Alba: Scotland

                                                                                                                                            Safe Standards? "In My Twenties" Aye, right, Neil (in your mind), my friend, I've known you from youth 'til adulthood; But imagination's "dreaming", in the end! You the man, me... more growth to enjoy? should In later years, meeting time and time again, ADIs we qualified as - both teaching/learning then! Sharing similar interests... & without refrain. Inevitably, our Retirement is pending... when? * Our times touched in interesting manners, 'Tomorrow never comes', have often heard, Then and now...

                                                                                                                        'Scary Smile'    At one time, Grandparent Ewen, (GP), was practising one of his favourite hobbies - he loves being an amateur artist. His normal username is: 'ewenart'... which includes all forms of 'art' (except ballet dancing!), he would be sure to insist! Anyway, in this day and age, anyone who doesn't use a PC isn't easy to find, if not impossible? In any case, Personal Computers feel as natural as one's eyes and ears! As Ewen's children have grown, becoming parents themselves also! Family members have been delighted to see everything, plus, as genes pass ...

                                                                Eilean Donan Castle Annually, many visitors come to see this castle and her beautiful surrounding areas... among their numbers are countless different levels of interests and appreciations. 'Countless', of course, but if one takes time to visualize what that castle must have been like in its earliest times when approaching people would not be simple sightseers. It requires little imagination to see how formidable the prospect of attacking this castle would have been! Nowadays, it's quite common to have historically important places/areas as centres of interest for both the general public and tourists. This can't be a bad thing!     Presently, someone coming towards this iconic castle will be treated as valuable and welcome guests... to ta...

                                          Acrylic Abstract on a 15 x 10 cm canvas.  I'm an amateur artist - who admits to being an amateur in other areas also - such as my very slowly improving typing (abilities?). Anyway,  my actual hand-writing has taken all my writing days to become acceptable. I've always been too quick to write something down... and naturally, the style looks rushed (to be as polite!). Furthermore, much of my writing experience has been during working experiences - of course, different lines of employment have different styles of and/or abbreviations - lazy shortcuts! Prior to writing this particular article, I'd been reading some interesting advice regarding posting your artwork online. While I comfortably admit my amateur-artist status, I must say that I am happy with my painting procedures and practice! I'm always conscious of th...

Alginate's Workmates The day that I learned from our dear friend, Hugh Campbell, of his terminal illness, was one that came as an absolute surprise! Most people have some understanding that we do not have an eternal lifetime, and we shed this 'mortal-coil' when one 'passes away'. Hugh, Hughie as we preferred to call him, had a peculiar attitude to life and all that it may mean to us! Anyway, I was honoured that he felt he could confide this “serious information” with me - I reacted as rationally as I could, of course. Hughie had worked with the 'Alginate Industries  Factory' for very much longer than myself and many of our fellow workmates. After starting there, and getting used to their shift-work system, I gradually got to know the wide range of individuals employed there... an incredible range of skills and interests. A fascinating place of work. Hughie worked beside our mutual friend, John, 'Ginger' Beaton, and they were both ranked as...

                                                                 Kayak Marathon     After parking, we carried our Kayaks to the shore. In little time, we both had all our items loaded and hatch covers in place.  After a few exchanged words, we were paddling on the peaceful and tranquil Loch Awe. Scott's vessel leads the way initially. His Kayak is a deep blue, while mine is a light blue with a 'marbled' lighter blue effect... a 'luck-of-the-draw' situation, rather than choice. The forward position alternated, as the voyage progressed. We paddled in our customary relaxed and focused manner... in silence', bar the paddling sounds.     Without having spent much time in any detailed planning, we were content to paddle freely, knowing we'd recognise where and when to land, eat, and...

"Shin Thu!" 'Hi/hello there!' - when spoken in another tongue... Scottish Gaelic  Here is our commencement page of Alba's Images (Scotland's Images), and will serve as a preliminary section before this blog gets further established... which will, of course,  be a steadily gradual procedure. Bearing in mind that Ewen Morrison (myself) originally instigated this blog, a few words about me may be useful at the outset of the 'blog'? I've  enjoyed surfing the internet for many years before my retirement, in February 2010. I  had been a DSA ADI (Driving Standards Agency Approved Driving Instructor), or 'ADI' as we called each other.    That period of employment was of far greater value than you may think, the profession itself was wonderful, of course, yet the actual interactions between my clients/pupils was invaluable... and for ones that don't count value in monetary terms, this requires little further explanation! I comfort...