Sunday 10.11.2013

Warning: a combination of loads of work and short days can seriously damage your(walking)health........

However, made up for it a little at the weekend with five hours of yomping around in a damp, cold and quite awe-inspiring Glen Coe.

An adventure from the word go when a thunderstorm put out the electricity at our "hobbit houses"

but forewarned by other members of the party (who were rapidly running out of emergency supplies) we arrived with extra candles, crisps and enough whisky for a wee dram each which cheered everyone up no end.

The sound of rain on a hobbit house roof is quite musical but not what you`re hoping to wake up to when a clear sunny day has been forecast. It was pretty well unanimously decided that walking up Buchaille Etive Mor was a step too far, coated as it was in quite a lot of snow and hidden half the time in cloud.

Nothing for it then but to walk round it..........

Turned out to be a tale of river crossings,

some trickier than others,

and head-clearing landscape.

Five hours later we were back where we started, wet feet, tired legs and huge appetites, ready for an evening at the Clachaig Inn**, probably the only way to end a day like that.


*http://www.glencoemountain.co.uk/


**http://www.clachaig.com/

Saturday 26.10.2013

A glorious autumn day of fiery trees and sunlight but by the time we set off on what will surely be the last post-work walk of the year at around five, a chill wind was springing up bringing in grey clouds and hastening the end of the day -too dark for pics.

Out first proper sortie since Dog 2 injured herself and she was beside herself with joy as we cantered into the woods, though she was called smartly to heel (and mostly obeyed) if she got anywhere near a fence.

Nearly the end of October, clocks back tonight and a storm brewing in the next 48 hours:southerners getting the worst of it this time but it`ll be our turn soon no doubt.

Tuesday 15.10.2013

Something magical about walking in the last hour or so of daylight - not many of these evening, post-work walks left this year. Ten to six,lowering slate clouds overhead, pastel pinks and blues on the horizon, cold air and the mist beginning to shroud grass and trees.

Disturbed the roosting crows

and dogs hyper-excited by emergence of night shift of little furry animals.

As it grew darker, lights appeared across the hills and a plume of smoke from a farmhouse chimney spiralled straight upwards into the sky while tendrils of mist began to curl over the grass and round the trees.

It should have been quite serene as we headed towards the road in the very last of the light,
but Dog 2 managed to catch herself on a barbed wire fence and let out a blood-curdling scream which echoed across the still air, momentarily silencing every other living thing in the vicinity.

However, having managed to release herself she came bounding up to join us, apparently none the worse and we walked home under a bright moon with the first star hanging over our heads as two owls emerged from the woods and began skimming across the fields.

Spellbinding.


Later: was outside just after midnight, a clear starlit sky, with the moon casting a ghostly sheen across the mist spread just at waist height over the fields. Completely still, a good night to catch the Harmony of the Spheres.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musica_universalis

Dog 2 is in fact very sore,having managed to pare a thin layer of skin off herself......no more walks for a few days and maybe she`ll learn........no, of course she won`t.

Friday 11.10.2013

Two days of wild, wet and windy and then today: crisp and cool on the top of the hill while in the shelter of the woods the sun had real warmth and it was all bird song, grassy scents and quite beautiful light.

The real autumn sight though was the yards and yards of spider`s threads strung out between trees and grasses,shimmering in the sunlight.
Question: do they do that all year and we just don`t see it or is there some reason for increased spinning activity at this time of year? A homework question for Simon Mayo I think....(a Radio Five Live reference for those of a different persuasion).


Most recent favourite read btw: a so-called Young Adult book entitled A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. A well written narrative involving a boy coping with loss and a talking yew tree.......and the genesis of the book has an interesting back story too. Watch this space.

Sunday 06.10.2013

A week of autumn walks but no internet...and a week of different kinds of autumn too.

Wednesday morning was windy and wild with a chilly edge that had us practically scampering along to keep warm enough: invigorating and exciting as wild weather can sometimes be, flocks of birds tumbling and twisting across the choppy skies. In many ways a typical early October day.

Thursday was low cloud and mist, uniform grey with no clear horizon but milder. A typical early October day.

Friday was...a typical early October day - warm, positively muggy,the syrupy air almost visibly shimmering as the occasional butterfly flitted around.

The busy skies may have been heralding a changing season

and there were hints of the first ambers and crimsons

but in the meantime the ẁoodsy`scents, green grass and warm temperatures keep the long dark nights at bay a little while longer.

Sunday 22.09.2013

Hooray for golden September days and the geometry of the season:

A feast for the senses this balmy autumn evening, lumiere

with a bit of son thrown in - cackling pheasants, cooing pigeons with a warm breeze rustling trees and grass - and that nostalgic, familiar scent of autumn - though why it`s so agreeable when it`s really the start of the decaying process is another question altogether...........

Saturday 21.09.2013

From the little hills of Falmouth to the bigger hills of Aberdeenshire.

Somehow reassuring to discover Bennachie and all the familiar landmarks still in place on this grey but still and mild September afternoon.

Also quite reassuring to find it`s still possible to get to the top.....................

.................and back in just over the hour: paying for parking by the hour, as we now must do, concentrates the mind and feet.