Friday 26 June 2020

Thursday 26.06.2020

Inadvertently broke the travel restrictions ever so slightly yesterday on a truly warm and beautiful summer`s day. Headed for our favourite little beach but did an about turn when we saw how busy it was and instead went on another three miles to Aberdour - I knew there was supposed to be an accessible beach there though we`d never been.

And very glad we didn`t just turn round and go home because there certainly was a beach - plenty room, very few folk there, warm breeze, turquoise sea. L. dipped in the water but there were too many jellyfish for me (i.e. not many but even one is a bit off putting if you want to actually swim.) Shame though as it`s not many days up here when both the water and the air are warm!

It was mostly a case of strolling, a bit of cave exploration (in one of which there was a bird (we assumed) making the weirdest and slightly spooky groany noise),staring out to sea and taking lots of deep breaths. There was also a little local story to enjoy about a brave lady called Jane Whyte who rescued some seamen from their wrecked boat back in the day.









All in all it was a most restorative afternoon if only for the change of scene. This really is a lovely place to live especially on this kind of day.



Monday 22 June 2020

Monday 22.06.2020

Sometimes the best days are the unplanned ones. Chilly wind this morning and yesterday raining in the morning but on Saturday it was dry and sunny so despite the suggestion that there might be showers, a trip up Bennachie (within all the permitted regulations naturally) suddenly seemed like a very good idea.

And it was! Reassuringly the views were still there

(not sure where they might have gone), indeed the most surprising thing was how many people there were on the hill. Lots of groups of
younger folk which isn`t something you see often outside a sponsored trek and we were all being so careful and polite to each other, socially distancing as we passed etc And lots of smiles. Heartwarming.





Every shade of green imaginable







`Twas a bit grey by the time we got to the top of Mither Tap (slower than usual - out of condition for hill climbing!) and a large grey cloud approached, spitting rain


but it passed us by and the descent afforded more of those views.


And by the time we got back, the weather was so good it was a case of an outdoor tea, a Solstice bonfire, and a gentle stroll up onto the top field in the lingering daylight.

This morning though.........it has started to rain...and I`ve lit the fire! June 22nd!




Thursday 18 June 2020

Thursday 18.06.2020

A perfect June morning: no grey cloud blanket, the humidity cleared.
Younger dog and I were up the road before seven, warm sun on our backs, refreshing cooler breeze in the shade in the woods. Rabbits and deer kept dog busy scurrying around in fruitless but nonetheless satisfying chases, the birdsong rang out and the light coated it all with a golden, translucent glaze.

Not a bad way to start the day. Onward and upward!

Tuesday 16 June 2020

Tuesday 16.06.2020

Fresher first thing, despite the shroud that still engulfed us. During the morning a breeze started shifting it, revealing splashes of blue after days of uniform grey.....







....and young dog and I set off enthusiastically at lunchtime only to discover that in amongst the trees and out of the cooling breeze it was still quite humid, the colours perhaps a little sharper, the scents even more pungent.
And showy-off trees demanding their picture be taken.



Am having more meaningful communication with trees since I read The Overstory by Richard Powers. Beware: if you do read it you`ll never walk through your favourite wood or forest without thinking you`re being watched. ;)

"Autumn makes me think of leaves, which makes me think of trees, which makes me think of The Overstory, the best novel ever written about trees, and really, just one of the best novels, period.’ Ann Patchett 'It's a masterpiece.'


Sunday 14 June 2020

Sunday 14.06.2020

Shrouded in cloud the last few days but not cold. The atmosphere was thick enough to slice this afternoon, the colours in the woods intensified against the grey backdrop, the scents seemingly hanging in the air all around us and the birdsong amplified in the stillness.
Water droplets weighted down the tree branches (sending the occasional shower down the back of the neck as we ducked under) and jewelled the spidery dream-catchers.
As we left the woods the cloud came down and round us even lower and thicker and it looks set to be hanging about for a few days yet. Life in a Tupperware box as someone said once.


Oh and a birthday yesterday - nearly forgot....ha ha....sign of old age obviously. Anyway, a good time was had by all (3 in total plus 2 dogs) despite the exigencies of Lockdown. Simple pleasures including an energetic workout, a(home) hair trim, wine, strawberries and Magnums. Getting older definitely better than the alternative.

Tuesday 9 June 2020

Tuesday 9.06.2020

"Unsettled" the man on the tele said. He was talking about the weather (though on reflection that would be a pretty accurate political analysis just now.)
Anyway, the weather has certainly been changeable: sun, heavy rain, cold winds, more sun: whispers of "sumer is icumen in" one minute and woolly hat and gloves the next.
Today followed a similar pattern. The wind on the way up the road had a real nip in it as we set off for a pre-lunch ramble round the woods but, as usual, once in the woods and when the sun appeared it was almost sultry. The underappreciated and often mis-identified cow parsley is at its very best, a beautiful lacy cover perfect for exploration.








The grasses too come into their own now, graceful and colourful as flowers.









There`s been lots of dramatic skies

and with the yellow on the broom at last, the Travellers will be on the move:






Yellow on The Broom
Adam McNaughtan

When yellow's on the broom
When yellow's on the broom
I'll tak' ye on the road again
When yellow's on the broom

I ken ye dinna like it, lass,
Tae winter here in toon
For the scaldies aye miscry us
And they try tae put us doon
But it's hard to raise three bairns
In a single flea-box room
So I'll tak' ye on the road again
When yellow's on the broom

The scaldies cry us 'tinker dirt'
And sconce our bairns in school
Who cares what a scaldy thinks
For a scaldy's but a fool
He never heard the yarlin's song
Nor seen the flax in bloom
For they're a' cooped up in hooses
When the yellow's on the broom

No sale for pegs or baskets, noo
So just to stay alive
We have tae work at scaldy jobs
Frae nine o'clock till five
But we call no man our master
For we own the world's room
And we'll bid fareweel tae Brechin
When the yellow's on the broom

I'm weary for the springtime
Tae tak' the road yince mair
For the plantin' and the pearlin'
And the berry fields of Blair
We'll meet up wi' oor kinfolk
From a' the country roon'
When the ganaboot folk tak' the road
And the yellow's on the broom