Very quiet

Today’s guest picture comes from our son Alistair. He was on holiday in Ayrshire last week when he came across this fine sight. It is Kelburn Castle. He tells me that the grounds are a very family friendly place to visit.

I started the day by taking Mrs Tootlepedal to Carlisle to catch the train to London. She is going to visit our daughter Annie and our granddaughter Evie. I will join them next week. The heavens wept as she left Langholm (but it had dried up by the time that we got to Carlisle).

It was still a reasonable day when I got home, but it was occasionally wet and often windy so I mostly sat around thinking that the house was very quiet. Sometimes I looked out of the window and saw a thrush . . .

. . . and sometimes I looked out of the window and saw a redpoll or a greenfinch.

Sometimes I just sat and didn’t look out of the window at all.

I have been left instructions to keep things watered, but as it had rained quite a bit in the night and morning, no watering was necessary. All the same, from time to time I ventured out into the garden and looked around.

The yellow rattle is really paying for its keep.

I looked out of the window again in the afternoon and saw a starling on the feeder. When it left, the feeder got busy with siskins and sparrows.

Thanks to the wonders of technology, Mrs Tootlepedal, who had arrived in London by the afternoon, was able to join me in a Zoom with Alistair, Clare and Matilda, who were now back in Edinburgh. They had enjoyed their holiday in Ayrshire with eight other members of Clare’s extended family.

Later on I zoomed with my brother and sisters. My two older sisters had just returned from a short break based in Ipswich with my brother. Everyone else was so active that I thought that I should get out more, so after the Zoom had ended, I went for a two mile walk ’round the Becks Burn’ in some pleasant evening sunshine.

The ‘wild’ garden at Holmwood, planted for the pleasure of passers by, was looking charming.

The countryside is looking very green.

My neighbour Liz told me that she recently tried to walk up the Becks Burn to see a waterfall but found that it was blocked by fallen trees from last year’s storm. I could see what she meant.

There are still so many trees down in rivers and burns in our area that if we do get a big flood, bridges may well be at risk if all the trees get washed downstream.

There was plenty to look at in the hedges and verges as I went along . . .

. . . including this good mix of buttercups and clover . . .

. . .and this pretty flower.

On my way down the road from Hallcrofts, I had a look at the view back across the burn. . .

. . . fancied some fine ferns . . .

. . . and saw a single wild rose.

Walking back down the Wauchope road, I passed a tree looking glorious in the sunshine.

I took a picture of the leaf that was making it shine so brilliantly.

In the shelter of its trees and the steep bank beside it, Pool Corner was an oasis of calm on a breezy evening.

I rounded off my short walk, with two wild flowers on the wall at Pool Corner, a clump of irises beside the dam, and lupins catching the evening light in our garden.

And yet another bee on the chives.

The flying bird of the day is in fact three flying birds of the day. I liked the feel of the picture so much that I didn’t have the heart to crop two of the birds out of it.