We are having a very productive time here in Islay, and, with the help of Mel and Gordon, have now photographed two-thirds of the garments and accessories for the new collection. We’ve also been enjoying the island’s wildlife – including witnessing the seasonal arrival of migrating geese; spotting hen harriers, eagles and chough above us out on the moor; seeing a pod of dolphins swim by at close quarters, and being dazzled by a charm of fluttering goldfinches (yes, apparently that really is the collective noun for goldfinch). And of course, there are the goats. Not to be outdone, today Tom shot some fantastic photographs of our favourite bearded neighbours here on the Oa, which you can see above and below.
For those of you who are (inexplicably) not interested in goats, or photographs of goats, I promise normal, non-goat related, blog business will resume very shortly.
KDD & Co 
love the goats and the image of the geese migrating by . . miss seeing them out by my mom’s where we used to go in september. thanks for sharing :)
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I love goats!
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Hoorray for more goats ! And I am very curious about the new collection ( and the lovely pictures of them, for if you photograghed there, they sure will be stunning.. )
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great images dear, keep it up
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The 1940s ditty, “Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lazy divey/
A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?” is now running through my head. Or maybe “bounding,” like a goat!
I wonder what the Mair Goat fleece is like, to spin….? These fellows and ladies certainly photograph well, and both of you are excellent photographers. I’ll be interested in seeing the book these photos are part of.
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mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy
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Stunning pics. The goats look great.
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Mesmerizing shots! Do you mind me asking what camera and lens Tom is using? The images are so perfectly sharp!
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Where’s the baby goats :) Great pics!
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When we stayed in the storm pods on Islay (which were great) we were next to a small bay with lots of seals as well as tame white swans that we could hand-feed. In Australia, we have black swans, so white swans were new for us. We also went for a hike to try to find loch uigeadail (the source for ardberg), got hopelessly lost, and were followed closely by a flock of young highland coos for a while (they were hoping we were there to feed them). It was amazing – next time we’ll do the guided walk to loch uigeadail though.
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Wow Kate and Tom…I have never seen such amazing goats..never took too much interest in them , but these are great to see pictures of…hope you are sampling the islands Scotch whiskey, while you are there..Islay scotch whiskey imported here to Canada is so peaty tasting, my x calls it smelly socks, yum, lol….pat j
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I rather like the goats. They have wonderful expressions of curiosity and the black and white photos of them are great.
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Fabulous photography and brilliant goats!
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I am really enjoying the goat photos. The black and white is spectacular. Came across a few wild goats of similar “strain” in North West Highlands near Rogart. Tried to sneak up and take pics, but they weren’t having it! So, I am especially enjoying yours!!
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i’m loving the goats. So much texture.
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Love the goat photos. They look similar to the ones my son and his wife are raising to be pack helpers while hiking in the mountains. We like those beards, too. I’m planning on making them the hats you designed with the goats on them. Think I’ll make them with my handspun. Keep up the lovely photos and designs.
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More goats!
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Love goats – and definitely love Tom’s photographs!!!
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magnificent beasties
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Wonderful goats, lovely photographic work!
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Can never have too much goat.
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All sounds perfect!
The photographs are stunning. We (both my husband and I) are into photography and still love to use black and white format – very effective, and the goats do look amazing.
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Goats!
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Love Goats. Keep the pictures coming. And thanks for sharing your trip and photos with us – its nice to be an armchair traveler.
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Ah it sounds wonderful, all that wildlife! The dolphins must have been fantastic and I think ‘a charm’ is the perfect collective noun for such beautiful birds.
And I love goats!!!
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Not like goats?! Never! Here in Seattle one can rent goats to clear blackberries that can take over very quickly.
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LOVE GOATS!
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I love these goats — they are so expressive with their ears, a bit like cats. And, they look so curious about the photographer. Great shots — between the two of you, Kate & Tom, I am getting a good dose of goats!
Cheers,
Liz in Port Townsend, WA
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MAIR GOATS!! I’m trying to see if I can print a picture of the beasties from my computer…..
Great pictures, thank you for giving me a smile!!
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Adore goats & your goat pictures!
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I used to live near Llandudno and saw the goats up on the orme. Wild goats are an interesting site. Thanks for sharing.
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oh, lovely goaty-hairy chins ! *scratch, scratch*
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Gosh, Ms. Davies, this made my morning!
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Incredible photos and stunning goats. Never enough goats — keep ’em coming!!!
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Love the goats, I used to have a goat, lovely animals
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But what if we WANT to keep seeing the lovely goat pictures? What about us??? ;)
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Goldfinches are the state bird of our state Washington, USA. I don’t see too many of them any more however, like band tailed pigeons and the like.
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Great goats! Abosulutely wonderful goat pictures-I love them.
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Goats are my favorite! Thank you so much for the great pictures!
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Of course Goldfinches in numbers are a charm. They talk to each other with a little tinkling call that sounds like tiny bells – or a charm bracelet.
Much enjoying the goat pictures – they are seriously goatish.
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Love the goats! And the magnificent photography you both produce.
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