Reflections at Peedie Sands

I have been out adventuring again. One of my favourite things to do is pack a lunch, for the ‘assistant’ and I, grab my camera and then just disappear. I follow my intuition to guide me to a ‘wild’ Caithness/ Sutherland spot, somewhere far from the madding crowd, then I just let go and be. All worries, angst, stress and pressures fall from my shoulders  and I can sit for hours just watching Nature do her thing. But that’s me..Mum always said I had wandering gypsy blood in me! Never one for shoes or socks, or being confined. Maybe that’s why I have found a home in Caithness, a place where I can finally let go and release into the empty spaces.

I found myself wandering the cliffs above Peedie Sands, which is a wee inlet at Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of mainland Great Britian, not John O’Groats as we are led to believe. The day was stunning with a clear blue sky and a calm, turquoise sea. The day matched my mood.

As I sat on the cliffs I was reflecting on how I had been at Peedie Sands on other days, when my state of mind was not so calm, yet the beach, the soft, white sands and the sparkling sea had pulled me back to some sense of serenity. I love how Nature can do that to me that no other way can.

I reflected too on how it is not always calm in Caithness, far from it. Sometimes we get winds here that threaten to knock me off my feet or push our little house right off the cliffs into the roaring sea below. It’s truly frightening, but what can we do? We have to trust and know that we are protected. And stop resisting the storm, but go with it; ride it out, so to speak. It always passes. And that is how I know now that whatever may befall me there is always hope and comfort somewhere in the constant presence of a landscape that has weathered many a storm. Storms happen, we can’t stop them happening, but we can stop our resistance to them.

I feel like I am just coming out of a time of turbulence and particular ferocity but I am grateful for it. It is true, the person who enters a storm is not the same as the one who emerges. This storm for me has left me cleaner, brighter, tougher, more resilient than ever before and for that I am truly thankful.

Here is a little taste of Peedie Sands for you.

And this is my latest commission that I delivered this week. It is for the reception area at The Castletown Hotel. Last year I painted a large seascape for Andrew and Vicky Mackay in their Norseman Hotel, and they were so pleased with it that they asked me to paint one for the Castletown Hotel too. Yes, you guessed it..of Peedie Sands!

Thank you for reading my blog. Remember there’s plenty to browse and purchase here on my website. I am still concentrating on developing new outlets to sell my work here in the Highlands, so I may not be as productive on the painting front, but know that I am still here, being creative, still expanding and still providing ‘Inspiring Art from the Heart of the Highlands’ (my new tag line 😉 ). And remember that you are part of this growth too..supporting this artist as she evolves.

Lots of love,

Lisa Weller xx