Tales of Home [9]

Keeping them out of the nostrils must be the trick if crossing paths with a swarm. It's good to know they are generally not aggressive in that state....maybe just maybe that knowledge may come in useful one day.

halfwise wrote:Keeping them out of the nostrils must be the trick if crossing paths with a swarm.  

And don't give them a chance to get tangled in your hair.

Think they have found a chill position for the night... assume they will move on tomorrow.

Not opening the windows though.

I wonder how much a beekeeper would charge to coax a hive out of your home once they've decided it's by far the comfiest place they've come across?

{{ Spring has made a come back last few days. Obviously that means Im too hot, the mould on the kilt gets lively and it upsets the mice.
But it is nice for a walk.  

So took a wander along the front.  But even on the way down to the shore passed plenty signs of spring in full swing, even just in side roads.



Things are starting to get quite lush already. This bit is Kirn. All the flowers, greenery etc is managed and maintained entirely by volunteers who live here. They've won a few awards for their work.

Starting with Kirn Church.









Good day for sailors too, plenty of activity on the water.



I love the way the light catches the wakes of boats, wish I'd made a vid of it as when the waves roll the 'lights' along it blink in sparkling sequence.





I'm guessing (hopefully!) this wasn't as close as it looked from shore.



Wasn't just small boats either.







Back to the lushness. And leaving Kirn and entering Hunters Quay now.





This place, up to a few years ago was a Home for kids from troubled or broken families. They stayed here and went to the local schools. Had a few good mates from there over the years. All  closed now and they built a nice modern, fit for purpose one. Sadly this place will probably get knocked down eventually, and all that lovely ground sold for private housing I'd imagine. That's what usually happens.



Some beach stuff. And a couple seagulls chilling in the sun on a rock.









People use these mirrors to help get out their drives, as this way they can see what's coming as the roads aren't wide and many drives are not well positioned.



That was Kirn and into Hunters Quay where Hafton House and the accompanying eye sore of a caravan  park and holiday lodges now sit.

Before the evil caravan park, when it was just Hafton estate and the rest wild woods when I was a kid this was where we had our primary school sports day. I have many a happy memory of egg and spoon races, sack races across those fields, then sitting under the trees with backs to the trunk drinking juice in the shade as the sun blazed down.





Hafton House. I worked in there in my late teens doing the bar among other things, happy drunken days





So as I dont like the caravan park bit I skipped it, went round it and made straight for what's left of the woods that so filled me with awe wonder and imagination as a kid as we played Robin Hood in them.



The bluebells are everywhere in the woods at this time of year.




Photographing butterflies is bloody hard, not only are they surprisingly fast their flight patterns are so unpredictable, which might be good for avoiding bird beaks but bad for snapping shots of!

Red Admiral I think, but dont take my word for that.



No idea what this white one is, other than well disguised.





Even in the depths of the woods you come across unexpected bursts of colour.



The heart of the woods is like Fangorn or the Old Forest, its all old trees,moss, shadows and twisting gnarled branches.



So I went back to the sunnier more open bits.







Always follow deer paths, they arent idiots and always pick the best way.





More bluebells to round things off with.









After that I left the woods, which brought me out at the back of the golf course, which I've put photos of up plenty before, and then a short pleasant walk home.
Hope you enjoyed your stroll with me!    }}

somehow I never imagine Scotland so soft and pretty.

So lovely, so much diversity. Most of that will still look lovely under a cover of snow which, here in Southern Softy Land, we never get anymore.

kids need woods. My heart goes out to these city kids who never have a patch of woods to lose themselves in.

{{ Soft? Pretty!!!  Its because in photos you can't catch the thick and heady aroma that arises from the particular peculiarities of my kilt.

The diversity Az comes from a mix of the Gulf Stream on our doorstep and Victorians, who planted all sorts all over here in their fancy gardens, then it all got out.

Halfy I agree wholeheartedly. I spent my childhood in these places and exploring the hills.
I think its one of the big reasons I immediately fell in love with Tolkien and LotR's, that sense of a real world but filled with an unknown mysterious past only hinted at by what it left behind, was already so familiar to me. As a kid I really could go exploring and stumble upon some ancient ruin, or a cup mark rock carved 6,000 years ago and whose meaning is lost to time. ME, particualry northern seemed really familiar to me. }}

{{ Few extra snaps from today.

Trying to snap those tricksy butterflies!



Boats, big and small!







Nice bar in this place. Although admittedly, and by some odd quirk of fate, I've only ever been in there for wakes.



Oyster Catcher.





Oyster Catchers are rather conspicuous looking, pigeons are however surprisingly suited to hiding out on the beach.



Not every tree is lush and healthy!



Another of those sudden dashes of vivid colour you can stumble across in the middle of the woods.



You might notice in the photos of the bluebells, in among them green shoots and stalks with curling heads.
Those are ferns springing in up and getting ready to unroll. Those open spaces of bluebells will soon be entirely covered in a blanket of fern up to about 4ft tall. }}

love the Bluebell woods, that's pure faerie that is.

Lucky to snap that butterfly I agree with what you said about exploring & woods etc. I was the same as a kid. I was lucky that I had countryside around me to run wild in also. My fantasy was Narnia. Whenever it snowed deep enough Id look out the front room window down at the street lamps, the pale glow, the silence & swear I could see Mr Tumnus

Constitution day.
Gratulere med dagen, Noreg!

Playing in two parades, 17700 steps, cake sale, perfect weather, feet up and enjoying the view. *content sigh*

{{ Looks like you got the good weather for it Amarie 2 parades though! I admire your civic responsibility! Personally feet up, kilt loose and buckie in hand seems a better plan

Got quite close to my back garden visitor-







though maybe too close given the look on her face here!



Stuff that flies! }}

Great pics ! Im fond of the wild life ones tho not of kilts, which Im guessing must be the wildest things on the shrub lands

{{ Little trip out today with my Mum, took her for a big meringue

Rather nice trees in white bloom in the fields.







The river Eaichaig, or as its more commonly known by locals the Little Eck (as it comes out of Loch Eck).



The old abandoned bridge over is Victorian, and still totally solid.







Hills and trees, 'cause we have a lot of them!







.

Busy bee!









The Cot House Inn- been a Cot House Inn here since the 1600's.





Oh, and that big meringue I mentioned }}

Looks yummy.

Some great shots there Petty. Keep them coming.

Love the bridge & I love the bumbily bee. And that Meringue looks a whopper

{{ Dawn starts ridiculously early at the moment round here.
took these starting at 3am through to 4am.}}

Those don't seem real.

Love the colours.

{{ Cheers Chris.

Halfy they are undoctored save a little contrast adjustment as the camera tends to overcompensate light levels n low light.
Weird thing is was a crap day, by 7am the sun was well up in a featureless grey cloudy sky, with no hint at all of such a spectacular sun rise. }}

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{ Dawn starts ridiculously early at the moment round here.
took these starting at 3am through to 4am.}}

Nice pictures. Although I think you'll find that dawn starts at just the right time