Living A simple green Life: Ferns ,Brambles and a wee secret

Welcome

Welcome to my wee blog.My name is Andy ( The Dafthermit ) . For the last 20 odd years i have ben trying to get back to a simpler way of life and finally in my old bus up here in the Scottish mountains i am finally getting there. My time now is spent taking pictures of the highlands ,making films to show the world the beauty all around and writing something that has surprised me having had a few of my stories published , Having picked up a camera and laptop in 2008 i have really enjoyeed the journey the camera has taken me on again having had a couple of pictures in national magazines, last year three of ,my films where shown at the Loch Ness film festival. anyway i hope you enjoy your visit to my wee blog

love and light

Andy

Thursday, 25 August 2011

Ferns ,Brambles and a wee secret

On the A835 south of Ullapool just as you get to the foot of Beinn Eildeach you will see a wee gate hidden on the left.

Take the time to stop and i tell you it will be a stop you will remember forever…

I have been to this wee hidden path many times and each time i leave with a huge smile and ready to face the world again.

Jump the rusty old gate and you will see a path leading off to the right , take it and quickly you will be faced with a wall ten feet and more tall , Ferns and brambles seem to block all and any attempt to carry on .

But push on and slowly the path will open but be ready to be scratched by brambles as if alive trying all in their power to stop you reaching the SECRET of the wee path .
Every few steps you will be tripped up and as you make your way further and further in the light from the sun will fade to nothing .
Don’t be scared and take a wee tip get doon on your knees and the path will unfold before you , eventually you will come to a tree with branches reaching oot and all touching the ground , pull one back and there you will see

Seals at play anything from a single one to 7 , 10 or more and if you emerge gently they will watch you approach but then carry on
To watch seals at play truly a wonderful gift …

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A wee film about us on STVs the HOUR SHOW click on STV logo to see the film

Andy the Daft Hermit lives 45 minutes outside Inverness with his wife Mel in an old bus parked in a layby. This current home of theirs is the longest they have ever stayed in one spot. “I’ve been travelling now 25 years,” said Andy Lowe. “Mel’s been travelling 15. One of the reasons we’ve come and stayed up here is because of Mel’s health. I wanted to bring her to the mountains for fresh air and clean water and just a slower pace of life.” Mel has had breast cancer twice, skin cancer once, and for three years believed she had bone cancer after being wrongly diagnosed. Andy’s belief in the restorative powers of the north made them pack up ‘The Black Bus’ that they live in and cross the border into Scotland. New Highland home for hermit couple Andy and Mel “I think we both believe in trying to get to a more simple way of life,” said Andy, “but it’s strange for us because we are sort of hermits, or we like to live separate, but it’s not being anti-social… it’s just the way we are that allows us to be creative.” Andy first began travelling when he left the army. Fed up with bureaucracy he packed a rucksack and left for France and has been travelling ever since. By investing any money the couple have earned into solar panels and wind generators they now live a self-sustaining existence, without electric bills, and collect rain water “straight from Heaven”. “It’s not easy,” said Mel. “There might be time when there might not be enough facilities around, but you always find a way, you know?” Rather than rejecting technology, Andy blogs about his travels online and collaborates with artists from around the world via his ‘Scratchy Heid Film Studio’, which he runs from a static trailer next to the couple’s bus. He explained his philosophy: “My belief is that if you can go through life and you drop dead and you’ve got a balance there that slightly outweighs the good than the bad, you’ve done alright. “Yesterday, with what Mel’s been through with the cancer and all that, I had a woman on one of my sites there that thanked me for the writing, for the positive things, and to me that’s worth everything. You can keep your millions, we’re not interested. That is what we do.” To check out Andy’s artwork and video projects check out his website. MORE FROM THE NORTH