A scone, a walk and a tootle

Today’s guest picture comes from my Somerset correspondent Venetia’s stay in France. As well as sheep, she has also seen donkeys. A visit full of interest.

Dropscone came round for coffee this morning, bringing his excellent scones with him. He had a tale of woe to recount, as he had managed to lock both his car key and his phone in his car in a supermarket car park in Annan yesterday. He had had a very convoluted journey by bus and a coincidental lift from a friend to get back to Langholm, before his daughter Susan found his spare key, drove him back to Annan and he was able to get his car home. I have worried that I might do that myself some time, so this was a lesson to be careful.

There had been a sharp shower before Dropscone arrived, but the sun was out when he left, and I took a tour of the roses in the garden . . .

. . . and tested the new phone camera out on a variety of other flowers as well.

I did some Archive Group work after that, and made a pot of lentil soup for lunch. I had a quick look at the birds too.

There was another rain shower, but it had stopped by the time that we had finished lunch, and I walked up to the town to pay a bill. The newspaper shop has changed hands so I was paying my debt to the previous owner before the new owner gets started.

There was still a hint of rain about when I got home, but the forecast suggested that there might be enough of a weather window to walk round Potholm and stay dry. I did think of a cycle ride, but it was windy and meeting a heavy shower on a windy day is not much fun . . . and you can’t take an umbrella with you on a bike as I did on my walk today.

I didn’t need the umbrella because I was lucky, and it only started to rain just as I got back to the house.

I had plenty to look at as I went round in the way of wild flowers, with a special tick for the wild irises beside the Esk which I hadn’t noticed before, the lesser trefoil which is tiny, and the guelder rose. I don’t know what the yellow flower growing out of a wall is.

I took a selection of views, tracks, a road, two bridges and paths to give a feel of the walk. They are in the order that I met them. Click on the gallery to get the bigger pictures if you wish.

The five and a half mile walk left me time for a cup of tea, a peer at a very dark starling on the feeder . . .

. . . and a sort through the far too many pictures that I had taken during the day, before a quick evening meal. Then, as another sharp shower came over, it was a dash to the car to pick up Dropscone’s daughter Susan, and drive her to Talkin near Brampton, where we we played some excellent recorder quartets with our friends Sue and Jenny.

The days are long now, and there was plenty of light and a pretty sunset when, after a cup of tea and a biscuit, we drove home to Langholm, leaving me with just enough time to write this post before tomorrow comes.

Not much time for flying birds today so a trio of fuzzy feathered friends is the best that I can do.