In training

Today’s guest picture comes from our friend Bruce.  He has left the country with his wife and seems to have turned up in Helsinki where they saw the cathedral.  (They will be back.)

A brief post today as it is late again as I sit down to write  because I have been to Edinburgh.

We had a day of occasional showers but it was dry enough in the morning to let me see some sparrows who exemplified the divisions in the country by simultaneously sitting on the fence and looking in two different directions at the same time.

It stayed dry as I went across the suspension bridge on my way to see the physio…

 

…who is patiently trying to sort out my general stiffness with a well judged programme of exercises.

On my way back I stopped to check on our resident rock-standing gull and wondered if it had slept badly last night or was perhaps trying some new eye shadow.

I walked round the garden when I got home.  The continued warmish weather (11 degrees C in the morning) has brought out some unseasonable flowers on the weigela…

…is keeping the fuchsia flourishing…

…as well as the cosmos…

…and the Japanese anemone, which is managing very well without any dead heading from me.

The roses continue to delight.

Rosy Cheeks is making Mrs Tootlepedal very glad that she has added it to our stock.

There are even a few campanulas stills ringing a bell…

…and I was pleased to see a bee hard at work among the fuchsia flowers.

I had time for a very short walk before lunch.  The poplars in the park are a favourite at this time of year.

The view of the trees at the far end of the Murtholm sums up the uneven autumn that we are having.

 

The sheep don’t mind though as long as there is grass…

…and it has been a good year for grass.

I spotted what I think is a Herb Robert flower..

…and I was just walking along this path when the battery in my camera expired…

…leaving the other interesting things that I passed unrecorded.  I didn’t see much of interest to be honest.

Mrs Tootlepedal had a meeting in the evening so after lunch, I went to Edinburgh by myself.

I drove to Lockerbie in the rain and was relieved to find that at least the train was running this week.  It was twenty minutes late getting into Waverley Station but I suppose I must be thankful for small mercies because I had a very enjoyable time with Matilda, another delicious meal and a good conversation with Matilda’s mother, Clare after the meal.

And the train back was on time and it wasn’t raining as I drove home.

Mrs Tootlepedal’s meeting had gone well so it had been  satisfactory day.

I took a picture of a flying starling this morning, and it would have been the flying bird of the day…

…if I hadn’t caught a bee in mid air too.