A place to play and pray.

Where to begin?  Its been an amazing few days here at Shore Lodge, with so much hard work and creativity from the team. The most appropriate place to start might be the end, as we have been enjoying an evening of exploring the life and work of John Muir. Luke, one of our participants put his thoughts into a poem, which he has agreed we can share with you.

The Celestial City- Luke Randhawa

When the mountains called he went, 

In search of a place to play and pray, 

And when the temple opened its doors, his pilgrimage began, 

And he never looked back. 

It was an empire of granite, 

A flurry of trees, 

Great wide valleys, 

Home to the birds and the bees. 

And with only his quill and an open mind, 

He carved from this wilderness a home for anyone to find, 

Still to this day he stands on Pacheco Pass, 

Looking over the disciples who wander in search, 

Of Yosemite- a place they call their church. 

Looking back, there has been a tremendous amount of work.  Yesterday we joined Jackie from the National Trust for Scotland for a day of clearing invasive Rhododendrons from Brodick Country Park.  This invasive plant is a bully that threatens the diverse, nature-friendly woodland around the park, and spreads readily out into the wider habitat of Arran. It was hard work, but there was time for some relaxing around the bonfire at the end, and marshmallows, of course. 

Today we headed to the beach at Kildonan.  This was the perfect opportunity to spot some wildlife, including seals, seabirds and a dog otter hunting in the shallows. After lunch, the team took on a Marine Litter Survey and beach clean, recording the plastic and other items they collected from the beach.  In all, 17kg of rubbish were recovered, including dozens of cotton buds, rope, and a balloon.