Over excited

Today’s guest picture comes from my sister Susan. She found these lovely lilies in a supermarket cafe where she was taking a well earned break.

We had a very wet morning indeed here, with steady heavy rain making for a gloomy atmosphere outside. Luckily Dropscone came in at coffee time bringing scones with him, and with the aid of some home made strawberry jam we made the best of a bad day.

Mrs Tootlepedal had gone off under a big umbrella to have her coffee with a set of her ex work colleagues, so when he left, I was on my own. I decided to make some ‘squashed fly ‘ biscuits and found a recipe online and had a go. The results were good enough to make me have another go soon to try to improve on my first effort.

It was still raining after lunch when Mrs Tootlepedal went off under her big umbrella again, this time to go to her stitching group. I found some useful things to do indoors and I was just about to start on some Archive Group work when I looked up to see that the sun was shining.

This was a pleasant surprise, and as I hadn’t taken a single picture in the rain, I picked up my little Lumix and popped out for a short walk, intending to take a photo or two of the rivers for this post. Intoxicated by the unexpected good weather, I got completely carried away and came back after three and half miles with 97 pictures on the camera card.

With a family Zoom to come and with the usual Friday evening visit of Mike and Alison for conversation and music, I was left with little time to sift through the pictures. The rather rushed results of the sifting can be seen here.

As I left the garden, a drooping dahlia summed up the day so far.

There was a fair amount of water coming down the Esk, moving the big tree stump and floating a substantial tree branch along.

Some people stare at the stars and some people look in the gutter.

Of the three rivers that meet in the town, the Ewes water was by far the most animated this afternoon . . .

. . . and it was coming down with such force that it was holding the bigger Esk back.

It was a very odd sight.

On the Kilngreen, three ducks were considering whether it was indeed a good day for ducks as a passer by had suggested to me.

My sister Mary points out that at least I have got all my ducks in a row for once.

An old friend was keeping well out of the way of the rushing torrent.

I crossed the Sawmill Brig . . .

. . . and went up the Lodge Walks, enjoying the sunshine and the views. (To make up the six panel below, I have thrown in a picture of the Wauchope as it joined the Esk, seen at the start of my walk.)

There were some clouds over Warbla, but the grey rain clouds were disappearing overhead, and it stayed fine as I went along . . .

. . . round the pheasant hatchery and up to the North Lodge. (I have got the views mixed up as far as the right order goes.)

I had my wellies on and I needed them, although the tracks and paths were not too soggy. I enjoyed the view up the valley . . .

. . . and I would have liked to go up the Longfauld track but there are still forestry works going on there so I turned back and took the path along the top of the wood above the Lodge Walks.

I saw another of the plants I have noticed lately and I have worked out that it is a white dead nettle. There are a few red campions about still too.

After the wet morning, Langholm looked very peaceful in the late afternoon sunshine . . .

. . . but my walk was quite noisy as it was accompanied by the constant sound of running water. Streams that had been dormant all summer had sprung to life again.

I came home by way of the Jubilee Bridge . . .

. . . and walked down to the Meeting of the Waters again to marvel at the contrast between the peaceful scene of the Esk being held back by the Ewes and the tumult of the river going under the bridge a few yards further along.

I ended my walk as I had started it by walking on to the park bridge and looking at the Wauchope Water flowing freely.

A sunny dahlia greeted me as I got back to the garden.

Playing duets in the evening with Alison rounded off a day that had ended a great deal better than looked likely when it started, though any day with freshly made scones and strawberry jam is quite a good day.

I didn’t have a chance to catch a flying bird so a dunnock watching the river is standing in.

Footnote: I know some people don’t like clicking on things in a post so I have put two very short videos of the river here, out of the way at the end.