AGE 57 ~ 70 ... New Life ~ Play
Moving to live on the Isle of Skye was so much more than just living in a new location. Quite apart from the fact that I was retired from a lifetime of teaching, we were living in a place that was totally different - in just about every respect - to anywhere I had ever lived before.
I had always enjoyed photography, and also loved to explore using maps, especially ordnance survey maps. About a year or so before we left Kent, I had come across a geographical/historical photo website on which people were invited to post geo-located photographs of geographical features together with an optional written description. Such features include pretty much anything within the landscape, natural or man-made. The website is called Geograph, and can be found here: http://www.geograph.org.uk/
On Skye, I discovered than just a couple of local people were submitting photos to Geograph, so there was plenty of scope for adding more pictures without the risk of duplicating a scene already on the site. (Having said that - multiple pictures of the same scene are accepted, as they are all dated, so can show, over time, how much or little something has changed. Then there are differences in weather and season which will affect how a feature looks).
I took to hill-walking, and a couple of times a week, would set out with boots, maps, GPS device, hiking poles and camera, and gradually covered a huge area of Skye. Much of the island is heather moorland - some of it boggy, most of it hilly. Mostly, I walked alone, but occasionally, Sue would join me. It is tough walking, and I have to admit that as my age increases, my ability to get to the more rugged parts of the island has waned. But I am still taking photos for Geograph. I have well over 10,000 photographs on the site now.
I had always enjoyed photography, and also loved to explore using maps, especially ordnance survey maps. About a year or so before we left Kent, I had come across a geographical/historical photo website on which people were invited to post geo-located photographs of geographical features together with an optional written description. Such features include pretty much anything within the landscape, natural or man-made. The website is called Geograph, and can be found here: http://www.geograph.org.uk/
On Skye, I discovered than just a couple of local people were submitting photos to Geograph, so there was plenty of scope for adding more pictures without the risk of duplicating a scene already on the site. (Having said that - multiple pictures of the same scene are accepted, as they are all dated, so can show, over time, how much or little something has changed. Then there are differences in weather and season which will affect how a feature looks).
I took to hill-walking, and a couple of times a week, would set out with boots, maps, GPS device, hiking poles and camera, and gradually covered a huge area of Skye. Much of the island is heather moorland - some of it boggy, most of it hilly. Mostly, I walked alone, but occasionally, Sue would join me. It is tough walking, and I have to admit that as my age increases, my ability to get to the more rugged parts of the island has waned. But I am still taking photos for Geograph. I have well over 10,000 photographs on the site now.
As for home-based activity - we were fortunate to be able to buy a piece of land very close to the Barn which had been used for some time in the past as a vegetable plot. It had become very overgrown, but with some determination, I succeeded in clearing the plot and created a passably neat allotment. I soon discovered that Skye is pretty much at the limit of some vegetables growing-zone. Winds can blow small plants out of the ground. Late frosts immediately wipe-out any tender seedlings that have been planted-out too early. But over the years, we have enjoyed good crops of a good range of vegetables, with kale, sprouts, carrots and potatoes being among our favourites.
I still love my cars. However - because we frequently needed to move all manner of stuff about, for several years, my everyday transport was a van. I also used my van for my three or four trips south to visit friends and family. It was while undertaking these trips, that I would dream about what would be the ideal car to use for such journeys. So - finding that we were in the fortunate position of having a little spare cash, I allowed myself the indulgence of a 'toy' in the shape of a rather beautiful gold-coloured Jaguar XK Coupe.
The car is a 2007 model, with a 4.2 litre 300bhp V8 engine, and caramel-coloured leather interior with walnut trim inserts. It was 9 years old when I bought it, yet had only been driven 15,600 miles in all that time. It is a sensational car to drive, and it is a pure joy to take it on the 1700 mile round-trips to Devon, Hampshire and Buckinghamshire. The car has done 36,000 miles now (December 2019).
It's quite a difference to driving a van...
I still love my cars. However - because we frequently needed to move all manner of stuff about, for several years, my everyday transport was a van. I also used my van for my three or four trips south to visit friends and family. It was while undertaking these trips, that I would dream about what would be the ideal car to use for such journeys. So - finding that we were in the fortunate position of having a little spare cash, I allowed myself the indulgence of a 'toy' in the shape of a rather beautiful gold-coloured Jaguar XK Coupe.
The car is a 2007 model, with a 4.2 litre 300bhp V8 engine, and caramel-coloured leather interior with walnut trim inserts. It was 9 years old when I bought it, yet had only been driven 15,600 miles in all that time. It is a sensational car to drive, and it is a pure joy to take it on the 1700 mile round-trips to Devon, Hampshire and Buckinghamshire. The car has done 36,000 miles now (December 2019).
It's quite a difference to driving a van...