping competition.

There was a great soccer game going on in a field beside the parking space--yes, all the players were in kilts.

. 

Ready to throw...

Hogwarts Castle--In a way

My serious side told everyone that the excursion on Thursday to Alnwick gardens and castle was for the gardens--especially the poison garden tour, but in my secret, childhood heart, the lure of Hogwart's was equally strong. If our timing had been just a couple of weeks later, we could have met Harry, Herminone, Ron, and Dumbledor doubles. Ah, that was not to happen, but we got to stand on the spot where Madame Hootch gave the first broomstick lessons and see where Neville flew up and out of control. There were quiz questions throughout the brief tour to ferret out the true Harry Potter fans. 

Our students quickly mastered flying.
One lesson....

It was the remembral that Neville dropped--a gift from his grandmother, and it was Draco who snatched it and threw it into the sky. As the guide explained though, the true magic of that scene was that Draco threw it all the way to Durham, more than 22 miles away,  and equally magical was that Harry flew there in seconds to catch it. 

Those flying scenes were not shot at the Alnwick castle, but all of the Ford Anglicas (13 of them in various states of disrepair) were parked in the courtyard, waiting for their moment in the movie. The movie prop people bought all the cars that were in the surrounding area and hauled them over to the castle.  

The front gate was the same one where the kids entered Hogwarts for the first time, and in actuality Hagrid's cottage is the guiena hen shed -but with a bit of redecorating.

There is no whomping willow--we were disappointed, but the woods on the grounds did serve as the foundation for the dark woods. Quite a few of our students took flying lessons and proved adept with their brooms, but it was an ordinary wizard teaching the class and not Madame Hootch. For the record, this medieval castle is the home of the Duke of Northumberland--and yes, the family does live there when they are in town. 

We all walked through the treehouse  on the grounds and crossed two swinging bridges with no mishaps. There were encounters with vampires in the dungeon; I skipped that tour to make my way through the castle. Now, this was a castle that one could live in--with the appropriate number of staff. Think Downton Abbey on steroids. And, just like in that television series, a real duke, the Duke of Northumberland lives in Anwick. We saw signs saying the gardens and castle would be closed later this month for a wedding and it is the youngest daughter of Anwick who is getting married there in her daily's castle. Amid the oil paintings by Titian and other artists of renown were the family photo snapshots. No cameras were permitted, or we would have all taken home proof that the dining room table could have put Downton Abbey's dinner party to shame. 

Turrets, statues, massive fireplaces, archways, and courtyards. I could have lived at Hogwarts, but the realistic side of me was drawn to the gardens. There were white doves in bird houses, rows of strawberries, columbine, peonies, roses, and anything else that grows here. I was inspired to weed and trim when I get back home. Apparently the most exciting news of our first few days is that the temperature was a balmy high 60s and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was perfect weather for garden walks and castle ogling. On another Harry Potter behind the scenes note, our lovely tour guide told us that children from the local community were brought in to audition as extras in the film. They were given wizard and witch costumes and lined up for a viewing. All those that "looked like" witches or wizards were selected and the others were sent home. How does one look like a wizard? We also saw the rooms were Harry, Hermione, and Ron attended school--for real lessons--taught by local school teachers. 


And the gardens? Well, I especially enjoyed the poison garden. It was kept under lock and key--a serious business these poison plants. There is even a shed out front to "mix" the poisons.

It's not all fun and games on this trip though. I also took a morning walk along the sea wall and feed some sea gulls and had chocolate croissants and hot tea for breakfast again today. I'm thinking of all you who are not here. 

Lindisfarne and Holy Island

After a delightful breakfast at the Granary Hostel Bistro with mushrooms, scrambled eggs, and chocolate croissants (the only legitimate reason to indulge in morning chocolate),  we had our first class session and began the work of writing in Scotland. Notice the irony of using task and writing while touring Scotland in the same sentence. It is hard work, but someone has to do it. My class is terrific and they actually want to write. With backdrops like you will see here, how could anyone resist creative endeavors?

The photo of the bridge over the Tweed River is especially interesting to me. Ever since the HP movies ( you Hogwart's fans know where I'm going with this), I have been intrigued with the arched bridge.Then, in the background is a breath-taking golden field of rape grain. That color and concept has become my new favorite planting option, so I'm order seed as soon as I get back home. Fields of gold in Curve.

The stone walls line streets and alley-ways and everywhere tiny flowers cascade down. I can't resist the flower beds and don't hesitate to ask names. Here, I speak the language even though at lunch today a friendly German couple told me that a favorite yellow plant was called golden drop in Germany.

Lunch, on Holy Island today was a fresh crab sandwich and cherry shortbread dessert, taken with friends in the garden. For you who are not history buffs, Holy Island is recognized as the site of the first Viking raids in Britain in AD 793--way before my time. The Lindisfarne Castle is still standing guard over the North Sea harbor, but the Lindisfarne Priory is a skeleton of the original. Even the ruins, however, are breathtaking stone works that preserve the feel of the place. For the record, the Vikings did not remove the stones; that was the work of Henry VIII, as he built other structures.  As our shuttle driver explained, Henry recycled the stones from the priory much like he recycled his wives. Wandering among the standing walls, I certainly had a feel for the layout--signs helped--but the impact was still awe inspiring and knowing the site's history in the growth of English Christianity gave one pause. Walking in the footsteps is exciting, and when you add a spectacular view and a sea breeze and gulls--well, you have something to remember for the day.

Linda on Holy Island

Garden Poppies

We did visit the castle gardens (note the plate-sized poppies), and two of us did not give up on chasing down bashful sheep for photographs. Castle life did not seem appealing on closer inspection, so I want to put out word to little girls to be sure Prince Charming also has a smaller place in town.  The steps at night would be treacherous. The wind whistling down chimneys gave us an uncomfortable feeling, and all the tapestries in the world cannot turn a stone wall into anything but a stone wall.

The castle guard

         

Countdown to Edinburgh

What's going on here?

Countdown to departure for Edinburgh and the excitement of teaching creative writing in one of the most scenic countries in the world with links to some of my favorite authors--Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes series, J.M. Barrie--love Peter Pan, Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and then J.K. Rowling (for all you Harry Potter fans). 

If you are wondering about the luggage photo, yes, this is the sum total of my traveling gear--well, excluding the purse that probably weighs 10 pounds, but I'm not admitting that. Do notice that I have reduced my luggage volume from last year's trip to China by at least half. And before any more of you ask, Toto is not going. He is vacationing in the mountains of Virginia and making new friends with a large golden lab named Toby. 

Toto, you are not in Tennessee anymore. For the record, I am a bit travel-wiser this year and have opted out of the travel pillow and blanket for the plane that everyone offering flight advice seemed to focus on last year. There is a baggie of chocolate and almond munchies and a few granola bars for snacks replacing these items. This year it is rain gear and options for layering clothes as the weather in Scotland is cool, rainy, cloudy, rainy, and cool. There's a reason Scotland is so green and lush. Thanks to advice from my niece, who spent a year+ in Edinburgh, I am taking extra wool socks and a warm scarf. She has also recommended that I stop in at Greyfriars Art Shop in Edinburgh and guaranteed her "Scottish mum" would give me a good cup of tea. 

Right now, it's the final packing and making sure that I have all my notebooks and pens for writing class and two good audio books for the plane ride. I'm looking forward to hours of writing talk with students and walking the streets and byways of some of my favorite authors. While I'm filling writing journals, my gardens back home will be on autopilot and I'm sure the grass and weeds have already put out the word that it is safe for a while. It was hard to leave a good crop of lettuce, but I have invited neighbors to help themselves. Surely someone will pick the blueberries that ripen in mid-June.

The TNCIS Scotland program has a busy itinerary this year, and our writing class will be taking advantage of every literary and scenic opportunity available. Expect posts along the way as we venture to the highlands--and even make it on a day of Highland Games. There will be castles galore--ah images of Macbeth, so look forward to lines from poems, plays, and songs as we wind our way through the Scottish countryside. 

More to Come

Hey friends. I'm back home from China, but that doesn't mean I have shared all my thoughts, snaps, and exploits. When I have sorted and categorized the 2,325 photos now stored in iPhoto, I'll begin more postings. I've made new friends and want to keep up with them--and am looking for Jane Austen and Mark Twain books to forward to Shanghai--and plan to post some thoughts on families and children. I just couldn't resist taking photos of kids--with parents' permission of course. More later. Right now, I'm coping with jet lag and sleepless nights. The monkey mind--too busy and not ready for rest.

Did I mention 300 and 500 year old trees?
That's a topic for one future blog.