L E O N I E . W I S E

to give the flip side of susannah’s recent tips on how to get unstuck when writing, here’s some tips for you on how to avoid writing at all costs. these tips are based on my own (current) real-life experiences.

1. procrastinate. make lots of lists of things to do. get them all done aside from the ones where you have to write something
2. say yes to invitations from friends to write guest posts and be part of exquisite collaborations, then be prepared to experience the worst writer’s block ever
3. never allow yourself any time to sit quietly. avoid going for a walk alone at. all. costs. these moments are where creative ideas are born
4. claim VOICE as your word for the year, then do all that you can to suppress it
5. read other people’s writing and get depressed because what they have to say appears to be more interesting than anything you could possibly write yourself
6. hang out online for hours on end not really with any purpose in mind
7. watch movies that aren’t really that good
8. fill your blog with crazy moustaches and leave your paper journals as dry & dusty as death valley
9. pretend you have nothing to say

How to Crochet a Mustache Hat Costume
thanks to Melanie Martin (@snoogiewoogie) for the link!

P.S. anyone who knows how to crochet out there – please do not make me one!!

summer in the UK this year has been especially good. and by that i mean warm. with sunshine and everything. this bank holiday weekend we are even forecast to have some more after a gloomy, rain-filled week.

i am dreaming of a warm summer’s evening balcony or garden party; filled with friends, laughter, candlelight and garlands. these links are to garlands and adornments i have found on my travels that i love. some of them are DIY projects, others are clever crafters so you can buy them ready-made if you like.

1. vintage scalloped garland (sweetjessie, etsy)
2. DIY shell garland (homestyle magazine, nz)
3. DIY fabric flower garland (mimpi, blog)
4. button garland (joliejolie, design blog)
5. customisable paper garland lanterns (buzzcritic)

what are you dreaming of, or making, today?

all
these things are seemingly unrelated;
some not even visible to the naked eye.
they laugh at me, daring me to speak only truth.

twin
lights stare back at me from the reflection in the mirror:
who are you? what are you doing here? how…
is it possible that we even exist?

infinity
is the colour of invisible. i
want to buy a cloak that colour, fade
into the sigh of eternity.

twelve
shuffles itself around my brain as if seeking
a purchase. it has no meaning. i am searching
for meaning.

© 2010. leonie wise

handlebar moustache bottle opener
thanks to rusty nut studios for the link!

i fall in love with every place we visit and scotland was no exception.

okay, so we also had a sweet van ⁽¹⁾ to cruise around in, and some stunning weather that really did show us the highlands at their finest.

about an hour after we left the pick-up point in our van florence, i realised there was no way we would be able to stick to the original itinerary. the old vw just can’t be hurried (top speed was about 55mph – that’s downhill with a tailwind – cruising speed about 40mph) and so plans had to be changed in order to adopt a slow travelling style. slow travel turned out to be the theme for the week!

first stop: food. and (thanks to the power of teh internets) we found a great farm shop ⁽²⁾ not far from our starting point. we picked up some locally smoked salmon, fresh trout pate, scottish cheese, oatcakes and two loaves of freshly baked (still warm) bread. so delicious that we ate almost half a loaf straight away.

our first full day we spent taking the jacobite steam train from fort william to mallaig ⁽³⁾.

this railway journey has been voted best in the world a couple of years running now and is the journey that the hogwarts express train takes in the harry potter movies. it crosses the beautiful glenfinnian viaduct (pictured above) as part of the journey. have a look out for it next time you watch one of the movies…

we had stunning weather and breathtaking scenery the whole way.

arriving at mallaig, we wandered out to the harbour where the skyline bristles with fishing boat masts and colourful reflections dance on the water.

and there are wonderful views out towards the isle of skye

(in a place like this, fish & chips were definitely required for lunch)

the next part of our journey took us over one of the most amazing roads i’ve ever travelled: the bealach nam bo, or bealach na ba (depending on who you ask). all my photographs from this road were taken out the window as nic navigated the steep and windy roads – no places to stop and far too steep to coax florence into a hill start!

The Bealach nam Bo (the pass of the cattle) is an old drove road used in past times to take cattle to the market.  The coast road was completed in 1975, and prior to this, the coastal townships were only accessible by foot path or by sea. The Bealach nam Bo is the highest pass in Scotland at 626m (2053 feet) above sea level.  The road incorporates a number of hairpin bends and is unsuitable for learner drivers, caravans or those of a nervous disposition. ⁽⁴⁾

we ended up at the campsite at applecross ⁽⁵⁾, where plans changed again as we realised it was far too beautiful there to stay only one night and our second full day was full of exploring the applecross area on foot.

tuesday we packed up again and took the low road around the coast from applecross to the tiny northern lights campsite ⁽⁶⁾ overlooking little loch broom.

then following day, after a hearty breakfast of porridge with cream & brown sugar (in honour of my maternal grandmother), we trundled on again to the summer isles located on the Coigach Peninsula. here, i could have stayed forever.

it’s a tiny part of scotland with only about 80-100 residents all year round. according to the chap who runs the polbain stores ⁽⁷⁾, when the tourists are away, the locals get rowdy down at the local hall and have been known to have quite the party in the off-season. guess they have to do something to keep warm!

we had dinner booked at the local summer isles hotel ⁽⁸⁾: it boasts lovely views across the summer isles, a michelin starred restaurant and a whisky nook. we thought we’d give florence a night off, and managed to get a great deal on the last room they had available – in the annex, with a nest of baby swallows just outside the door. perfect!

(don’t their little beaks and tufty heads remind you of muppets?)

thursday morning, we hopped on a boat at Badentarbat Bay ⁽⁹⁾ that took us on a leisurely ride around the summer isles, stopping to look at seals and caves along the way, before landing on the only inhabited island called tanera mor for lunch. the place has its own stamps, so i purchased some to send the postcards i’d written to family & friends along the way.

friday was our last day in the camper and i have to say that, after the summer isles, our night on the shores of loch ness was pretty average. the glens are beautiful but the lake itself didn’t really appeal. plus we didn’t see nessie, so there’s not really anything to show from there.

with love to you wherever you are,
leonie
p.s. more photos up on flickr. comments welcome and appreciated.

FOOTNOTES:

1. cheers to mr. petherick for this phrase. the van mentioned was rented from escape campers
2. fencebay farm shop. go there! well worth a visit. delicious smoked fish, pate, cheeses and BREAD. try the bread.
3. the jacobite
4. Source: The Applecross Peninsula; A tour of the peninsula
5. applecross campsite
6. northern lights campsite
7. polbain stores
8. summer isles hotel
9. summer isles cruises

(1) jen gray, squam (2) me and jen lee (photo by darlene). (3) hope street, london, sw11

JEN GRAY is the kinda gal i would move into a tree house with at the drop of a hat. she is gorgeous, hilarious and has the biggest heart. to be near her is like having someone hand you a scoop of your favourite ice-cream on a hot summer day. it’s just THAT good. she is one of the amazing team that put together the squam art journal and who makes squam art workshops the incredible success that it is. i adore her for the beauty she brings to, and sees, in the world.

JEN LEE has a voice i could listen to all day. don’t take my word for it, head over to her website and listen to one of her podcasts. i had the pleasure to attend one of her writing workshops at squam and it changed me. it changed the conversations i have with myself about writing. her poem “Don’t Write” is a regular read for me, as well as her wee book “fortunes” which lives on the shelf next to my computer. the first poem in there called “You Write to the Fence” is one i read over and over. she teaches at squam, writes books, runs retreats, has her own limited edition t-shirt line and tells stories on stage. awesome.

JEN LEMEN reminds me to always look for hope. i have followed her story for a number of years now. the one that is tightly woven with that of Odette and her daughters. it is her courage and determination and the hope project that constantly remind me to dream bigger and ask for what i need. because i might just get it. she spoke about how photography can make a difference at the Evo ’10 Conference.

i invite you to wander off and check these 3 ladies out if you haven’t been introduced to them before: see what  you make of them for yourself.

then come back and tell me true… who is inspiring you today?

(the literal version)

these postcards were on a stand outside a part of london that doesn’t get many tourists passing by. i am very tempted to return, buy the whole stack of curled postcards on the right and use them for something creative.

maybe i could send them to people – do an unloved postcards swap or something.
any other suggestions?

run storm goddess.
your mad blue-moon beauty,
drunk on cool water,
will crush their want
take a delirious
forest smell with them,
and honeydiamond singing.