St. Fillan’s Church-Aberdour, Scotland

St. Fillan’s Church-Aberdour, Scotland

myplaidheart

Hey there! This week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is hosted by Ann-Christine. The theme she has chosen is “surprise.” As I was thinking it over, this post about St. Fillans Church that I wrote a little over two years ago came to mind. Stepping over the threshold into that church was a true surprise indeed!

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to have such a strong reaction when I stepped through the beautiful wooden doors into the church. I have been in many old churches, but I gasped as I stepped inside. Its beauty, size, and the richness of its architecture were astonishing. It was like walking through a portal to another time. Except for a few minor, modern touches, one could almost hear the voices of the saints of old, raised in song, reverberating between those cold, stone walls.”

Original post:  January 2018

Hi, friends. Today I would like to take you guys to St. Fillan’s Church, a lovely parish church in Aberdour, Scotland. Aberdour is a picturesque, seaside village located about forty miles to the northwest of Edinburgh in the East Neuk of Fife.

St. Fillan's Church. in Aberdour, Scotland.
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Corse Castle-Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Corse Castle-Aberdeenshire, Scotland

myplaidheart

Today’s castle might not be considered a showstopper by some, but this ruin is one of my favorites. This is Corse Castle.

Corse Castle behind an embankment of overgrowth.
Corse Castle in Scotland.

Corse Castle sits alongside a minor road (well, less than a minor road, really), off of the B9119, near the village of Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In fact, if you didn’t know it was there, you might well miss it! Formerly a medieval tower house, this sixteenth-century castle is now a lonely roofless ruin, surrounded by deep overgrowth.

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: A Quiet Moment

myplaidheart

For this week’s challenge, I am sharing a photo that I took near Farr, Scotland. It was one of those sweet, precious, quiet moments where all you can think is, “Be still my heart.”

I haven’t posted much lately, as I’ve been crazy busy planning and overseeing home renovations. But, I promise you an article on Corse Castle sometime this week! Have a fantastic day, friends.

Scotland’s Adorable Red Squirrels

Scotland’s Adorable Red Squirrels

myplaidheart

One of the cutest little critters you might encounter while in Scotland is the red squirrel.

Red squirrel at a feeder

Red squirrels (S. vulgaris) are identifiable by their reddish-brown fur, fluffy tails, and tufts of hair on the ends of their ears. They may be spotted in a variety of woodland habitats; however, these elusive creatures are most likely to be found in coniferous woods – especially in the pine forests of the Highlands or further south in the Dumfries and Galloway region.

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A Prayer for True Justice

A Prayer for True Justice

myplaidheart

Hi friends. Wow, I hardly know what to write. It has been a difficult couple of weeks in America (the world), to say the least. Shoot, it’s been a difficult four months! Who could have ever in a million years predicted that this new decade would look as it does?

I think we all recognize that our world is not the same as it was at the start of the year. Our world is not even the same as it was two weeks ago. In the blink of an eye, everything is different. Life is different.

We are different.

I am different.

My emotions (and likely yours) have run the full gamut – everything from fear, sadness, anger, despair, and disbelief, to feelings of encouragement and hope.

Hope. Let us never lose hope.

Even though I am a Christian believer, I don’t like to get preachy on here. This is a blog about my love for Scotland, after all, and I respect that not everyone shares my beliefs. But sometimes, a person just has to express what’s on their heart.

YouVersion is an online mobile Bible platform that I sometimes use to read Scripture. Today, they published a ‘prayer for true justice’ that resonated with me. I hope they won’t mind that I am republishing this. I hope that you won’t mind that I am sharing this with you.

For all of the George Floyd’s of this world, for the marginalized, the trivialized, the overlooked, the unloved, for the despised and hated and persecuted people everywhere, I pray this prayer.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Old and New

myplaidheart

For this week’s challenge, Amy is looking for our photo interpretations of ‘old and new.’ I immediately thought about these photos that Mr. C and I took last year, of the Royal Air Force practicing touch-and-go maneuvers at RAF Lossiemouth, the military airfield located just four and a half miles from Duffus Castle. To see and hear the sleek, loud, fast jets flying past the 14-century castle ruin was quite an extraordinary sight!

Royal Air Force Lossiemouth is one of the largest and busiest military air stations in Scotland. The base is located in the northeast part of the country, on the western edge of the town of Lossiemouth, along the Moray Firth coast.

A RAF fighter jet flying past Duffus Castle.
A RAF fighter jet flying past Duffus Castle.
A RAF fighter jet flying past Duffus Castle.
St. Talorgan’s (a.k.a. Old Fordyce Church) – Fordyce, Scotland

St. Talorgan’s (a.k.a. Old Fordyce Church) – Fordyce, Scotland

myplaidheart

Hey, friends! A few weeks ago, I wrote about Fordyce, Scotland, and the sixteenth-century fairy tale castle that graces the center of that charming village. Mr. C and I were so delighted to come across the castle on our visit and were equally thrilled when we saw St. Talorgan’s, the old medieval church ruins and cemetery right next door. Of course, we just had to wander over for a closer look.

Old Fordyce Church sign.
A stone wall and a celtic cross in front of Fordyce Castle.
Standing in the kirkyard looking toward Fordyce Castle.

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Delicate Colours

myplaidheart

I love this week’s Photo Challenge. Ann-Christine has asked for photos with delicate colors.

One of my favorite things about Scotland’s scenery is the way it looks in the ever-changing light. There is something so magical and lovely about it. Sometimes everything is bright, crisp, and clear. Often, it’s moody. And sometimes the light casts the land in perfect, soft, almost pastel hues.

Here are three selections I chose from my archives for today’s challenge.

The ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel in Edinburgh, Scotland.

After the rain: the ruins of St. Anthony’s Chapel, located in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh.

A rugged coastal hill and the Stonehaven War Memorial in Scotland.

Stonehaven War Memorial as viewed from Dunnottar Castle near the town of Stonehaven.

A stone wall, green grass, and the Firth of Forth.

Looking at the Firth of Forth from inside the grounds at Lauriston Castle in Edinburgh.

Have a great Sunday!