Beach seven and Teasel finds herself in deep water

For the last in the series of seven beaches, it was off to Nairn and Culbin Sands on Friday. This is another great expanse of sand, especially when the tide is out.

At one time this was an area of fertile land which belonged to the Kinnaird family but, possibly due to removal of marram grass and erosion, the houses and farms were covered by the shifting sands during a fierce sandstorm in 1694. Many years later, trees were planted to stabilise the dune system and they now make up the huge Culbin Forest, which stretches from just east of Nairn right up to Findhorn Bay.

The weather had turned dull so the beach and Moray Firth don't look at their best but it was still a nice walk and extremely mild for the time of year. We didn't have the place to ourselves, I think it is probably quite a popular beach.

Eastwards with Culbin Forest on the right.

Looking west to Nairn and the Black Isle over the firth.

These dunes are known as The Bar and make up a strip of sand which sticks out into the sea. The tide comes in quickly here and it would be easy to find yourself surrounded by water.

Teasel ran across what she thought was a damp patch of sand, she was not impressed to find herself paddling.

She was even less impressed when the next 'damp patch' turned out to be considerably deeper!
The face says it all.

Looking across the Moray Firth to the entrance of the Cromarty Firth.

The dogs always love to run in the dunes - plenty of rabbit activity there.

Rabbits or paddling?
"No contest" says Teasel.

Quick links to each beach:
Hopeman
Lossiemouth West Beach
Lossiemouth East Beach
Burghead Bay
Cullen and Sunnyside Bay
Spey Bay

Spey Bay

Yesterday, for the sixth of this series of seven beaches, I drove a few miles up the coast to Spey Bay. This is where the river Spey meets the sea and there are long banks of pebbles on either side. Most of our beaches are sandy so this made a change.

The river mouth attracts a wide variety of wildlife, the biggest draw being the resident Moray Firth dolphins, which have often been seen feeding on the river's salmon. Ospreys can also be seen fishing here during the summer, too late to see one now as they've all headed off to Africa for the winter.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society have a centre here, it's popular with tourists and has a pretty good cafe. It was a beautiful day, the sea was lovely and it didn't matter that the dolphins didn't put in an appearance.

Pebbles!

The river joins the sea.

Looking up river.

Looking west.

Zooming in on Lossiemouth to the west.

Eastwards and Cullen Bin (hill).

Jana wasn't very keen on the pebbles.

Lots of driftwood gets washed up here.

This was part of a very large piece of driftwood that the centre salvaged and have turned into a feature in the garden. It is called 'Diving Cetacean'. I can see why.

All the dogs found the pebbles hard going.

Louis kept telling me how much more tempting the adjacent golf course and gorse bushes were.

We went that way. Happy dogs.

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The last beach was Nairn today. Hopefully I'll get that posted tomorrow when I get back from a dog show.

The fifth beach and a bonus castle

Doing a week's worth of posts on a different beach every day has been a bigger project than I realised, hence my fifth beach is a day behind. Taking so many photos has a lot to do with it and also having to fit in going to work!

Yesterday turned out to be warm and sunny, most unlike a typical October day. I met up with Jenny and her three GSDs at Cullen, which is about half an hour's drive away and is another one-time fishing town along the Moray coast. A major landmark in Cullen is the old railway viaduct, it no longer carries trains but is well used by walkers and cyclists.

Looking from the harbour towards the viaduct and beach.

A view of the beach through part of the viaduct.

I've shown you this beach but we were actually heading for another - Sunnyside Bay, a couple of miles along a path that follows the rocky shoreline.

Brint discovered a tyre. It was too heavy to carry so he had to leave it there.

He found it again on the way back!

Those shepherds couldn't wait to get in the water.

There are lots of interesting rock formations, especially these sideways layered ones. My geology knowledge is not good enough to know what they are called or how they got there.


The three shepherds....Keira

Smiling Sadie

Brint

The footpath is narrow, muddy in places and involves a few climbs.

This is a memorial to a man who single-handedly built the stone steps on this stretch of the path. We were quite impressed with his handiwork but wondered why he chose to do it here, a couple of miles along the route, in the middle of nowhere.

Gypsy reaches the beach

Sunnyside Bay is small and secluded, we had it to ourselves.

Looking back along the coast. It was almost like a summer day.

This is the looking down on the beach from the cliffs above. We climbed up to get a view of the castle a bit further along.

Findlater Castle

It's now a ruin and looks like it has become a part of the rock that it was built upon.

The information board gives you an idea of how it would have looked all those years ago.

There has been a fort here since the thirteenth century but these buildings are dated from the late fourteenth century.
You can walk down to the ruins but they are not very safe and we didn't want to risk losing a dog over the edge!

The path was very muddy in places. The paps wore quite a bit of it home!

Cullen has a pet cemetary, the only one I know of in the area. It is right beside the sea and we passed it on our route.



For the last couple of months Jana, the accident-prone vizsla, has managed to remain unscathed but it obviously couldn't last. Towards the end of this walk, I noticed she had a hole in her chest. It looked like another stitch-up was on the cards.

Looking through the photos I spotted the fresh looking wound on this one. She is running back after clambering on the rocks and I suspect she may have slipped and caught herself on a sharp bit. Body armour is definitely required!

I took her in to work with me and I'm pleased to say that it looks like she'll get away without being stitched. The wound was quite fresh, clean and not too big so it was stapled instead.

Jana's body piercings.
She's thinking of getting her ears and nose done next. In gold. It goes with her coat.



Our walk was a round trip of almost six miles and lasted roughly three hours. There's only one way to end such an outing........ soup and sweet in a tea room!

Seeing as we were in Cullen, Jenny chose the Cullen Skink. (A type of fish soup, in case you haven't heard of it).

It was a great walk and we couldn't have asked for nicer weather.

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It was Spey Bay and pebbles for the sixth beach today. It will appear tomorrow.

Sand, sea and soggy dogs

Day four of the week's worth of beaches and it was a short drive a couple of miles up the road to Burghead Bay. This crescent shaped bay is a six mile stretch of sand between Burghead to the east and Findhorn to the west. You can reach the beach from either end or drive through Roseisle Forest and park at a point roughly half way along. The forest runs almost the length of the beach and extends quite a way inland.

For once the weather men were correct and the rain poured down. We did get wet but I managed to get a few photos during a very short break in the rain. Not great shots I'm afraid, I used the smaller camera and some water droplets got on the lens.

Looking west, Findhorn in the distance.

Looking east to Burghead

Much calmer sea today.

The remains of the concrete war defences are much in evidence on this beach.

The dogs always find the 'pill boxes' very interesting. Probably because they are well used pee posts! Louis adds to the messages.

Click to enlarge - could that be a ghost peering out of the window?!

A wet vizsla doesn't look too different to a dry one.

The same can't be said for a papillon!


The photos below were taken earlier in the year.

When the tide is out there's a lot of beach here.

Almost the whole beach seen from the Findhorn end.

Tomorrow we head off to Cullen with the promise of good weather.

Another day, another beach

I've decided to take part in My World Tuesday this week, click here to see what's happening all around the world. (I know this post is about Monday's beach but, by the time I got it finished, it had turned into Tuesday!)

It was back to Lossiemouth for the third of the seven beach visits (see the previous posts for the first two) but this time it was East Beach, which is on the other side of the harbour and where the river Lossie meets the sea.

The beach stretches for miles up to Kingston and Spey Bay. It is accessed by means of a footbridge over the river Lossie.

The dunes you can see were man-made to help prevent erosion and were created using old railway carriages.

The footbridge.

We rarely visit East Beach and this was probably Jana's first trip over the bridge. Note the posture and spread toes, she definitely didn't think it was safe!

A rainbow started to make an appearance above the harbour wall but didn't come to anything. Despite heavy looking skies, no rain appeared and it was a much better day than yesterday.

Jana spots a monster in the dunes.

The river mouth is a great place for bird life.

Better weather but still quite rough sea..............

............which created lots of frothy spume. Cappuccino comes to mind.

Jana wears Uggs

East Beach is quite popular with surfers. Even in October.

Dune surfing.

Beaches are the best for running.

And running

Running with a smile.

These are a couple of the fisher cottages of Seatown, a little huddle of about 50 homes beside the river mouth which date back to the 17th century. These are typically compact, I think even I (at 5'2") might have to watch my head going through that blue door!

Lossiemouth's harbour was once home to a large fishing fleet. Nowadays it's a marina full of fancy yachts.

Not from East Beach but yesterday's lighthouse seen from a different angle. It appears to be stranded high and dry. This photo was taken today, not long after the beach trip, so it is surprising to see the sky looking so blue. It was definitely grey. Who said "the camera never lies"?

Tomorrow's weather forecast is BAD. I haven't decided which beach to visit yet but will it make any difference? You probably won't get to see much of it.

Beach number two, in the rain

The second beach of the week was Lossiemouth West Beach. It's a large beach, bordered by a golf course, which curves up to Covesea Lighthouse and then carries on around the corner. None of this is very obvious from the photos taken today due to the awful weather!

The dogs still enjoyed their damp walk but, unfortunately, I have no photos of them dashing about because I had forgotten to put a card in my camera! Luckily, my little camera was in the car and I just managed to get a few shots when we returned before its battery died! Note to self - check cameras properly next time.

The local air base is close by and aircraft frequently fly low over the beach as they land or take off. So low sometimes that you almost feel you could touch them!

A memorial at the end of the beach provides a poignant reminder of how dangerous the sea can be for fishermen, particularly in years gone by. On Christmas Day, 1806, three boats went out in calm waters to fish just over a mile offshore. These were fairly small, open boats, powered by oars and sails. Although easy to manoevre, they were quite unstable in bad weather. Later that day, gale force winds got up and, despite the efforts of the crews, they were swept out to sea and never seen again. The boats made up the entire fleet of the tiny village of Stotfield (now absorbed by Lossiemouth). There have been many fishing disasters over the years in Scotland but what makes this one particularly sad is that the village lost all its able bodied men and youths in one afternoon. Left behind were 17 widows, 47 children and 2 old men.

A little bit more info on Lossiemouth can be found here.

The lighthouse is barely visible in the distance.
The concrete blocks are the remains of wartime defences

Zooming in - there it is!

Very grey seas

Back at the car, a drookit Teasel and Louis

Here's two I took earlier. How the beach looks in better light

A week's worth of beaches

We consider ourselves lucky to be living so close to the sea and to have plenty of nearby beaches where we can walk the dogs. Those of you who are confirmed townies and prefer to have concrete under your feet would probably hate it, but for us, it's perfect.

Since we are almost spoilt for choice when it comes to beach walks, I thought I'd do a post on a different one for each day of this week. The timing could have been better, seeing as the rain clouds rolled in today, but, since I can't do much about the weather, you'll just have to use your imagination and picture the sky and sea in blue.

I've started right on our doorstep, well almost. We can see the sea from our house and it's just a few minutes walk down to the harbour, which has a beach on either side of it. (Click on photos for a closer view)

An aerial view of our village can be seen here.

East Beach from the harbour end

East Beach is the larger of the two. It is mainly sandy but has rocks at either end as well as a rocky area in the middle, which acts as a natural breakwater.

East Beach looking towards the harbour

The harbour

The little harbour was once busy with fishing boats but, these days, it's mainly leisure boats that use it.

West Beach

Back to East Beach and the rocks in the middle. Jana blends in well.

The tide coming in and hitting the breakwater.

A more gentle pool is created

A perfect learning pool for a vizsla who dislikes waves.

There are dunes for running up and down.......

.......as well as playing hide and seek in (LSH is in there somewhere).


West Beach also has beach huts. They are quite an old-fashioned thing, still popular on some of the more southerly English beaches, but I don't know how many other Scottish beaches might have them. Certainly none that I've ever been to.

Some of them are brightly painted.

This one looks a little sad and neglected.

This one has recently been spruced up and the new cartoon made me smile.

Definitely my favourite.

NB. To get that cartoon you need some knowledge of Bart Simpson and also Scottish words. I'll assume that I don't need to explain Bart's favourite saying but will tell you that 'dookers', in this instance, are swimming trunks/shorts.

A beautiful autumn day along the Moray and Aberdeenshire coast.

Today was our wedding anniversary. Little did LSH know twenty nine years ago just what lay ahead of him! His medal really is long overdue.

Since he was working today, we had a run out on the motorbike yesterday for a celebratory lunch along the coast at Pennan. The timing was perfect as yesterday's weather was so much better than today's.

Since the dogs had to be left at home (really must get them a side-car!), we took them out en masse to let off a bit of steam. Part of the walk involved a stubble field, Jana's favourite. She did a lot of this........

There was much running and jumping

These photos were actually taken a few days ago.....but you get the idea.

We went off on the bike along the coast to the tiny village of Pennan, which sits at the bottom of cliffs and is perched right on the seafront. It was made famous when it was used as part of the setting for the film Local Hero. Two years ago, after heavy rain, part of the cliff face gave way and a mudslide hit many of the houses at the west end of the village. All is back to normal now but there must still be a bit of worry that it could happen again.

We had lunch in the Pennan Inn, highly recommended if you happen to be passing.

Pennan

Although this isn't the actual telephone box that features in the film, that was just a prop, this one is almost in the same position and is probably the most photographed box in Scotland.

The harbour at Pennan.

On the way back we stopped off to visit the cliffs at Troup Head and maybe see some of the sea birds.

A view west along the Moray Firth coastline

LSH at the top of the cliff which was devoid of birdlife! We'll have to return in early summer when it will be buzzing with them.

We sat on the cliff top for a while, there was hardly a breath of wind and the sun was really warm. You'd never believe it was an October day.

Looking east, the white cottages of Pennan can just be seen in the distance

We stopped at another tiny ex-fishing village a little further up the road. This time it was Crovie, which is pronounced 'Crivvie' for some reason. These cottages are perched in an even more precarious position than Pennan, on stormy days the sea must be washing their windows.

It all looked quite wonderful on a day like this.

The village was established in the eighteenth century when crofters were put off their land during the clearances, they took up fishing, albeit on a small scale, but a great storm in 1953 caused a lot of damage and many families moved. The village is now made up mainly of holiday homes.

There is no road up to the houses, just a footpath along the front. Anything to be delivered to the cottages has to be taken along in a barrow.

You can see just how close to the sea the village really is.



On the way home we could see a sundog, the first I've ever noticed. There were actually two, one each side of the sun, and they were quite bright. I couldn't catch them whilst we were rattling along on the bike and they had faded a little by the time we were able to stop but you can make them out. Clicking on the photos will help a little.

It may be autumn but I'm glad the sun is putting up a fight.

One for the werewolves

We had a lovely bright full moon the other night and it was surrounded by some wonderfully lit clouds. I did attempt to capture just how interesting the clouds looked but failed. At least the moon turned out quite well.

Take a look at far-flung skies over at Skywatch Friday.

The last day of summer?

I'm still lagging behind with posts but I've been busy with a photo project at work and that has been taking up much of my time.

We have gale force winds today, there's a real chill in the air and it couldn't be more different from last Saturday when I was basking in sunshine at a dog show held at Perth Racecourse. This was a new venue for this show, most people seemed to like it but, seeing as three rings were outdoor, I think it may have been a different story had it been a wet day! Toy breeds wouldn't have been affected because their ring was indoor, in what must surely be a first.......a bar! I must add that it was closed, I think swigging Famous Grouse whilst in the ring might be frowned upon by the Kennel Club.

I stayed the night with Ian, Lynne and Euan as I had another show on Sunday just up the road at Arbroath. No photos from there as it is held in a rather dimly lit hall. I had three dogs with me, all were placed at both shows but there are no wins to report. Louis did the best with a second place in a class of sixteen veterans at Arbroath. (For those that might not know, a dog becomes a veteran once it is over seven years of age. Louis is now just over ten).

View of Perth Racecourse and the outdoor rings from the grandstand

Anne (Pyatshaw) makes use of the winners enclosure. Tass was surely eligible, seeing as she had won the toy veteran class.

A novel place for a ring

A glimpse of neighbouring Scone Palace



A few of the dogs at the show.........

The original shaggy dog story

Big smile from this borzoi

Jana loved sunbathing on the warm grandstand



There was time for a walk in the park with Euan before bed............

Kicking through the leaves, a sure sign of autumn

In a world of his own

Bath done, ready for a story and bed

A whitewash

We've been on holiday for the past two weeks but there was no jetting off to some exotic location and lounging about on a beach for us........no,no,no........that would be much too relaxing. Instead, we've been gaily gettting ourselves, and anything else within arm's reach, splattered with white paint in the process of giving the outside of our house a spruce up. Although we only had one storey to paint, it has been a major undertaking (a lot more wall than you might think and bumpy too!) but at last the job is done.

Jana decided that she ought to give us a little help........

Parti-coloured vizsla

.............which meant she got to experience her first ever shower and shampoo. Luckily it wasn't the gloss paint that she experimented with.

Post-shower and admiring the brilliant white walls.

"The house is so bright I gotta wear shades"

Skywatch on an anniversary

It's hard to believe that I started this blog a year ago today - it's gone so fast! Blogging has taken me all around the world and introduced me to people and places that I would never have encountered otherwise. Many of you I have come to think of as friends and I love seeing what life is like in your part of the world. Long may it continue.

I hadn't planned to participate in Skywatch Friday this week because I didn't have a suitable photo. However, that all changed earlier today when the perfect subject just fell out of the sky in front of me!

Our little village was agog with excitement when an air ambulance circled very low overhead and then set down in the doctor's surgery car park. Seeing as the car park is really rather small, we were all amazed at the skill of the pilot in getting the helicopter in there safely.

There had been a minor accident involving a car and a wall but, thankfully, the driver was not as badly injured as was first thought and she didn't actually need to be whisked away. I grabbed my camera from home in order to get some shots of the helicopter taking off. I was only able to get a few before the down draught forced me to turn away and shield my camera. It may only have been a small helicopter but it certainly whipped up the dust!

Up, up and away

See more skies from all around the world here

Visitors came and went

It's actually been almost a month since family were visiting and I've only just got around to posting the photos. There seems to be so little time for blogging when the weather is good.
I didn't even take that many photos when everyone was here.......must do better next time.

The day before Ian, Lynne and Euan arrived, they were at a cousin's wedding and the photo below is of Euan looking mega cute in his first ever kilt, complete with a slightly oversized sporran!

Out for a walk in the woods

Getting good at running now


The dogs came too........

............Lynne's Sam.........

............Kyloh (trying to ignore Jana).......

.........and Jura

Gypsy's ears are out of control

Jura - ever the agility dog



On a trip to the farm shop......

The budding rock climber

Lewis the tractor nut

Euan tries out Jana's bed

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Autumn has begun here, there's a chill in the air now in the mornings and evenings and the leaves are starting to change colour. Hay bales and stubble fields are another sign and one that Jana and Teasel really love. So many smells to check out and you just never know what might be hiding in there!

Jana and Teasel in action

Teasel gets a real gleam in her eye

Happy Louis too

This was taken not that long after Jana's stitches were removed. As you can see, she has healed well and is now back to full fitness. The enforced restricted exercise had not gone down too well and she was getting like a coiled spring towards the end of it!

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The two days of dog shows were very enjoyable and, much to my surprise, the showground at Ingliston (Edinburgh) had not turned into a mud bath. Rosa had the best result at the champ show as she won her class, neither Pansy or Desmond got placed but they both had large classes. I think Des had 14 in his and although he started out looking quite perky, he was decidedly bored by the end of it! At the pap club show the next day, again all three had large classes but this time Pansy was the only one to do anything, she was placed 4th out of 10.

Sorry to those who were interested in what the shows were like, I forgot to take my camera with me the first day and had it the second but didn't really use it! I'll make more of an effort at the next big show we go to.

A good weekend but lots of driving and very tiring. I think it took me until the Wednesday to recover.

A Moray Firth sunset

The sun was going down as I was driving home from work yesterday evening and this was the view along Lossiemouth West Beach to Covesea Lighthouse.

Check out Skywatch Friday and broaden your horizons.

Skywatch with seagulls

I'm not sure where gulls spend their nights but it looks like these are getting ready for bed.



To see what's happening with skies around the world, click here.

I've been busy and am playing catch up again. For some reason I didn't take many photos when the visitors were here last week but what I did take will have to wait for a few more days because I am heading off for a weekend of back to back dog shows.

Edinburgh is the venue on Saturday and the weather forecast is not good. I may take some convincing that dog-showing is a fun hobby when I am huddled in a wind-buffeted marquee with the rain lashing down.

There will be mud. There's always mud.

What not to wear

Jana, the accident-prone vizsla, (see here and here) broke her remarkably long run of wound-free months by getting a gash above her elbow last Thursday. (Don't enlarge the photo if you're a bit squeamish).



We are not sure exactly how she did it but it required stitching, which means two weeks restricted exercise and, worst of all, having to sport the dreaded collar!

"This is SO not me.
Do you have anything a little more understated..........in pink?"

Monochrome Weekly

It's been a while since I took part in Monochrome Weekly but I was playing around with some black and white dog portrait shots and quite liked this one of Gypsy.



I might not be around much because we have visitors at the moment but they may well provide me with some blogger fodder.

It's a jungle out there!

Well........maybe not quite a jungle but the warm weather we've been enjoying, mixed with the odd shower here and there, has allowed everything to flourish. Garden weeds especially!

The paths on one of the dogs' favourite walks have almost disappeared in places and the grasses are at my head height (5'2" in case you were wondering). I can push through it but imagine what it must be like from papillon level! Sadly, although the grasses are not impenetrable, the same can not be said for the nasty, sharp gorse, which is slowly but surely closing up many of the trails that we used to walk through. The keener rabbit hunters of my pack may be prepared to brave it but I'm certainly not! I can see a time when we won't be able to walk there at all.

Where did the path go?

Leaping skills come in handy here

Definitely a jungle for Louis




All that wildness makes for insect heaven

A Six-spot Burnet moth

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly

This Bumblebee was covered in pollen



Lots of seed production happening too

Doesn't the seed head make a lovely pattern?


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We've been to a few shows over the last two weekends and father and son, Louis and Desmond, kept up their run of success. At Turriff just over a week ago, Des won his class and Louis was Best Toy Veteran. Last Saturday was Tayside and Lochee Open show at Carnoustie where both boys got the same result and at Keith on Sunday Louis took Best Veteran in Show.

The boys with their winning rosettes

Goose fat not required

Well, we did it. We swam in the sea and survived to tell the tale. It may not have been like the Mediterranean but it really wasn't that bad.

Jana came in for a swim a few times, I think she was worried that we were heading off out to sea, but she wasn't that keen on all the pebbles and rocks. We'll have to take her back to our sandy beach next time.

Louis was also with us and obviously thought we'd lost the plot, after all, who in their right minds would want to get wet?! From the water's edge he loudly encouraged us back out and, when this failed, he took it upon himself to go and guard our belongings. At least they were high and dry.

"Come on in, the water's lovely!"

Just splashing about (not in distress, even if it looks it!)

Louis
"Swimming is for fools"

Jana takes the plunge

Jana has never been keen on water, paddling in the shallows was the most she could bring herself to do. Obviously nobody had told her that vizslas are supposed to love splashing about in water, she clearly regarded the wet stuff in much the same way as the papillons and they'll do their utmost to walk around a puddle.

That all changed today when she actually swam to retrieve a tennis ball and the fact that she kept going back in makes me think that she must have enjoyed the experience. We've had a spell of quite hot weather and the sea temperature must be higher than normal, this I can vouch for because, when I ventured in for a paddle, my feet didn't go numb within the expected two seconds! I even braved it as far as thigh level. The forecast is for much the same tomorrow so I'm actually thinking of having a swim myself! For those of you living in warmer climes, where blue skies and hot summer days can be relied upon, this may not seem a big deal, but believe me, swimming in the sea in Scotland is not for the faint hearted!

A natural at the doggy paddle

A snorkel might have come in handy here

A real water dog at last

A whole lot of shaking going on........

The sky is falling

Our weather has been generally good of late with lots of blue skies but the odd heavy shower has also made an appearance. Here's one that was making its way towards Covesea Lighthouse and Lossiemouth West Beach.

Go over to Skywatch Friday, where you'll see amazing skies from all around the world.

Happiness is.........

.............a sunbathing Jana.

Remember the dogs?

The dogs have taken a back seat on the blog during the holiday posts but now they're back.

While we were away the dogs were split between my mum, Chris and Jenny. Jana didn't seem to miss us very much, she was too busy having fun with Keira, Brint, Sadie and Jasper pug.

Jana dangling a toy in front of Jasper

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News of a successful show two weeks ago. For various reasons, I haven't been able to get to many shows in the last few months so it was great to be out at Bon Accord KA's open show in Aberdeen. The weather defied the forecast and stayed warm and dry, which is just as well, seeing as there is no wet weather provision at this venue.

It was a lovely day out and the dogs did very well. Pansy and Louis had to make do with third places but both Rosa and Desmond won their classes and then Des went on to take Best of Breed. It was pretty hot during the group judging, he was starting to get a bit fed up and, seeing as there were eleven dogs there, I wasn't expecting too much. However, I was very pleased when he made the shortlisted six and then chuffed to bits when he actually won the group!

The photo below was taken after he'd won the group and my friend Anne Macgregor (Pyatshaw) had to work quite hard to get it because he was his usual uncooperative self!

Desmond with his Bon Accord rosettes


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Last weekend I was at a local charity show with Pansy and Jana. It was a nice afternoon out, the dogs were placed well enough but, for them, the best bit came afterwards when they went for a run at Duffus Castle with Jenny and Morag's dogs.

Cue lots of running dogs.

Mad-face Jana

Logie, Pansy and Sadie

Gigha

Sadie had a great time in the moat, then shook half of it over us

Speedy Pug! Not sure what he's doing with his tongue

Group pose
Logie, Sadie, Jasper, Gigha, Jana and Pansy


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More show news. Yesterday I was at Dingwall for Highland CA's open show and it turned out to be Desmond's day again. He took Best of Breed and then second in the group, Jasper pug won it! Pansy took Best Opposite Sex and Louis won the Toy veteran class. Rosa was entered but she is in season and so had to stay at home (and complained bitterly about it all day, according to LSH).

It was another nice day out, not only did we do well but plenty of friends did the same and it was nice to sit in the sun and watch proceedings. Next week we do it all over again at Turriff, fingers crossed for the weather.

Des with his prizes

Pansy and her Best Opposite Sex trophy

Louis with another Best Veteran award

The winners with trophies and rosettes from Bon Accord and Highland

Jasper and Desmond - 1st and 2nd in the Toy group

Return to Edinburgh

The last of our holiday photos. I'm gradually catching up!

We left Sunderland and headed north to Edinburgh on what was probably the hottest day of the year so far. Even on the move there was little cool air, unzipping my jacket a bit and opening up my cuffs were about the only things I could do to avoid overheating. Whenever we stopped it was a case of strip off as much as was decently possible! No complaints though, it could so easily have been raining.

We took country roads where possible and quite often we had these roads to ourselves. It made for great biking.

The open road

Alnwick Castle was the first on our route and it is surely the epitome of an English castle. You can easily imagine knights and battles here! The earliest parts of the castle date back to 1096.

A closer view of Alnwick Castle

We stopped at Seahouses for lunch and could see our next castle, Bamburgh, further up the coast.

Bamburgh Castle

I love how Bamburgh Castle looms over the little village.

The beach at Bamburgh with Lindisfarne in the distance

Back in Scotland and time for a rest in a shady spot


Arthur's Seat

One of our 'things to do' whilst in Edinburgh was climb Arthur's Seat and we arrived back in the city with enough time to tackle the peak. The fact that Edinburgh was baking in 30C heat did not exactly make for perfect conditions but I was willing to give it a go. LSH was not so willing, he thought it was a mad idea and was determined to have a heart attack on the way up just to prove it! He survived, of course, but both our hearts did get a good work out as it was a steep climb. The view from the top was well worth the effort, though.

Looking up to the summit before the climb. Heart in chilled mode.

LSH at the summit. Heart in racing mode!

The view south

Looking back down to the loch where we had parked and to the east.

Looking over Salisbury Crags and the city.
Into the sun, unfortunately, but it couldn't be helped

Zooming in on Edinburgh Castle

This is the loch where we parked. It's about half way up Arthur's Seat and it's so quiet and peaceful there that you'd never believe you were in the middle of a city. It was quite busy with people of course but there were no city noises. I was amazed at how many people were running and cycling around and up (!!) the hill, we were huffing and puffing just walking it!

I really enjoyed my time there, the people of Edinburgh are lucky to have such a lovely, green and fairly wild place right in the middle of the city.


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Our last day in Edinburgh and we met up with Ian, Lynne and Euan for a trip to the zoo. The last time I was there I was about two years old, not much older than Euan is now.

I have mixed feelings about zoos and definitely don't like to see large animals cooped up but it's perhaps not so bad for some of the smaller exhibits. A lot of effort is made to try and provide as natural an environment as possible and most of the endangered animals are part of a breeding programme. It's also a way of seeing just how big, or small, they are in the flesh. Something that doesn't always come across on TV.

Euan makes an entrance.
I've forgotten what the animal was behind the screens but it obviously wasn't as much fun as this peek-a-boo game.

This baby Pygmy Hippopotamus was the newest addition to the zoo, she was about 4 weeeks old...........

.............and really rather cute.

Afternoon nap required (for Euan, not Ian!)

This wild beastie seemed to have escaped from its cage

What fantastic eyebrows!

How can it possibly sleep in this position?

You can watch the penguins as they 'fly' underwater. So much more at home there than on land......

........as could be seen during the 'Penguin Parade'

Every afternoon the penguins come out (if they feel like it) for a walk round the green beside their enclosure. It's very popular, certainly with visitors, and apparently with the penguins too.

I have no idea!

This Red River Hog has to be the ugliest animal in the zoo, although I expect the female in with him really goes for that look.

Euan follows in his dad's footsteps (hand holds?) and does a spot of climbing

Heading for the monkey house.......looks like three inmates have escaped

Ian and Euan in the jungle

Adam gets looked in the eye

These Rainbow Lorikeets come to feed on nectar in little pots

Euan wasn't convinced of their appeal

Beautiful colours

Aren't rhinos just the strangest looking creatures?

The End

Back to the holiday

The day after Adam's graduation we set off for foreign parts. Ok, so it was only England, but we did have to cross a border. Sunderland was our destination, the place of LSH's birth, for a two night stay with my MIL.

En route we stopped at the butterfly farm at Dalkeith, a place I've often passed and always wanted to visit. Although it was a misty sort of day, it was pretty warm and it became even warmer when we entered the farm because conditions have to be kept hot and humid. Motorbike gear is not ideal in such a place! Imagine being in a sauna wearing leathers. I stuck it out longer than LSH as I was determined to get some good photos and there were so many beautiful butterflies everywhere, he escaped outside for an ice lolly. I'd love to go again but in shorts and T-shirt next time!

Here are some of what we saw.

Tree Nymph

A Banded Owl

Tree Nymph again

The very beautiful and delicate Glasswing, whose wings were almost transparent

A somewhat preoccupied pair of Scarlet Mormons

Male Scarlet Mormon

No idea what this one was called

The Brown Clipper

A very large caterpillar

Possibly one of those caterpillars in its chrysalis stage

At the border. Apologies for the dark photo.

There's quite often a piper here but not today

Crossing the Tyne Bridge
We hit Newcastle at just the wrong time and got caught up in rush hour traffic. It probably took us at least three times longer than normal to get through and out of the city. The bike was overheating and so were we!

Roker, Seaburn and Whitburn beaches, Sunderland


The next day was hot and sunny, we made for the beach just down the road from MIL's. Sections of the beaches are off limits to dogs during the summer but there are bits in between where they are allowed. We had a walk along the promenades and then sat on the beach for a while........long enough for LSH to end up with a bright red face! The sun was pretty strong.

It was strange to be there without any dogs of our own but I made do with watching all the local dogs go by and took a few photos . The dogs are so used to sharing their beaches, other dogs are not a novelty so they generally just mind their own business. It's a bit different up here where our dogs often have the place to themselves.

LSH paddles. How British does he look? All he needs is the knotted handkerchief.

This dog decided its owner was clearly in need of the kiss of life.

It's mainly just sand and sea here so this Great Dane was quite chuffed with his find.

He was quite a big boy.

I was very impressed with how well behaved this guy was until he blotted his copybook.................

...............by stealing this lab's ball and refusing to give it up! This game went on for ages, severely testing the owners' patience.

These two Staffies were oblivious to everything except their balls. They were expert catchers.

One very happy dog.


There's only one more holiday post to come, castles and the zoo will feature.

A break for Skywatch

A short interruption of our holiday posts to fit in some sky watching.




We've been seeing a lot of these clouds over the last few days but, in the main, they've passed us by. Head over to Skywatch Friday to see many more skies.

Graduation day

After five years of study at The University of Edinburgh, Adam graduated with a Masters degree in Astrophysics. All very complicated stuff and we really have no idea where he gets his brains from, especially his ability with maths because both LSH and I never enjoyed that. We are very proud of what he has achieved and he now gets to put the letters M. Phys after his name.

The ceremony was held in the McEwan Hall, which was specifically built as a graduation/concert hall for the university and was funded by William McEwan of the famous (in Scotland at least) brewing company, hence the name. It took a further three years to complete the very lavish decoration, which could perhaps be described as a little over the top but is, nonetheless, quite wonderful......as you will see. The hall, of course, is nowhere near as old as the university, which was founded in 1583.

The McEwan Hall

Waiting for proceedings to start

Inside the hall

The organ that you can see in the photo was not part of the original plan of the hall and was actually built three years later. Only some of the pipes are visible as most of them had to be ingeniously fitted in behind the existing fabric of the platform apse. It sounded wonderful.

The domed ceiling

The hall is semi-circular and has two galleries running around it.
You can see a bit of them in the photo above. We wondered who had the job of polishing all the lovely carved woodwork.

Adam having his head touched with the graduation cap by the Vice-Chancellor.

It's all over and we try to spot Adam in amongst the throng!

The carving above the door depicting a graduation. Legend has it that the cap is made out of John Knox's breeches.

Adam Gray M.Phys

Last photo in full regalia

Stripped down to Highland dress and off to celebrate

Stopping for a Guinness on the way to meet up with Ian and Lynne.
It was quite a hot day.....and kilts are very warm!

Grassmarket. Lovely architecture, shame about some of the modern signs!

Ian, Lynne and Euan met us for a celebratory meal. We chose a little Italian bistro and sat outside in the lovely Grassmarket area.

Euan is very mobile now and was keen to explore the pedestrianised area.

This tree just had to be visited for a game of peek-a-boo

There's just no stopping him now!

Using your tongue as a musical instrument can be so much fun..........

.............if a little dribbly.

We went for a wander

Striking a pose outside a tartan shop

More fantastic architecture

Looking down the Royal Mile

Back at the flat, footsore but happy, after a wonderful day.

NB. Adam only lives in a part of this house but I had to include it because it is such an improvement on his student accommodation of the last few years! And it has parking!

I can't do a graduation post without including Ian. Since I wasn't blogging when he got his degree in Sports and Fitness from Abertay University, he didn't get his moment in the spotlight. We are very proud of him too.

Ian Gray Bsc

Our sons have turned out not bad.

The Big City

I'll split our holiday photos over a few posts as there are quite a number of them.

Our main destination was Edinburgh because this was where Adam's graduation would be taking place. With expert navigation (mine!) we managed to find Adam's new flat easily, much to LSH's relief as he's never too keen on negotiating unfamiliar city traffic. Biking clobber was changed for something a little more suitable for walking and we headed into the city centre to check out the sights.

Edinburgh is just full of amazing buildings, monuments and statues, all within fairly close proximity. Stand in Princes Street and you are surrounded by so much history. You are also surrounded by a sea of tourists but we were doing the tourist thing too......and we loved it! Cue much oohing, wowing and taking of photos.

I was actually born in Edinburgh (historical fact surely worthy of note) but wasn't there for very long and, apart from a day trip some years ago, have never really done the whole sight-seeing bit. We didn't manage to fit in everything that we wanted to see or do (there's just so much!) so we'll just have to make a return trip.

In Princes Street Gardens looking up to the castle

Edinburgh Castle

The weather was warm but there was a bit of a mist about, not unknown in Edinburgh on summer days. We had planned a walk along Princes Street Gardens and just as well really because Princes Street itself has been dug up as part of ongoing laying of tramlines. It did look a mess, I have to say, and it seems that it will be a couple of years before the trams are up and running.

The Scott monument.
Looking very like Thunderbird 3.

The Museum of Scotland.

I was busy taking a photo of this building, because sandstone from here in Hopeman was used in its construction, and I almost missed...........

.........Greyfriar's Bobby.

His statue was much smaller than I expected and not where I thought it was going to be.

Sir Walter Scott's statue underneath his monument

Wellington

I liked the horse and thought it was worth a photo. You might notice Wellington has highlights in his hair, courtesy of the local bird population, something of a hazard for the many statues.

After a look around the Gallery at some impressive (and huge!) paintings, we came out onto the Mound and found these guys performing. This combination of bagpipes and drums might not be a conventional set up but they went really well together.

I was very impressed with these muscles. Drumming alone is surely not enough to create them, maybe he does a bit of weight lifting with the drums?



Pipes and drums.

Angel in the sky

Our holiday is over, we had a great time and I now have heaps of photos to sort before posting. Seeing as this is a major undertaking, I'll ease my way back into blogging gently and start off with a Skywatch post.

For most of our week away the sky looked like this. Blue, blue and more blue. This is the controversial and very large Angel of the North, which looms over the motorway not far from Newcastle. There are undoubtedly much better photos of this statue but, considering I took this one from the back of a motorbike whilst travelling along the A1, I think it's not bad.

Head over here for more lovely skies.

Addendum. A little more info on The Angel of the North, since Gayle was asking.

There was much controversy at the time the statue (sculpture?) was erected, lots of opinions were expressed, by the newspapers as well as local people, as to whether this was art or an eyesore! We happened to be coming past the first day it was unveiled and there were long tailbacks on the A1 as everyone wanted to get a look at this 'blot on the landscape/beautiful sculpture' (delete as applicable).

At the time, I thought it was an ugly piece of rusty metal which looked totally unbalanced due to the shape and length of the wings, and that it stood out like a sore thumb. These days I am probably just ambivalent. I don't pass it very often but, when I do, it certainly draws the eye.

Follow the link to its website to see more photos, these illustrate just how large and prominent it really is. A few opinions, both good and bad, are also mentioned.

Skywatch Friday

Summer is definitely here! All this week we have had wall to wall sunshine with plenty of heat thrown in.

Tomorrow, we head off on the motorbike for a week's holiday. Fingers crossed that this isn't the cue for the rainclouds to roll in.

Sun, sea and sand. What more could you ask for?

To see hundreds more skies, take a look here

"To the Papmobile, Teasel!"

Jana has accompanied us on quite a few cycling trips but the little hairies have always had to stay at home. All that has changed with the creation of the 'papmobile'!

There is room for only one little dog so they'll have to take turns at coming along for the ride. Teasel got the first shot and, after a moment or two of confusion, she loved it. Our route took us away from the road, where she got to run free and do a spot of rabbit hunting too.

We'll have to draw lots to see who goes on the next trip. Either that or get a few more baskets for the bikes!

Motorbiking, a moat and mixed weather

It's almost midsummer and, as usual, the British weather just doesn't know what it wants to do! We had some warm, sunny days earlier in the week, a real dreich day in the middle, improving to sunny intervals in between heavy showers being blown in by a strong wind today.

It may have been unsettled weather but it's already been a much better summer than last year. After a couple of lovely weeks in May, we waited in vain for the sunshine to return. 2008 - the summer that never happened.

One thing's for sure, we've been getting some interesting skies just lately. To see more of them, from all over the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

We watched this shower pass us by.

We were lucky, there was more blue than grey.


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Tuesday's weather was just perfect for a run out on the motorbike. We headed out over the very bleak Dava Moor and passed Lochindorb on the way. There is a ruined 13th century castle on an island in the middle of the loch. It once belonged to the infamous Wolf of Badenoch.

Stopping lochside to admire the view. We encountered about five cars on the narrow road - it must have been rush hour!

Looking back to the castle

The ruins

My view of the Dava from the back of the bike.

We ended up following a few country roads that we'd never been on before. This one was lined by some lovely rhododendron bushes.

Not only did we have an enjoyable ride but we called in for tea at the Mill Inn, Brodie. I stopped short of taking photos of the meal but I can tell you that it was delicious. I'd recommend the Inn if you're ever passing that way.


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Wednesday was mostly rainy but it cleared for the evening and that allowed for a pretty sunset. Jana and I went down to the windy beach to watch. We had the place to ourselves, must have been too chilly for the usual sky watchers.

An interesting cloud formation over the harbour. It was picking up some colour from the setting sun further west.

Jana's ears are blowing in the wind.

Nice sky, choppy sea.



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One of our walks today was to Duffus castle.

Desmond at his happiest - chasing and barking!

The castle is surrounded by a moat, parts of which are covered in a green weed and this proved to be the downfall of one small dog........ as you will see.

There were lots of tadpoles to be seen in the clearer stretches. These were all swimming in the same direction, as if they were doing laps of the moat! We decided it had something to do with the wind creating a current. No legs on this lot yet. (Click to enlarge)

These were on the other side and are slightly more developed. You can see their back legs.

Just a bit further on and we saw lots of these little guys in the grass at the water's edge. They made a beeline for the water just as our feet approached. Funny how there seemed to be different stages of metamorphosis as we moved around the moat.

Rosa was the small dog who made the mistake of thinking that the green weed was solid ground! It was her first ever swimming experience and, although she did a perfect doggy paddle, I don't think she'll make a habit of it. In a bit of a panic, she headed out towards the middle of the moat and had to be encouraged to turn back to the bank. Taking photos was not priority but I did get a shot of her drookit self afterwards.

You may be wondering what Jana is doing.
This is the rear view of a shaking vizsla. After a high speed run down the hill, her brakes failed and she also took an unplanned dip into the moat.

I can't imagine what the tadpoles made of it all.

Back in blogland

I am so behind with posts! Life seems to have got in the way of blogging.......but that's probably better than blogging getting in the way of life!

This is going to be a long post, with lots of family photos. For those of you who don't know us, I hope it isn't too boring. I've thrown in a few of the dogs for good measure so don't give up too soon.

Our family gathering was a once in a blue moon affair, the first time that my mum has been able to get all of her grandchildren together for a photo. My brother and family were over from Vancouver and my sister and her family came up from England. Ian, Lynne and Euan made it, despite a few hurdles, and Adam's uni exams had finished just in time for him to get here too.

All present and correct

All the grandchildren.
There is quite an age range, from Ian at 27 (and a dad himself) down to Elara who is 2.

Mum and her grandchildren, plus great grandson Euan.
Another grandchild is due in August and made it into the family group shot at the top, you can just about make out Nikki's bump - it's a handy resting place for Elara!

My brother Stuart.
His new camera is the same as mine and I've borrowed a couple of his photos for this post. (I have to admit to taking some lovely shots in totally the wrong light setting! Cue blue tinged grandchildren)


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It was warm and sunny on our patio this day so we thought we'd take a trip to Roseisle beach............

.............where it was incredibly windy!!
Keep your hair on Euan!

A bit of wind wasn't bothering Euan though and he had a swinging time.

Off the beach and into the forest. No wind here.
LSH has an intellectual discussion about pine cones with Elara...........

..........which leads to unicorn impressions!


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We visited the farm shop, the play area is a favourite, not to mention the coffee and cake.

Alex and Lewis getting a different perspective on things

Euan steers the pirate ship.....................

.....................and Elara peeks out from below

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This was the last day that everyone was here and the weather was lovely

Testing the water on Hopeman beach (it was cold!!)

Euan wonders what Elara has.
"It's banana, do you want some?"

"Thanks, maybe I will.
Hmmm.......not too sure now"

"You dropped it in the sand Euan! It'll be all crunchy now!"

Lewis had great fun kicking the football up and down the dunes with his big cousins.

Looks like Euan is ready to catch.

Big shoes to fill

Elara gives us a smile

Alex had fun with Jana

Dune surfing

Elara looks tickled pink!

Euan tickled too

Stuart took this one of Euan doing jazz hands. Wonder if he's thinking of a career on the stage?


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Another day and a trip to Duffus castle with Adam and the paps

Hebe, hot and happy

Downhill racers

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Back on Hopeman beach

I love this photo.
Lewis's face is a little dark but I hope you can see the gleeful expression he has on it
(click to enlarge)

Alex jumps for joy too

Adam can't resist it..........

........and nor can Jana


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We had a show last Saturday, it was my local one, being only 6 miles down the road. It was great not having the usual early start! There were no great wins in the ring for the paps but Jana did manage to win one of her classes. It was a very warm day and we were indoors so it made the run through the fields afterwards all the more enjoyable.

Pansy with her ball
"This is more like it!"

Happy smiley people

More skies

There's been no time for blogging this week due to our family gathering but the last of them left today so I'd better make a start on catching up.

I'm just in time for Skywatch Friday and, since we've seen quite a bit of the sun this past week, it's a good place to start.

Alex and Lewis, my niece and nephew, leaping off the dunes down at the beach. This was taken earlier today and they were making the most of their last hour or so in Hopeman before they headed off back to England.

Just one of a number of beautiful sunsets that we've enjoyed this week. This was taken last Friday at about 9pm. It was a wonderful night to be out, so calm and still.


To see a whole collection of fabulous skies from all around the world, click here.

Sky high

Jumping off the harbour wall, Adam is momentarily part of the sky

There are hundreds more skies to be seen over on Skywatch Friday.

Catching up

I'm quite behind with posts as things have been pretty busy here. It's going to get even busier with a family gathering coming up, more of which later.

Our run of blue skies came to an end with heavy showers today, but the following photos were taken when it seemed that summer was upon us. My lighthouse photo of last week featured a mass of gorse bushes and, for those that aren't familiar with it, here are a couple of closer views.


Although it is bright, colourful, long-flowering and smells delicious (rather like coconut), it is very invasive, takes over large areas and can be difficult to keep under control. Many of our favourite pathways along the coastline have disappeared under the gorse and there is no way you can push through it because it defends itself with some very nasty spikes! You can see them in the close up below.

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A new cycle path has been built beside us, it's not very long at the moment as it is being done in stages but it can be joined up with a country route to make a nice circular ride. I took Jana out with the bike, planning it so that the strong wind was behind us on the more exposed section! She was off lead for half of the time and trotting next to the bike for the rest. Good exercise for her and me.

The nice new cycle path

I've always liked this tunnel of trees


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Last Sunday Jenny and I, plus Jana, Brint and Keira, tackled Bennachie, a well known Aberdeenshire hill. It's very distinctive with its four peaks, the most interesting being Mither Tap, a knobbly granite point which was once part of an Iron Age fort. It can be seen on the far left of the photo below.

Bennachie (photo taken from Wikipedia)

Although not the highest of hills, it was steep enough in places to get me huffing and puffing and wondering what on earth I was doing there! The view from the top was well worth all the effort though. It is actually a broad, heather covered ridge with the peaks well spread out. Mither Tap is the one that seems to be the most popular with walkers but Oxen Craig is the actual summit and we wanted to take them both in.

Mither Tap appears out of the trees on the lower slopes

Jenny poses (reluctantly) with the dogs on Mither Tap

We stopped for lunch at the top and the dogs weren't left out. Jana and Keira wait for their biscuits

PLEASE can I have it?

Looking out over green Aberdeenshire

There was a championship show going on in Edinburgh and we were able to keep up to date with how friends were getting on via the wonders of modern technology! Jenny's daughter Ria was relaying results from the computer at home to Jenny's mobile phone.

Jenny gets the latest news

Looking across to the summit peak, Oxen Craig (L)

Coming down from Mither Tap

Interesting pancake-like rocks on the last climb

Oxen Craig, the very top, looking back at Mither Tap

The view north

Mono time

The old pack horse bridge at Carrbridge

If you'd like to take part in Monochrome Weekly go and visit Aileni's blog.

Skywatch Friday

Covesea lighthouse surrounded by a sea of gorse

This is how our sky has been all this week, a beautiful clear blue and looking very much like the height of summer. Not quite summer temperatures though, due to strong winds, but here's hoping it's a sign of good months ahead.

Visit Skywatch Friday to see many more skies from all around the world.

Monochrome Weekly

I'm posting another castle for what was Monochrome Monday but is now known as Monochrome Weekly. Head over there if you'd like to join in or just to have a look at more black and white shots.

This is perhaps not the classic shot of Eileen Donan Castle but it's where I was at the time.

Skywatch Friday

Late afternoon calm at Findhorn

To see more wonderful skies from around the world go to Skywatch Friday.

Mission Impossible, Desmond's comeback and sunny Roseisle

Jana is in season at the moment and is quite delighted to suddenly find herself so popular with our boys, normally they want nothing to do with her! Her first season passed with virtually no interest from Louis and Desmond so I assumed that they were sensible enough to realise that she was way out of their league (and reach) and that there was simply no point in giving her the eye (or anything else for that matter).

It appears that this season things have changed. Maybe the last one was just a practice run and, now that she is slightly more mature, it's time for the real thing. All I know is that Louis is quite certain that this union is possible and is more than willing to give his all. Seeing as I'm not about to go down the 'designer dog' route (what would those pups look like?!), Jana will be kept out of the boys' way.

The photos below show that Louis thinks this mission is definitely NOT impossible!

"What do you mean, she's too big?!"

"I'm willing to try!"

We were at a show at the weekend, the first one in ages. It was a toy group open show so only the paps were entered and it was Desmond's first since he broke his leg. He is totally sound on it now and you would never think that there had been a problem.

Pansy was third in her class and Rosa took second in hers, being beaten by a lovely little bitch who went on to best of breed. Desmond was in sparkling form, helped by the fact that he was keen to impress some of the ladies in the ring with him, and he won his class! I almost forgot that I'd entered him in a second class and nearly missed it. I rushed in at the last minute, expecting Des to be beaten by some of the more mature dogs there but no, he won that class too!
He was in the running for best dog after that but his interest had waned by then and he looked decidedly fed up, it might have helped if there had been a nice female pap next to him but it was all dogs.

It was great to see him so perky, I hope he's the same for our next show at the end of the month. We just need a shortish class and lots of female company to keep up his interest.

The prize winners

Below are some photos from our recent Roseisle walk with Jenny, Ria and a bunch of dogs. It was windy but nice and sunny and there was loads of space because the tide was right out.

Jana enjoyed running through the water after the shepherds but, unlike them, she didn't venture deeper than chest level.

Almost the whole beach to ourselves!

Brint, Sadie and Keira waiting for the stick.

Brint has a good shake. (Click to enlarge and see the interesting water effect)

We walked back through the forest and Pansy finds some logs to pose on........

..........as does Jasper (Poser Pug).

Keira looks very pleased with her find.

Jana scales the heights.

Mono Maniacs

My friend Jenny's three shepherds on our recent walk.

More to follow but in colour.

To join in the mono theme, go here

Skywatch Friday and True Colours Thursday

I'm combining two memes in today's post, although both fit in with Skywatch.



I'm a bit late for True Colours, it's rainbow this week and I didn't think I had anything suitable to post but then I remembered this shot. It was taken a couple of summers ago when we camped at Shiel Bridge. We weren't alone, at least a million midges kept us company. As we stood admiring the view out over the Five Sisters of Kintail, we watched the rain cloud sweeping up the loch, bringing the rainbow(s) with it. And probably a million more midges.

To see more rainbows, go on over to Blue's blog.




We're now into May so it's quite fitting that this sunset was taken in that month, albeit a few years ago now. It's taken from our back garden, looking over the houses to a glimpse of the sea. I haven't altered the image, this is just how it looked.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more glorious skies.

Black and white time again

Fishing boats at Mallaig

To see more monos, or even join in, head over to Aileni's blog

Nala Paws It Forward

There was excitement in our house today when A Paw It Forward parcel arrived from Nala (with a bit of help from her mum, Amber) all the way over in America! Jana and the paps couldn't wait to investigate, as you'll see from the photos below, some of which are a little blurry I'm afraid but that was down to the flurry of activity!

Jana's keen to get unwrapping

There was a lot of interest in what was inside!

There was this great hedgehog toy, complete with furry, squeaky eggs which you stuff inside and which the dogs have a fun time trying to remove..........

..........I've never seen anything like it before and the dogs loved it!

There was also some very tasty salmon treats, the perfect size for training

There was a lovely card and photo of Nala and also some scrummy blackberry tea cookies for LSH and me......I can't show you those because they were so nice that we ate them all!

Louis has the hedgehog whilst Rosa gets one of the eggs

Pansy thinks the eggs are just as good as her green ball

I hate to say it but the hedgehog is looking a little alarmed

Jana couldn't wait to have a play........

...........and she managed to get one of the eggs out!

I think she has a taste of those salmon treats

Hebe checks to see if anything got left in the parcel

Mmmmmm! Yummy salmon!

Jana practises her catching skills with the treats. Click on the photos to see in more detail

Sucked in cheeks just before her mouth opens. It looks like she has no teeth!

Caught it!!
Although she is quite good at catching them, I had to take many photos to get this sequence. Jana wasn't complaining as it meant she got more of the treats!
The dogs really enjoyed them, if I can't find them in this country then maybe I'll have to look into getting a supply sent over!


Thanks very much Nala and Amber for the lovely gifts, they've gone down a storm!


Would you like to join in for Paw It Forward? Here are the rules. "The exchange focuses on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and 'paw it forward' in their own way. This is how it works...we are going to agree to send something fun, inspiring or uplifting to the first 3 blog owners who post a comment on this entry. In turn you will then post about this on your blog, link to us, then send something to the first three people who sign up to play along through your blog. There are no cost restraints, BUT don't go crazy! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found. No biggie, just a gift that will make the person smile. Maybe something unique from where you live? And, remember that kindness doesn't have to involve money; there are untold ways to help others every single day, everywhere you go - just look around." SO PAW IT FORWARD...


If you are one of the first three to comment and would like to take part then send me an email with your address. My profile contains a link to my email.

Skywatch Friday

I love these wispy type of clouds, which I think are commonly known as 'mare's tails'.

To see fabulous skies from all over the world, go to Skywatch Friday.

A couple of castles for Mono Maniacs

Duffus Castle has appeared on my blog before, it's a favourite place of ours. Although it's an ancient ruin, built in 1151, this doesn't detract from its appeal and I think it has great photographic possibilities.

A bit further away from here, on the edge of Loch Ness, is Castle Urquhart. Another in ruins but equally interesting. The best view of it is from the actual loch.....but since I haven't got one from that angle, you'll have to make do with this one!
To see more monochromes click here

Easter, four generations and fourteen dogs

At last I've managed to catch up with Easter. I did try yesterday but Blogger was not being very co-operative so I gave up. Prepare yourselves for a mammoth post as there are quite a few photos! I was quite ruthless and plenty ended up on the cutting-room floor, this still left me with loads but I like them all, and it's my blog, so post them I have. I warn you now, there is much running of dogs........with a handful of humans mixed in for good measure.

Ian, Lynne and grandson Euan came to stay for a few days and brought the collies, Sam, Jura and Kyloh, along with them. My sister Paula, her husband Julian, Alex and Lewis, my niece and nephew, plus Jake the puppy vizsla, came up too but they all stayed at my mum's house. It's just as well we have the two houses as it makes family visits a lot less cramped. When we all got together there were four generations of my family and fourteen dogs between us!

The weather was wonderful almost every day the visitors were here and we had some lovely walks together. Euan is now toddling but not all the time, hands and knees are still his preferred method of moving about. He did manage to walk from one side of the sitting-room to the other a few times and he was also tackling bends occasionally. The paps and Jana have never really had much to do with children but it hasn't taken them long to discover just how great toddlers are.......especially at meal times! Euan thought it was great fun to share his toast with them. He had a pack of paps sat around him and he had their complete attention! Dog handler in the making.

Now for the photos (remember you can click on them for a larger view).

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

Toffee in sprint mode

A run in Roseisle woods.
Jura, Ky and Sam take the lead with Jake close behind

My mum's little Lia sorts out Jake

The three collies after a dip in a very dirty and smelly ditch

Seeing as we only have a shower, Euan makes do with a splash in the kitchen sink

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We visited the whale and dolphin centre at Spey Bay one day. The dolphins are often spotted at the mouth of the river and ospreys can be seen fishing there too. We weren't lucky enough to see anything though, maybe next time.

Euan goes off on a mission

This statue was the only osprey that we saw

Euan strides out

Alex, the horse lover, practises her jumps........

.......as does Lynne, the dog agility fan. Marks out of ten for style, please.

From Spey Bay to Lossie forest for more dog running

The four generations, plus some of the dogs

Diving Sam. Going..........

..........going..........

........gone!



Whilst we were taking photos of the dogs in the water, Paula felt something moving under her feet. When she looked down, this is what she was standing on.......

......a wood ants' nest!!! Her shrieks were quite impressive.

Checking for any stray ants!

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Another day, another walk

Alex and Lewis go mountain climbing

Gypsy appears to be looking dreamily into Desmond's eyes

Coming at ya!

Alex has the ball and Lia, who is even more obsessed than Pansy, wants it!

I actually managed to catch Des in quite a good pose

Jana had some great games with Jake

Jana generally ran rings around 10 month old Jake but this time it was his turn to tease with the ball

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On Easter Monday Ian met up with his friend Stuart and they went jumping off the harbour, just like they used to do in the school summer holidays.

Euan with Nannie at the harbour

Ian and Stuart taking a big leap

Going off the outer wall

Euan gets a swing from Nannie and Paula

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Ian and Lynne discovered a great soft play centre nearby. It was pretty quiet and Euan had it to himself for a while. LSH and I took the motorbike out for a run there.

LSH and Euan lean into a corner on a mini Blackbird

On the bouncy castle

Then down its slide

Looks like Ian is having a great time!

Euan has a giggle pulling his grandah's beard

Getting in a bit of toddling

Euan was quite intrigued by the rabbits

Who needs toys when you have a water bowl?

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Jake and Jana got to go for a long walk together on the last day of the holiday

They had fun checking out the rock pools

Looking back along the coast to Hopeman harbour. It was another beautiful day but a little hazy out to sea

Fulmars nest along this stretch of coast. I love to watch them fly, they are so graceful

Jana wasn't all that keen on having to sit right beside Jake..........

..........but she loves him really - just look at that grin!

The two of them enjoying an evening romp on the beach

Skywatch Friday

Two shots of a Moray Firth sunset taken earlier this week.

Click here if you'd like to see more skies from all around the world.

True Colours

We had visitors (two-legged and four-legged) over Easter and I haven't had a chance to do any posts. I'll catch up with the dogs and family photos shortly but, in the meantime, it's True Colours Thursday and this week's colour is lime. This is definitely not a colour I have much of in the house so all my photos are of the lovely, fresh new growth on our bushes.

Take a trip to Blue's blog to join in.

Skywatch Friday

These photos were taken at Duffus Castle. The runway at RAF Lossiemouth is in line with the castle and the tornado aircraft often pass by quite close.


To see more skies from around the world, click here.

Colours and lambs

It's black and white for this week's True Colours Thursday.

I didn't have to look far for the first one!

Gypsy, Pansy and Teasel - the black and white girls

The black and white crossword in our daily paper

My lovely Beswick black and white pony. I've had it at least 35 years and it has come through many house moves without even a chip

My camera, mainly black but with a little bit of white

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One of my work colleagues has a small flock of pedigree Blue-faced Leicester sheep and they are in the middle of lambing just now. I paid them a visit, hoping to get some nice spring-lambs-in-the-sunshine photos but, although the lambs co-operated, the weather did not! I'll have to go again.

This little chap was just 3 days old. He has ears to rival the papillons'.

Rachel with two of the mums. They're a very friendly breed.......

.........with a distinctive Roman nose, large blue ears and a very curly fleece.

He was very chatty

If you look closely you'll see that he's been caught mid pee here! It went on for ages so I had no problems getting a still shot.

Twins

The (wagging) End

Monochrome Monday

My contribution to this week's Monochrome Monday, Sam and Kyloh, two of our dogs-in-law.

A black and white shot of black and white dogs (not strictly accurate because Ky is actually blue merle). Does monochrome work better with B&W subjects?

For more Mono Maniacs visit Aileni's blog.

Heading for the hills

We met up with Morag, Jenny and Ria on Saturday for an uphill walk. We are planning to do Ben Rinnes, which is the highest point in the local area, but need a bit of practice at lower level first. I, for one, am not as fit as I'd like to be. I'd rather not be huffing and puffing my way up Ben Rinnes.

Ben Aigan was our destination but we encountered a diversion and ended up doing a slightly different top. The weather was not great, big change from the day before, and this affected our view from the top. Mostly we saw trees.

I did take photos but not many, not ideal weather for it. We only had seven dogs with us this time, unlike our Cullen Bin walk. The hill is popular with mountain bikers and we saw a few but otherwise had the place to ourselves.

Despite the weather, it was a good walk and a much needed work out for the legs.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that we ended up at a tearoom. Cake?! As if.

Jana had a bit of excitement when a grouse was flushed at the top

There was lots of talking

Arran was very proud of his stick

A bit of a view at the top

Heading back to the car

Morag's new pup, Gigha. She's too small to join us on walks just now but she enjoyed checking out the pine cones and twigs in the car park

Ria's hot chocolate.......with The Works!

Ok, so we did have cake, but it surely couldn't be bad for us......it had raw carrot with it!

Skywatch Friday, a birthday, big hair and the beach

Last night's sunset taken from the harbour.

This is my contribution to this week's Skywatch Friday. To see more skies from around the world go here.

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Now for a mix of photos from this week






MY ball!


Jana wonders if I saw the squirrel too

Still looking for that squirrel

Guess who has the ball?!


Adam came home from uni on Tuesday, just in time for my birthday! It was my best present, even if it was just a short stay.

Note the big hair, it hadn't been cut since last September, I think. My clippers had to psyche themselves up before taking on those curls but they got through it, albeit with a few coughs and splutters! The new look Adam appears later.

Jana pretending to be a real gundog

Anything you can do.........

I can do too!

We've had some beautiful weather this week, this was taken at Brodie Castle where we took my mum for a summery stroll in the grounds.

Some of the bird life on the lake there

It was another gorgeous day today and we went to Findhorn. In the background is Burghead Bay and Roseisle Forest.

Adam competes with Jana again!

Pansy, like the other paps, is not really keen on water but she was prepared to brave it for HER ball. Maybe we'll get her swimming?!

The mouth of Findhorn Bay

True Colours Thursday

It's scarlet for this week's True Colours. To see more of this meme go to Blue's blog.

I didn't think that I owned anything scarlet but then I came across these:

A scarlet dress, bought for a Hogmanay party but never worn. (Modelled here by Adam!)

The cute little bag with scarlet spots, bought to go with the dress

Scarlet comb

A different perspective

Louis and Jana - not showing their 'best sides'.

Feel free to provide your own captions (as clean as possible please)

Monochrome Monday

Instead of the usual colour, here's a black and white photo for a change. I thought I'd join in with Monochrome Monday. Aileni is the host of this meme, visit his blog to see more monos.....probably far more interesting than mine!

This photo of Aberdeen Angus cattle was taken at our local farm shop on a very cold afternoon a few months ago.

Saturday sunshine and stormy seas

The sun came out today but we still had the cold northerly wind, which made for a very rough sea and spectacular waves crashing over the harbour wall. Despite the finger-numbing wind, Jana and I had a lovely walk on the beach.

The relative calm inside the harbour..........

........and the swell outside

Snow fell on the hills last night

Jana sitting, but not for long, because there are birds along the shoreline......

.........some redshanks..........

.......with a few turnstones mixed in

Looks like a bubble bath for these two

Taking to the air..........

..........wonder why?.........

........maybe they've seen the 'on point' vizsla?

The ones that got away!

We weren't the only ones on the beach today

This black lab was definitely a water lover

A jolly collie came past with mind set firmly on its ball

Six paps went out on the second shift

They got to go racing in the field by the woods

The reds take the lead

A passing snow cloud pauses briefly over Hopeman

The following two were taken on my third walk of the day

Pansy got to go out on her own with her ball for an early evening run on the beach. The tide had gone out so there was much more sand.

The wind hadn't let up though so still plenty of white water out there

The Berry Eaters and the 200th post!

All thoughts of Spring have swiftly disappeared as our weather goes from bad to worse. Cold northerly winds have brought rain, rain and more rain plus some sleet and hail showers thrown in for good measure. There's even talk of more snow falling.

As a reminder of warmer days, I am posting some photos which were taken a week ago.



I was thrilled to hear and see a flock of about 16 waxwings in a tree opposite my house. These birds are occasional visitors to Britain, coming over from Scandinavia looking for food when conditions are harsh over there. They are particularly keen on berries. It's been a number of years since I last saw any so I rushed to photograph them before they flew away but I needn't have worried because they hung around a couple of days and I was able to shoot them as they stripped a neighbour's cotoneaster bush of its berries.

They are very distinctive birds and quite easy to photograph because they allow you to get fairly close to them.

This is my 200th post! How quickly it's come around.

True Colours Beige

When I first saw that beige was this week's choice for True Colours Thursday I thought I'd have trouble finding anything of interest to photograph. However, a walk down to the beach this morning revealed that beige doesn't always have to be boring.

Visit our host Blue's blog if you'd like to take part in this meme.

The beige beach of course!

A beige pebble

Surely touches of beige in these shells?

More beige beach

The froth that the rough sea was producing today. It looked more beige than the photo shows, especially when the sun was on it.

That beige sand again

Jasper Pug - a very laid back friend

This is our friend Jasper, a little extrovert, but also a very cool dude. As with most pugs, his two aims in life are eating and sleeping.

If he could do both at the same time he'd be in Heaven!

In relaxed mode.

Where did Spring go?!

It was all change as far as the weather was concerned today. Gale force winds brought rain, hail and the temperature dropped down to 3 degrees.

Those poor Spring flowers are taking a bashing.

Hail storm approaching Lossiemouth beach.

392 in dog years

This was the right part of the country to be in today, it seems the Highlands recorded the highest temperature of the day with 19 degrees in Altnaharra. We managed 16 degrees - pretty good for this time of year.

Long-Suffering Husband celebrated a birthday today. He says he doesn't feel a day over 70. He certainly doesn't look it........that's probably because he was actually 56.

Better make the most of these dog walks while the knees hold out!

Pansy keeps her eye on the ball.

It's hot work chasing a ball on a day like today..........

Pansy's tongue went into overdrive..........

........and now it's out of control! (Click on the photo to enlarge)

LSH looks lost in thought whilst practising his teapot impression.

True Colours Thursday

Green is the theme for True Colours this week. Blue is the host of this meme, visit her blog if you'd like to join in.

The green hill that Duffus Castle sits on


New green shoots (definitely Springtime!)

The green eglu (des res for hens)

Green compost bin. It doesn't look very green in this photo but there are supposed to be forty shades, aren't there?

Pansy's favourite green ball......slightly worse for wear

Green weeds......plenty of them in my garden!

Two wheeled and four legged zoomies

LSH poses in front of the old fishing cottages of Seatown, the viaduct and beach at Cullen.

A sure sign of Spring must be me accompanying LSH on the Blackbird for my first pillion ride of the year. Although not sunny, the weather today was warm enough for me to perch on the back and zoom along at speed without turning a similar shade of blue to the bike.

We headed along the coast to Cullen, home town of Morag and boys, where we had lunch at a cafe (toasties and lattes......we know how to live!) before whizzing back home.