Another dull outing

Today’s guest picture comes from Camera Club member Andy Little. He saw this fine example of letterbox yarn bombing in Kirkcudbright, a town popular with artists.

After recent strong winds, we were happy to have a calmer day here today. It was a pity that there was no sun to go with it, but at least it didn’t rain more than three drops.

I managed to start the day with some Archive Group work after breakfast. This was an improvement after some recent neglect. Dealing with that and the crossword and watching the birds took me up to coffee time with Margaret. The birds were busy again.

Sparrows were in control of the feeder when I first looked . . .

. . . and greenfinches found it hard to get a look in.

Then, in a swift reversal of fortunes, greenfinches swept in and shouted at any encroaching sparrows.

After coffee, I went off shopping in pursuit of some butcher’s meat. The first butcher that I visited was sold out and the second was closed, so I had to extend my shopping trip to the Co-op store and take what I could get there.

When I got home, I had a quick walk round the garden while Mrs Tootlepedal was busy in her role as Attila the Gardener.

To extend my flower photography season, she has kindly planted some winter heathers this year. They are just coming out.

They are looking promising.

Our frost free nights are continuing and so are the garden flowers as a result.

Flowers big and small continue to do well.

As well as flowers, we have a small forest of lichen and a good display of St John’s Wort berries.

I tried the macro setting on my new little camera on the hydrangea with variable results.

I love the colours of this plant.

There were no butterflies to be seen on this grey day, but there were other insects keeping busy.

After lunch, I spotted a pigeon cleaning up the seed under the feeder and looking a bit judgemental about the careless habits of the small birds I thought.

The forecast said that the rest of the day should remain dry and not get too windy, so I put on several layers of clothing and went off for a ride on my human powered road bike. Whatever the forecast may have said, my legs took the view that the wind was quite strong and my first fifteen fairly hilly miles into the wind were quite a trial.

I stopped to admire some rosebay willowherb running to seed . . .

. . . but found that the grey day made taking landscapes unrewarding. I could only just see the Lake District hills today.

The church at Middlebie was easier to see.

I always hope to see a train going over the littler viaduct which crosses the Mein Water but I never do . . .

. . . and annoyingly enough, one went up the line two minutes after I had decided to pedal on today. I had waited long enough to take a picture of a house safely perched on a bank above the river . . .

. . . and one of the road bridge which only needs one arch to carry its traffic.

I was very glad not to be cycling down the road along the river.

I thought that my legs might be in a better mood when I turned to do the eighteen miles home by way of Kirkpatrick Fleming and the Canonbie by-pass, but they were on strike after the hard work into the wind and I made pretty slow progress on the way home.

Although it felt like a very autumnal day, there is still not a lot of colour to be seen, just the occasional tree among the green leaves . . .

. . . and some golden bracken at ground level.

My 33 miles took so long that there was not much of the day left when I got home, and I was happy to subside into idleness while Mrs Tootlepedal cooked a one pot meal of lamb chops, couscous and vegetables in the new air fryer. It turned out well.

We enjoyed watching the Great British Bake Off on the telly in the evening. It made a change from even more depressing and alarming events on the news.

The flying bird of the day is a sparrow. It is not a good picture but I liked the combination of closed wings and open tail.