Sunday 14.8.2016

Perfect summer`s evening segued into even better summer night. Golden barley, golden moon: in fact a harvest moon and swallows gathering on the telephone wires all day can only mean one thing. Just rehearsing for now hopefully.

On my way to bed when realised tennis was on but it`s too nailbiting........yup, two second set points saved...can`t stand the excitement...goodnight....

Friday 12.08.2016

Just been out to have a last look at the world and it`s one of those nights...a golden demi-moon hanging in the southern sky lighting up the herringbone clouds spreading overhead and.....stars!...always a slightly startling sight as there are so few visible during the long summer nights so it`s one of the first signs of the shortening days. Still, peaceful and quite magical out there - a night for hearing the singing of the spheres. :)

Friday 12.08.2016

An odd sort of a day weather wise: cloudy and grey, close and heavy atmosphere lifted every now and again by a breeze that shook the trees in the woods. Been a while since we were in the woods too: a wonderful jumble of grasses and flowers, the early spring growth on the trees turning darker and the freshly cut paths giving off that heady scent of mown grass.

Better weather anyway than the days we spent in Yorkshire a couple of weeks ago - stunning countryside of course......




...not to mention some impressive building.....

but wet, wet, dreich and wet. Didn`t spoil the trip though, made a good break despite subsequent car related adventures and can`t recommend highly enough Ingleton Youth Hostel, the Tandoori Restaurant just down the road, the Wheatsheaf Hotel (good beer and chips) and the Inglesport Cafe (good breakfast and wi-fi!).

Back to work, putting in the hours before the one and only festival this year :( but there`s always walks....oh, and swimming. Started swimming again. Should have done it ages ago!!

Thursday 21.07.2016

Delightful summer evening,a fresh breeze, the sun still warm at half six or so but none of the muggery-thuggery of yesterday`s thunder and lightning - "very,very frightening me" as Freddie sang. Scaramouche indeed though in fact I missed the worst of it being on my way back from a jaunt to Glasgow at the time which had been sweltering.

The walk tonight took on a whole new feel as we`d been catching up with the irresistible Brian Cox the night before who`d waxed lyrical about the movement of the earth through space:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07kxdr9/forces-of-nature-with-brian-cox-2-somewhere-in-spacetime

Proof if proof were needed that the woods don`t just look different every time we walk round them - they actually are different....mind-blowing stuff.

Sunday 17.07.2016

Still a gentle breeze but much greyer, damper and altogether muggier. Flies and little bitey things a-plenty but cuffs and collar done up with a hat jammed down over the ears and we were good to go.

On the plus side, the grey light draws the eye to what might not be noticed in the glare of bright sun.....



.......and what`s been nibbling so neatly at those mushrooms?

Thursday 14.07.2016

A sun-drenched July evening, warm but not muggy, a fresh breeze seeing off the few flies and bird song weaving in and out and over the trees.

As we turned for home the temperature began to drop and the sky to fill: dark clouds,

wispy clouds

and a pale half-moon hanging overhead.

A night for dancing the polka in the garden (remember A?) and never wanting to go in.........

Sunday 10.07.2016

It`s been a while but glad to report Bennachie still standing.
A post-work walk on a warm Friday evening:
a welcome fresh breeze once above the tree line,

and the view from the top as spectacular as always.

Then a weekend of exhausting sporting action.....Andy won without putting us through it too much but no amount of Coq au Vin, Salade Nicoise and Cotes du Rhone could help France win the football, delicious as it was. :)