about

I live on the northern tip of an island off the northwest coast of Scotland, I moved to this house and garden in January 2002, the house needed some work to make it warm and water proof, the garden was a combination of peat moorland heather, long over grown strong wild grasses and sphagnum mosses, I was working full time, on a small budget and alone, so progress has been slow, first and foremost the house needed attention, that ‘attention’ seems to be ongoing with more work appearing year on year,

I started blogging in January 2005, my first blog was all about textiles as I was very involved with them at the time, I was taking a foundation diploma in Art at Lews Castle college Benbecula campus, textiles in the form of art and craft items for sale and quilts for exhibition were the subject of the blog,

in 2008 I semi retired and became much more interested in my garden, by 2010 I had become fully retired doing very little textile work and became much more interested in the garden, I think some of this was influenced by the fact that I was learning more about plants and their needs, this interest has grown,

thank you for visiting,

 

the view from my kitchen window taken January 2010
the view from my kitchen window taken January 2010

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©Copyright 2016-2018 Frances Caple. All rights reserved. Content created by Frances Caple for Island Threads.

22 thoughts on “about”

  2. I love the idea of a photo a day, and yours are gorgeous.
    If I were to do the same thing, my readers would be bored silly! On the other hand, I may take up the challenge.

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  5. Hi Frances,
    My, how different our locations must be from each other! I’m so glad you found my blog and look forward to reading more of your posts with your fabulous photos. I use Elements, also, and neglecting to read the manual, have still figured out a few things. I use it mostly to remove garden hoses or other annoyances from my photos.
    Sue

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    1. hello Sue, yes our locations are very different that’s one of the things I like about blogging seeing different places through the eyes of the people who live in them, I’ve only dipped into the elements manual when I get stuck but have never found it much help. I learn more from trial and error or other people, your fog photos are beautiful, we don’t get fogs much here but when I lived in the south of England I often saw them, Frances

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  6. Hi Frances,
    enjoyed your blog about your island. you seem to ejnoy being close to nature. What animals do you see. One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. Sha kespeare.

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    1. hello Helen so glad you left a comment, yes I love being close to nature, not so many animals but lots of birds wish I could get good photos of them, a lovely Shakespearien quote, love Frances

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  7. Hi Frances,

    I am currently working on a project about place and identity on Lewis and am glad to have stumbled across your blog. Would just like to know, what does the coastline / sea mean to you? I know that being on an island like the Hebrides you are never too far off from the sea…It must be very nice.

    I am hoping to visit the western isles soon, was curious to know if there are any coastal trails along Lewis and places you would personally recommend a visit?

    Well, I look forward to your next blog & I hope to hear from you soon!
    Cheers lil

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  9. Hi there,

    I came across your blog while searching for items on Shiaba, where some of my family came from. I was born in Sydney, Australia, but now live in Glasgow doing Gaelic work. Are you still active online? I would live to hear more about the families that you’ve met who are descended from Shiaba,..

    Mìle taing,

    Ariel

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    1. hello Ariel, apologies for replying so late, my internet time in August was curtailed you can read why on my blog, anyway Shiaba,
      there is a roots web mailing list for the Isle of Mull, there you will find information and meet others with ancestors from Mull,
      http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/SCT/SCT-ISLEOFMULL.html

      there is also a website for Mull genealogy with information submitted by people with ancestors from Mull, you might find some info there,
      http://www.mullgenealogy.co.uk/

      I hope this helps, I looked at your website which is great and will leave a message on your contact page, Frances

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  10. What an amazing place to live! There is a part of me that yearns for that sort of isolation and solitude, but I think I would struggle with the long dark days of Winter – how is it for you? Love that view from your kitchen window.

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  11. Thanks for persisting and not giving up your blogging! I’m a lowland Scot – from Glasgow – but now I live near Santa Cruz, California, on a sunny ridge top, and blog about the native plants that grow here, and growing them from seed. My co-blogger adds some variety as she travels and has a suburban native plant garden. It’s been a while since I visited your site – I’m so glad to see you still posting I enjoyed your wildlife post, which was the latest when i visited today!

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        1. I understood Helen, what I mean is, it is real though at times seems unreal, sort of truth is stranger than fiction, possibly for me and others like me it is nothing like where I grew up and the landscapes I’ve lived in most of my life, Frances

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thank you for reading my threads,