New Life Chapter

This is designed to be a very gentle place. It is a place where I can share my life on a small Scottish island. Living on a small island is a beautiful way to travel through life but it does have its challenges. The last time I wrote about my life on Arran was in my blog in 2013 - Scottish island Mum - where I wrote every day for a year. It was an amazing experience that taught me so much about myself and the island I call home. Move on 10 years and a lot has changed. My home schooling days are behind me and my four children all grown up and living their own lives. I now have much more time for my art and my writing. I already write regularly about my seasonal creativity journey over on Substack. I love this wee place as everyone is so friendly.

Those that know me well know that I keep a journal. I write in it most days even if it is just a few sentences. I want this space to be where I share my life more broadly and, of course, the beautiful island I am blessed to live on. A tiny bit about me in case you have just stumbled across my website.

My name is Fiona and I have a hubby, Pete, and four children - Molly (30), Harry (28), George (25) and Max (23). We live in a small village on the Isle of Arran which is home to approximately 5,000 people. The island is 50 ish miles all the way around. Our home is an old farmhouse and we have 2 acres of mainly meadow and woodland. From this home I run my artist business which I began when the children were very small. I am now a mixed media artist having begun as a textile artist. I was originally a performing artist with a background in dance and left a job as an academic at a university when I was 38 and moved to Arran.

I exhibit my work from time to time at the Barony Centre, West Kilbride and on the island. I am blessed to have a very successful Etsy store and Patreon community. I am inspired by both the island and the shifting seasons. I share some of that on my Youtube channel.

Very recently, I have returned to writing and have just published three seasonal journals/activitiy books and two zines. My daughter, Molly, has picked up the writing baton which began life with my late father. She now writes and produces films for a living about her life in the Scottish highlands. Her website is called Hippy Highland Living and that always makes me smile.

Arran is a beautiful island with amazing wildlife and breathtaking scenery. Winters can be long and dark but these are some of my favourite times. Summers are warm but we are plagued by the Scottish midge and they happen to particularly like me. We have sites of historical and geological interest on the island not least my favourite, Machrie Moor. Dating from the Bronze Age these circles of standing stones remind us of times gone by when life was very different from today. We have a Buddhist centre on the island which is a retreat for men. Just off Arran we have a World Peace Centre, The Holy Isle, which also houses a retreat for women. Over the years I have had strong links with the Buddhist faith and took refuge some years ago. I am a meditation teacher and morning person and love my own company.

If you fancy wandering along with me for a while to see where my journey on the island takes me next you would be most welcome. Until next time.....