Fear a' Bhàta video: Capercaillie sings

The hauntingly beautiful voice of Karen Matheson singing the song, composed in the late 18th Century by Jane Finlayson of Tong, Isle of Lewis, for a young Isle of Skye fisherman, from Uig, named Donald MacRae.

Fear a' Bhàta , The Boatman.

Oh, my boatman, o hòro éile
Oh, my boatman, o hòro éile
Oh, my boatman, o hòro éile
My farewell and health to you, wherever you go.

Often I gaze from the highest hill
Striving to see the boatman:
Will you come today, or will you come tomorrow?
And if you don't come at all it is wretched that I'll be.

Oh, my boatman ...

My heart is bruised and broken;
Often the tears run from my eyes.
Will you come tonight - or should I even expect you?
Or will I just close the door with a melancholy sigh?

Oh, my boatman ...

It is often that I ask of mariners around
Whether they saw you; are you unharmed?
But every one of them says to me
How foolish I am to have given my love to you.

Oh, my boatman ...

My darling promised me a silken gown;
He promised me that and a tartan plaid of beauty:
A gold ring in which I could see his image,
But I fear that he has now forgotten.

Oh, my boatman ...

Although they said you had no substance
That did not diminish my love for you.
You will be in my dreams at night
And in the morning I will search for you.

Oh, my boatman ...

I dearly loved you, I do not deny,
Not a year's love nor for just a season;
But a love that began when I was a child
And will not wither until death consumes me.

Oh, my boatman ...

My friends and kinfolk often say
That I must spurn my memories of you,
But their advice to me means no more
Than the ebbing and flowing of the sea.

Oh, my boatman ...

I will be forever tearful and dejected
Like a wild swan wounded and broken
Wailing its song of death on some weedy pond -
Left by the others, alone and abandoned.

The Inverinian burn runs under the Trees through Glen Lyon

A river flowing in Glen Lyon

The Inverinian burn curving round from under a bridge, over rocks.

Stac Pollaidh: A Photo Blog of Scotland

The views were magnificent, with distant views to the peaks of the very north glistening white in the sun.

The blue of the lochans that were interspersed between peaks like Suilven and Cul Mor, stood out against the barren summer green of the wilderness.

We spotted a small group of stags close by on the hillside, and they seemed happy to graze as we walked by.

It was a great day to be in the hills.

See more marvellous photos of this venture at this site: Photo Blog of Scotland

Views of Glen Lyon and Glen Lochay

Click on the picture to see more beautiful images taken by Tim Haynes

A Clydesdale Horse at the Stirling Agricultural show

Wearing a Kilt at the beach

McGill was a prolific artist, designing more than 12,000 cards over six decades, and selling more than 200 million cards in British seaside towns.

Artist Paul Bartlett - Natural Selection Gallery

"Contemporary wildlife art by Paul Bartlett. Paul uses ripped pieces of paper and magazine to build intriguing mixed media works depicting the animals and landscapes from his travels at home in Scotland and around the world."



I have been a great fan of Paul's work since first I saw it.

My first sight of Paul's picture collage of a Gannet in profile, was a momentous one and I have loved his work ever since.



I encourage you to browse through the online picture gallery but having done that then seek out his gallery in Fife. You will discover that viewing the pictures in their true setting is even more remarkable.