Forfar Loch

Took these shots of the loch yesterday, the top one is looking west and the bottom is looking east, taken within a couple of minutes. You can see by the direction of the waves which way the wind was blowing and what kind of weather was on its way. There is a lovely two and a half mile walk around the loch. In recent years the water quality has greatly improved, largely due to the closure of a Canning Factory and the upgrading of sewage disposal. As a result the level and quality of wildlife has increased. There are brown trout and pike and apparently there are some really big rainbow trout which have entered the loch from nearby rivers and thrived. In January this year a family of otters was spotted, a sure indication of the improvement in water quality.

Arbroath Abbey

I always think Arbroath Abbey looks stunning when the sky is blue. It's the contrast between the red sandstone and the blue sky I think.

The Abbey was founded in 1178 by William the Lion who was subsequently buried there. In 1320 the Abbot of the abbey wrote the Declaration of Arbroath on behalf of Robert the Bruce, widely regarded as the most important document in Scotlands history. Addressed to Pope John XXII the document asked for pressure to be placed on Edward II, the English King, to recognise the Bruce as King of Scotland. It contained the famous phrase 'As long as a hundred of us remain alive, we shall not on any condition be subjected to English rule'........ 700 years later?......

Yellow on the Broom

A sure sign that spring is on its way? I spotted the first 'yellow on the broom' yesterday. For those of you unfamiliar with the phrase, it's a common one in travellers lore. The appearance of the first yellow flowers on the broom was an indication that it was time for the travelling folk or gypsies to be striking their winter camp and moving on. It's a fairly well known song and also the title of Betsy Whyte's autobiography. Betsy was born in 1919 in a tent on the banks of the River Tay into a travelling family. In the 1970's she began to write about her life and the first volume of her autobiography was entitled 'Yellow on the Broom'.

St Vigeans Church and village

The cottages viewed from the churhyard.

This is the church where the sundial in my Blog header can be found. The church sits on top of the hill above the tiny hamlet of St Vigeans. I once considered buying one of the cottages in the village and it's a source of regret that I didn't. It's such a beautiful, peaceful place and cottages don't come on the market very often..... he who procrastinates.....

Silver birch and rainbow

Caught this rainbow during a rain shower yesterday from my front door in Forfar. Looks like we're in for more wintry weather this week. I can hear the rain hammering down on the conservatory roof as I type this. Forecast is for more snow.

Devil cloud

Snapped this cloud formation outside Asda at the weekend. Seemed to me at the time that there was something devilish about it..... maybe it was just the mood I was in....!

Lonely Cottage

I love this wee cottage with its own little row of trees. It's about a mile or so from Letham in Angus. At Christmas the owners dress it up with those little blue fairy lights and it looks fantastic, all the more so because there are no street lights out there and it really stands out in the country darkness. I used to live in a cottage about a mile up the road from here and I loved it. There can be few pleasures in the world greater than a twilight wander round your country garden with a glass of whisky in your hand and only the sound of the blackbirds and thrushes breaking the evening silence.