Tag Archives: photography

Cill Chriosd (Christ’s Church or “Kilchrist”), Isle of Skye

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Cill Chriosd or Kilchrist meaning Christ’s Church is a ruined pre-Reformation parish church of Strathaird, Isle of Skye, Scotland. The first written record of the church located at this site is from 1505 when Kenneth Adamson succeeded John MacGillivray as chaplain. The parish was used by the community until 1840 when a new building was established in the near-by town of Broadford.

The path leading up to Cill Chriosd

These ruins are so very quiet and calm, the only noise that one will hear is the bahs of lambs calling to their moms.

The ruins are located next to a single-track road, surrounded by the omnipresent sheep.

To enter the ruins, one passes through a small iron gate that is often left open, as can be seen by the neatly trimmed grass, a hallmark of the free-range sheep of the area.

Iron gate leading to the ruins of Cill Chriosd

Here you can see the meticulously maintained grass, thanks to the sheep

Sheep are not the only visitors to the ruins, this bird watched us while we explored the grounds

Bird taking flight from the ruins

We loved the way this tree has become part of the ruins

Looking towards the burial enclosure

East end of Cill Chriosd,showing the burial enclosure

The burial enclosure of the parish looking toward Beinn na Caillich (Red Hills)

Looking through the entrance to the burial enclosure up to Beinn na Caillich

The Red Hills and the sheep add a comforting and strangely desolate feeling to these ruins.

Cill Chriosd, solemn and serene

This little lamb was perfectly at home in the shadows of the ruins of Cill Chriosd

Cill Chriosd is an understated attraction, the only reason that we stumbled upon it was because we were staying just a few minutes up the road from it at Swordale House, a delightful bed and breakfast that I would recommend to anyone staying on the Isle of Skye.

This picture was taken from just outside the ruins, the building in the distance is Swordale House

While Cill Chriosd does not offer the most spectacular of ruins, it is an impressive monument to hundreds of years of religious island life. You will not have to fight the crowds to explore this wonderful site, so be sure to stop by.

Cill Chriosd is about two miles from Broadford village on the B8083 road to Elgol.

The Needles, Isle of Wight

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The Needles is a unique row of chalk stacks that rise out of the sea off of the western edge of the Isle of Wight, England. When we went to view them, the wind was so strong that I was rather concerned that we would get whisked away. At one point my husband’s camera strap was blown off his neck (this concerned him more than being near the edge of a cliff even though he is terrified of heights).

The Needles, standing strong against the wind and the waves

The little building at the end of the Needles is a lighthouse that was built in 1859

The Needles, marching out to sea

The Needles are an amazing sight and well worth a visit, just be sure to hold on to your camera if the wind is up.

Kew Palace, The Dutch House

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Kew Place is a lovely brick manor house located in the Kew Botanical Gardens, London.

Kew Palace, was once known as the “Dutch House” because of its Dutch gables

The perfectly maintained hedges and topiaries add a key architectural feature to this property

The Queen’s Garden is a formal garden that lies behind Kew Palace

The plants in the Queen’s Garden are those grown in Britain before and during the 17th century.

The symmetrical lines of Kew Palace are mirrored in plantings of the Queen’s Garden

This mallard liked the tranquility offered by this pond in the Queen’s Garden. The statue in the center of the pond is a copy of Verocchio’s ‘Boy with a Dolphine.’

This Venetian well head is a focal-point of the parterre garden

This marble satyr stands guard next to a leafy hallway

Looking west down the leafy hallway in the Queen’s Garden

We found the exterior of Kew Palace and the Queen’s Garden to be a wonderfully tranquil retreat from the rest of the gardens. The Queen’s Garden is one of the more structured outdoor gardens at Kew, making it a great location for traditional photography.

Kew Gardens: Golden Pheasant Don’t Give a Hoot

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We discovered this strange fellow near the Minka House in Kew Gardens, England. He was not disturbed by anything. Most people didn’t even notice him because he was so quiet. One man almost stepped on him, that’s how nonchalant this Golden Pheasant was.

Golden Pheasant at Kew Gardens doesn’t give a hoot

He will leave when he wants to, don’t mind him.

Kew Gardens: The Adventure Continues

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At Kew Gardens there is a lovely pair of Canada Geese who are very protective of their little ones.

Here they are starting off their morning stroll down the path.

The geese with a little one

The wee goslings would often stop on their walk to examine their surroundings.

Mama says, “Don’t stare at the strange man with the camera, dear.”

Mama would often give here brood tips on how to behave in public.

“Just walk along and ignore any strangers you might happen to meet.”

The morning stroll was enlivened when papa goose discovers a treasure.

“I found something!”

The little ones dashed over to see what papa had discovered.

“How is it? Is it good?”

After papa goose nodded his approval the little ones crowded in to get a taste of the delicious orange bread.

“What a great treat!”

But all was not well, for in Kew Gardens lurks naughty Raven, who is always stealing everyone’s snacks. Today was no exception, Raven was on the prowl for tasty pieces of bright orange bread!

Becoming more famished by the minute, Raven watched the goslings devour the scrumptious orange bread.

But mama and papa goose saw Raven watching them and were having none of his monkey business.

Mama and papa goose honked and hollered at Raven, but he did not leave.

Of course, Raven was too proud to be scared off by a bit of goose chatter, he dove in to claim his orange prize!

Papa goose saw Raven coming and stood his ground.

However, Raven was very hungry, a puny indignant goose would not detour him.

So, papa had to chase after Raven

And chase…

And flap…

And he even puffed himself up so that Raven would be frightened of him, puffing-up was papa’s secret weapon.

Finally, Raven gave up. Papa duck was very proud and strutted back to mama goose.

Papa goose proclaimed to mama and the frightened little ones, “Puffing-up always does the trick!”

With the naughty Raven out-of-the-way, the family was able to seek out and enjoy their yummy orange bread.

The wee goslings could not find the bread on their own, mama had to show them where to find it.

Once they had found the tidbit, mama goose sampled it to make sure it was still good for the little ones.

“Mmm… yes, that will do.”

Once mama gave her approval it was a free-for-all, the wee ones fought as vigorously for the bread crumbs as Raven had.

“What’s that there! No, don’t, I saw it first!”

“Aww! Come back here!”

Peace was restored, as it always is, when all the food had filled the tiny bellies.

“Come dears, its time to continue on our walk.”

All the little ones said yes mama, hoping that around the next bend would be more amazing bright orange bread.