by Steve Tanham
The day was already old by the time the ferry from Ullapool had docked at Stornaway. We had been warned that shops were few and far between on the Hebridean island of Lewis and advised to take advantage of the supermarkets in the capital. The no-sunday trading laws imposed by the ‘Wee Free’ Presbyterian church were in force across the island, and we were … Read More A Hebridean Diary (2) Long road to Uig
by Steve Tanham
Although it was a continuation of the same trip, it would be misleading to continue with the ‘Poolewe Diaries’ as a title. The sailing from Ullapool to the Hebridean main island of Lewis marked the second week of the Scottish adventure, so a change of title is appropriate… Arriving on the island of Lewis, you get a strong sense of the remoteness of the … Read More A Hebridean Diary (1) Impressions of Lewis
by Steve Tanham
Continued from Part Four…. See index below. We’re in Ullapool. Waiting to board the ferry to the Outer Hebrides – the island of Lewis, to be precise. Our first week in the far north-west of Scotland is over. We’ve marvelled at some of the most dramatic scenery we’ve ever seen. My iPhone has struggled to cope with the sheer scale of this land. It’s … Read More A Poolewe diary (5) : over the Minch to Lewis
+ #Silenti, landscapes, Travel
by Steve Tanham
We recently spent a few days on the island of Anglesey, just off the north-west coast of Wales. On the agenda was a personal return to Rhosneigr, an attractive village on the island’s south coast. Rhosneigr’s heyday was in the Edwardian era when it was a highly fashionable holiday destination. Today, it is still a popular resort that has retained its charm and outstanding … Read More Return to Rhosneigr
+ #Silenti, #wantonwhimsy, Love, Memories, Travel
by Steve Tanham
You can see the moment they get it… When their tone changes: “Must be just for show; the whole thing – car, suitcase left casually on the luggage rack…” “What makes you think that?” the woman asks. “Just look at the number plate!” The man adds, cocky…but sensing fragility. It’s usually one of the women who sees it first. “It’s not STAG, Ken, it’s … Read More Wanton Whimsy: 5TAG
by Steve Tanham
It wasn’t his dream, but he was in it… But someone else was, too. He knew the other as ‘Kitten’: marked in the sky by the two eyes. Kitten watched all the time; she – how did he know it was she? – presided over this place. That much he knew… but nothing else. As long as he followed the furrows in the landscape, … Read More Wanton Whimsy: Test Pilot
by Steve Tanham
The driver’s window was open. So open she wasn’t sure it had one. Parked in the sunshine at the end of a line of antique shops, it looked…alien. The message had been precise: she was to meet him here. The ‘small square’ turned out to be a parking space; almost exactly sized to fit the strangely exotic car. She felt a slight shiver. She … Read More Wanton Whimsy: Interview
by Steve Tanham
He had lost count of the number of years they had been doing this… The envelope, marked with a promo sticker from a fictitious low-budget garden show, had arrived a month ago. It contained exactly seven clues. And then the words ‘Dress to Kill’. The rules were simple. Dinner would be served in the most unlikely location, chosen by the person whose turn it … Read More Wanton Whimsy: Find me!
by Steve Tanham
A monster beyond cool… I muttered the words into the sweet, black liquid which, four times a day, had become my substitute for life, and gazed out of Cafe Giacomo’s window and across one of the city’s busiest side streets. The bike snaking in and out of Rome’s afternoon traffic was huge…so big that I had to look twice at the slight body of … Read More Wanton Whimsy: Monster
+ #RealityChequers, Anger, Consciousness, English Lake District, Politics and Power, Spirituality, Travel, Travel and Photography
by Steve Tanham
No coward this white train That dared to speak a virgin’s mind Stripped, to the abuser’s rule That sought to quash Dissent in journeys’ end ➰ It’s flaming red still trails the skies A freer voice than iron ways Where iron minds, entitled Lay down iron roads Within the minds and tongues of Those who cannot within their minds Travel by themselves… ➰ Unliveried, … Read More White Iron Bride
+ #Silenti, Highlands of Scotland, Mindfulness, Mystery Play, Mystery Schools, Places and Prose, Scotland, Silent Eye School, Silent Eye Workshops, Spirituality, Stream of Consciousness, Travel, Travel and Photography, Writing
by Steve Tanham
Portmahomack, a fishing village on the north shore of one of the fingers of land that jut out into the North Sea, thirty or so miles north of Inverness. There is something perfect about it. Somewhere close, our collie dog, Tess, is barking, playing with the waves. I follow the waterline, ensuring that only the thick soles of my boots get wet. It is … Read More Pen of the oyster-catcher
by Steve Tanham
The grey dawn was breaking around the huge ship. It’s not a boat, Captain Thassos had explained. A ship is much bigger than a boat… you can fit several boats into a ship. Later on in the cruise he would provide a wonderful illustration of this. For now we were about to have an experience of a lifetime, and it was ironic that the … Read More Sound of the Primeval
Sun in Gemini 
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