I’ve given myself a two week blogging break. It’s the school half term and the weather has been amazing for October. The combination of both took me offline and outdoors into the Scottish Highlands.
Having spent the last 10 years in New Zealand it was easy to down trod my homeland from afar. The thought of those bleak winters and daily rainy grind seemed like a world away while in my antipodean garden surrounded by an acre of orange trees, palm trees and a glistening swimming pool.
What I have come to realise though, more than ever before, that no matter where you are in the world, life is a mind game. Happiness really does come from within. Positivity breeds positivity.
Driving through the Highlands of Scotland I fell in love with my motherland again. The sheer power of it’s beauty; the rugged terrain, asperous mountains, glacied valleys drowning in browning autumn heather, sheep and herds of deer, gave me such gratitude. Life has shown me (as it does for others too) great sadness’s. Choosing to be mindful of the smaller things, has turned my mindset around to enjoy and savour the simple life.
So last week, while my girls were on half term we borrowed a friend’s campervan and headed up to Cairngorms in the centre of the Highlands.
Before the images of our time away I found this fantastic House Tour that I really had to share. A Lodge, constructed out of granite, steel and glass, so alternative to it’s traditional counterparts found in the Highlands of Scotland.
Years in the making, designed by leading American Architect, Moshe Safdie the lodge sits on a 57,000 acre estate. Situated on the Corrour Estate near Fort William, it was built to replace the original Victorian lodge which was burnt down in 1942. Only the chapel, game larder and
schoolhouse remained.
The interiors ooze style. Collated by Suzy Hoodless the brief was to create a comfortable family home. The lodge, full of bespoke pieces from 20th century Scandinavian furniture designers Josef Frank and Frits Henningsen, hand woven rugs from Nepal and a 16th century tapestry of the Battle of Zama (a battle fought in Roman times) among other pieces, create a relaxed vibe.
(Images via Suzy Hoodless & Stylejuicer)
Corrour House can be rented as a holiday home.
Our Highland Getaway
No internet and choosing to cook in the great outdoors, we went alternative in our recent break. Our setting, right beside Loch Morlich, with the Cairngorm ski resort on the mountain in the distance, no wind and beautiful blue skies made our few days truly idyllic. As darkness fell we stayed up playing Uno and giggling in the camper, the girls enjoying having my full attention. It really was a welcomed break from the norm.
Sun rise over the loch which was a calm and still as glass.
Evaporation and condensation make the Loch steam like a boiling kettle first thing in the morning.
(Photography | Laura Thomas)
An evening paddle boarder out on a perfect night.