5 in 5 - September 2017 - A beach walk on Bute

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of

each month I post 5 photos that I have

taken in 5 minutes.

August was a month of travel and I took several sets of photos with '5 in 5' in mind.  I was spoilt for choice, and in the end I decided to share photos of a brief walk on the beach, taken on the Isle of Bute.  My time there was very special and if you have not already seen my previous post you can read about my trip here.

There are lots of lovely beaches around Bute, and as we could camp wild we watched the sun setting and the tide come and go from our campervan. It was lovely to sleep with the sound of the water, and the call of geese as they flew over and landed in the waters edge.  Of course, I was temped in too.....

There were lots to see along the beach....

including an artist, on this occasion.




I stopped to admire his work on my way back and it was interesting to see how the same scene had been captured in paint. 

.........................

Last month Maggie, Mary-Lou, Karen, Melanie and Borqna joined me in this monthly photo challenge, and if you'd like to pick up your camera to join in it would be lovely to have your company. 

Here's what you do and there are more details here. 

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a timer for 5 minutes (I use my mobile phone).

4.  Take as many photos you can (or wish to) until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool below.

                              You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos.

Thank you for popping by and don't forget to add your link below if you would like to join us in this month's 5in5. 

A meeting of Paperlove

Three years ago I signed up for an online course.  There is nothing new in this, I do a lot of courses, online and otherwise.  But what makes this one different is the friendships that grew. As part of the Paperlove course, Rachel Hazel set up a Facebook Group so that we could share our work and experience. The course only lasted 3 weeks - but for some of us, our friendship lasted and grew. 

After the course finished I suggested the idea of planning a gathering, and we talked about it again last year, when four of us met in London. We spoke of how nice it would be to meet more of the group and the idea took hold....

Ruth agreed to our request to meet at her studio on the Isle of Bute. News was shared, excitement spread, and soon people were booking accomodation and flights.  Because the amazing thing is, people came from California, Canada, New Zealand and Europe! Can you imagne?! Some bought partners and some travelled alone. A feast of friends drawn together through the love of paper! 

For my own part, my husband came with me to Scotland and we stayed in the campervan in a beautiful bay, not far from Ruth's studio.

The first morning I was wandering along the beach collecting shells, when I heard 'hello Sandie'. It was a friend from New Zealand! She saw the campervan parked up and stopped to see if it was me. The excitement of meeting face to face was extraordinary and suddenly it had become real - this was really happening!

There is so much I could share, but to spare you I'll choose some of the highlights and save the rest as memories. So grab a coffee if you like and I will begin:

We all arrived in advance of our 3 days together so had an improntu meet was arranged to say hello and quieten our excitement. And then it was time to gather....

Ruth is an artist and we felt very grateful that she was willing to share her studio for this time together. She showed us how to sketch and paint, something I am keen to learn....

 As you can see, I'm working on it! LOL

Then it was time to walk to the beach where we collected shells and plants.  

The plants were for Eco-printing. We had each offered to share a technique or something we enjoy, and as there were other people who make books I offered to show how I make prints onto paper and fabric.  Chris also does this, back in New Zealand, so we did this in collaboration.  I had also made everyone a small notebook using my eco-printed paper, and this gave examples of what we would make.  

It took a long time to steam all the bundles but it was worth the effort. The results were lovely and several of the group were keen to do more in future. 

Two of our friends were unable to join us but they were very much there in thought and spirit.  Julia had sent us an an individually wrapped gift pack full of treasures....

while Linda sent a postcard to us each. On the back was part of a phrase. There was great excitment in working it out and as one card arrived a day later there was suspension!  

During our three days together we made paper constructions: folded books and origami lanterns... 

and we guilded shells

and did lots more besides.

I am still holding my excitement and amazement that some people travelled so far to make this happen. I'm feeling very blessed and grateful.

But that's not all, there is more to tell, so I'll be back very soon. Hope to see you then, thanks for popping by!