A few impressions of Scotland

I just wanted to add a couple of notes about Scotland before I move on to Ireland. Scotland is a beautiful country, which seemed very green as I flew in. On the ground it's more mixed with brown from the colour of the heather on the moors. The weather seemed similar to Vancouver, grey with sunny periods and ocassional rain but generally mild, however, it is extremely changeable. One minute it will be raining, the next will be sunny. In Stornoway, it is very windy, and because it's an island it's got a lot of coastline. There are several beaches and some of the coast has some dramatic cliffs. I was constantly in awe at how beautiful the Isle of Lewis was. Farming is a major industry, and sheep are everywhere you look. In order for the farmers to recognize their sheep they paint them with a unique marking with what looks like spray paint. So you see fields of sheep with bright pink (or any coloured) stripes or spots. Other people have described Scotland's big sky. It does look big, and this is mainly due to the lack of really tall buildings, and the lack of tall trees. The landscape is full of rolling hills, but very few of them have trees, and the ones they do are often planted and quite thin. Peat is still collected and used for fires but not as much as it used to be. However, some people still cut it by hand (which is very hard work and requires a special L-shaped tool), though it is often done by machine. Peat burns really nicely, and gives a lovely warm fire with low flames, and seemed to me very similar to wood in it's burning time. My family in Barvas told me that if you own a croft (a small piece of land) in Barvas, you also get an area where you can collect peat. Everywhere I went in Scotland, I felt very safe. The people are very friendly, and I highly recommend it.