The Adventures of Algy

The next day, Algy decided to explore the castle. He found that...

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:23:28 +0100

The next day, Algy decided to explore the castle. He found that there was a very fine view from the battlements, but in the distance he could see some bad weather approaching across the loch. For the time being, however, the sun was shining and the water was alive with sparkling light.

Algy travelled on a little further, until he reached a spot...

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:30:34 +0100

Algy travelled on a little further, until he reached a spot overlooking the old castle in the great sea loch. Huge masses of golden gorse covered the headland, so he decided to make a bed out of the soft, perfumed flowers. That night Algy dreamed of a tropical island, full of the exotic fragrance of spiced coconut!

It was getting late in the day, and Algy had not yet reached his...

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:41:23 +0100

It was getting late in the day, and Algy had not yet reached his destination for the night, but the sky looked so interesting that he felt he really must pause for a while, and watch the clouds.

Algy set off on his adventure, but he hadn’t got very far...

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:33:05 +0100

Algy set off on his adventure, but he hadn’t got very far before he felt in need of a wee rest, so he found a grassy patch of bluebells by the loch where he could enjoy one of himmelueberhamburg’s “on the way moments” :) The birds were singing and the sun was almost shining, and Algy felt pleased to be out and about.

Algy Adventuring Out and About

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:18:57 +0100

Algy will be out and about adventuring in Argyll and Glencoe for the next few days, and his...

The West Highland spring was not at its best this year. It...

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:01:10 +0100

The West Highland spring was not at its best this year. It looked as though the dense mist would not lift all day, so Algy decided that the only thing to do was to settle down to some serious reading. He tucked himself tight in under a sheltering rock, as the sheep do in bad weather, and hoped that his book wouldn’t get too damp. In the distance he could hear a ship calling in the foggy Sound. Algy wasn’t lost, but everything else was, so he was reminded of Carl Sandburg’s poem:

          Desolate and lone
          All night long on the lake
          Where fog trails and mist creeps,
          The whistle of a boat
          Calls and cries unendingly,
          Like some lost child
          In tears and trouble
          Hunting the harbor’s breast
          And the harbor’s eyes.

Algy had heard that Yahoo will buy Tumblr, and he was very...

Mon, 20 May 2013 02:30:00 +0100

Algy had heard that Yahoo will buy Tumblr, and he was very worried. Is the Tumblr community being sold down the river? Will this mean that he will lose touch with all his lovely new Tumblr friends, and maybe have to discontinue his Adventures on Tumblr? Poor Algy felt very glum. He sat silently in his darkened tree, with just a few rays of light shining out from the clouds behind him, and wondered what the future held for him and all his Tumblr friends. He thought of a poem by the contemporary American poet John Taggart:

          Darkened not completely dark let us walk in the darkened field
          trees in the field outlined against that which is less dark
          under the trees are bushes with orange berries dark green leaves
          not poetry’s mixing of yellow light blue sky darker than that
          darkness of the leaves a modulation of the accumulated darkness
          orange of the berries another modulation spreading out toward us
          it is like the reverberation of a bell rung three times
          like the call of a voice the call of a voice that is not there.

[Algy is quoting from Orange Berries Dark Green Leaves by John Taggart.]

From the middle of May until July each year, on nights when the...

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:12:00 +0100

From the middle of May until July each year, on nights when the weather is fine, the sky glows late into the evening, far out to sea in the north-west. Then the red deer come to browse furtively on the crofts in the gloaming, and Algy sits in his tree in the strange light, and talks to them.

This year another bird is talking to them too, and his rasping call carries all across the land in the still of the evening …

Listen to the sound that Algy heard as he was conversing with the deer.

This is what Algy heard while he was sitting in his tree late in...

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:10:00 +0100

This is what Algy heard while he was sitting in his tree late in the evening, watching the red deer in the gloaming. It may not seem very exciting to you, but in Britain this is a very rare sound these days, and Algy is privileged to be hearing it. (The background whooshing sound is not the wind, but the sound of the sea on the rocks in the distance.)

{Algy suggests that you increase the volume and listen through headphones or speakers for the best effect.}

Algy could feel that the weather was changing. It really was...

Fri, 17 May 2013 03:01:00 +0100

Algy could feel that the weather was changing. It really was spring at last, and to prove it, bluebells were suddenly popping up everywhere. Algy adores bluebells, so he spent a happy hour among them in the dappled shade, listening to the first two swallows chattering to each other as they swooped around overhead.

          A fine and subtle spirit dwells
          In every little flower,
          Each one its own sweet feeling breathes
          With more or less of power.
          There is a silent eloquence
          In every wild bluebell
          That fills my softened heart with bliss
          That words could never tell.

[Algy is quoting from the poem The Bluebell by Anne Brontë.]

Sometimes, on a fine day, Algy likes to visit one of the local...

Thu, 16 May 2013 03:01:26 +0100

Sometimes, on a fine day, Algy likes to visit one of the local tourist spots for fun. As he has already seen the view many times, Algy finds himself a good perch in a tree looking out the other way, and watches the visitors instead.

Algy especially hopes that this pretty scene will bring a little bit of sunshine and a smile into the lives of his friends who are suffering from depression. He wishes you all a happier day today xx

At this time of year the nights are light, and Algy finds it...

Wed, 15 May 2013 03:01:07 +0100

At this time of year the nights are light, and Algy finds it difficult to sleep. There was a beautiful crescent moon sinking down behind the ridge, so Algy found a perch in his tree and watched the moon set. It reminded him of a haiku by Yosa Buson, the Japanese master:

          The short night –
          Broken, in the shallows,
          A crescent moon.

The weather was a wee bit disappointing for the middle of May....

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:46 +0100

The weather was a wee bit disappointing for the middle of May. Algy sat glumly in his tree, riding the branches in the wind, and wondering whether it would ever get a chance to warm up before the autumn and winter closed in again.

Algy was sitting quietly in the tangled mass of honeysuckle,...

Mon, 13 May 2013 03:01:27 +0100

Algy was sitting quietly in the tangled mass of honeysuckle, thinking idly about life, the universe, and nothing much at all, when a huge black cloud turned everything dark and there was a sudden shower of hail. As the shower moved rapidly towards the hill, a dazzling hailbow appeared, with sheets of hail still falling around it. Algy thought it was perhaps the brightest rainbow he had ever seen, but it only lasted for a few minutes and then vanished …

In the spring the sun sets in the north-west, over the Sea of...

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:01:00 +0100

In the spring the sun sets in the north-west, over the Sea of the Hebrides and the Small Isles, so on fine evenings Algy loves to sit quietly in his tree and watch the glowing colours on the horizon.

The very next evening, the sun chose a different place to create...

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:45 +0100

The very next evening, the sun chose a different place to create special effects, lighting up the same ridge which it had left ignored in deep shadow the day before. The beautiful but fleeting fiery effect lasted only for a few moments and was gone. Algy felt that such an ephemeral effect deserved a haiku, so he chose this one by the 18th century Japanese master Issa, and thought especially of his Japanese Tumblr friends on the other side of the world:

          the mountain sunset
          within my grasp…
          spring butterfly

The low evening sun streaming through the clouds created a...

Fri, 10 May 2013 05:00:40 +0100

The low evening sun streaming through the clouds created a pocket of golden light on the hillside by Algy’s home, so he moved across from his rock, to a perch on the edge of the old quarry. The barren ridge behind him was still in deep shade, with the black clouds brushing its edges with swirling mists. Algy knew that the sun would soon be gone again, so he soaked up as much of it as he could.

It had been a wild and stormy day, but towards the evening the...

Thu, 09 May 2013 05:00:00 +0100

It had been a wild and stormy day, but towards the evening the sun broke through the clouds from time to time, in sudden bursts of gold. Algy sat on one of his favourite rocks, listening to all the sounds around him, and watching the rapidly changing light. He was reminded of a poem by Emily Brontë:

          High waving heather ‘neath stormy blasts bending,
          Midnight and moonlight and bright shining stars,
          Darkness and glory rejoicingly blending,
          Earth rising to heaven and heaven descending,
          Man’s spirit away from its drear dungeon sending,
          Bursting the fetters and breaking the bars.

          All down the mountain sides wild forests lending
          One mighty voice to the life-giving wind,
          Rivers their banks in their jubilee rending,
          Fast through the valleys a reckless course wending,
          Wider and deeper their waters extending,
          Leaving a desolate desert behind.

          Shining and lowering and swelling and dying,
          Changing forever from midnight to noon;
          Roaring like thunder, like soft music sighing,
          Shadows on shadows advancing and flying,
          Lighning-bright flashes the deep gloom defying,
          Coming as swiftly and fading as soon.

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Welcome! At...

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:09:06 +0100

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Welcome!

At Christmas time a kind neighbour gave Algy a large bulb from Holland, and told him to plant it in a pot. Imagine Algy’s surprise when, a few months later, he found that this had happened! The amazing flowers were almost bigger than him!

So Algy would like to offer this spectacular plant to all his lovely followers and friends on Tumblr. Algy has been thrilled to gain many new followers recently, and thanks you all very much indeed :) He is so pleased that you enjoy his adventures! And he is also very touched by the kindness and loyalty of his special Tumblr friends and older followers - he loves you all xxx

Algy is so happy to get all your messages and comments, and he wants you to know that he always tries to reply personally without delay, but sometimes he doesn’t quite manage to keep up with things, as it’s a wee bit difficult to type with fluffy wings. But he really loves to hear from you all, and will keep on answering your messages as quickly as he can :) He also enjoys all your wonderful blogs, and thanks you very much for sharing all your beautiful images from around the world.

Have a lovely day, and enjoy your flowers!

Cherry blossom! There wasn’t very much, admittedly, but...

Wed, 08 May 2013 05:00:44 +0100

Cherry blossom! There wasn’t very much, admittedly, but Algy was delighted to see it all the same. Perhaps it really was spring at last! The mist had cleared away, the sky had turned a pale shade of blue, and it even felt almost warm in the sun for the first time this year. So Algy spent a happy hour or two among the blossom, listening to Mr. Blackbird singing from the top of Algy’s own tree.

Listen to the blackbird singing to Algy as he sat in the cherry tree, with the sheep chiding their lambs in the background.