At around 3pm this afternoon I decided I'd go and catch the last couple of hours of daylight to take some pics. Picking up my camera, I thought it might be an idea to check the battery.....
Dead.
So I had to charge it for an hour.
Eventually I made it down to Forfar Loch at around 4.15pm....
I think I hit it at just the right time. The setting sun was creating some beautiful colours both across the loch and in the sky.
The reflections of the sky on the partially frozen loch created a scene of calming beauty.
This would've been quite a good pic if I hadn't managed to catch the grass in the foreground and the arse of the duck disappearing bottom left...... I should've cropped it but hey....It's the weekend and I'm allowed to be lazy.
By the time I got around to taking these, I could no longer feel my hands.... It was seriously cold.
It got to the point where I was sticking both thumbs in my mouth to try to warm them up!
I just hope nobody saw me.
As I was kneeling down to get this pic, a wee girl approached me. She must have been around nine or ten. Her Dad was a bit behind her. She looked out over the ice and the ducks and geese, took it all in and said to me, 'Ooh that's soooo nice. Look at the way they're all standing on the ice'..... Not in your usual ten year old excitable way, but more thoughtful and restrained.
I had to swallow hard...... a little thing like that can make your day.
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EDIT : As an afterthought, I thought it would be a bit heartless not to include the big yellow combine harvester. Given that it was the highlight of my day seeing this thing appear over the top of the ridge........ 'How sad was your day? '.....I hear you say. Check out the swallow (swift?) thingy.
A selection of skies over the past two days between Arbroath and Forfar. The above pic was taken north of Carnoustie just before the barley was harvested. A big yellow combine harvester was rolling up and down the field to the left of this scene.
A view over Forfar Loch this evening. The midges were out in force and my head's still itching. Wee buggers.
Looking west over the Loch...... still not seen those otters......
I've neglected Forfar on this blog. Porobably due to the fact that I live here and don't really find it that interesting. I think we're all kinda like that. You don't really appreciate what's on you own doorstep, as they say. 
It now houses the Sherriff Court and Angus Coucil offices. I searched the internet to get some historical info on it, but the best I could get was this :
It would appear there is an 'Open Day' coming up. This is when they throw the doors open for us mere plebs to have a nose around, I may take them up on their offer and take my camera.
Iconic Scottish image.......complete with wee beastie. I've never known whether the thistle should be regarded a a flower or a weed. Can anyone enlighten me on this one? People cultivate them in their gardens here..... not a lot it has to be said, but you do see them. On the other hand they're plentiful in the wild.
All these pics were taken around Forfar Loch a few weeks back. As you can see from the above pic, there's quite a lot of algae on the loch just now. However it has improved in recent years. At it's worst the smell used to drift over the town and it could be breathtaking...... in an eye watering kind of way.
There are well maintained paths all around the loch and it's about a three mile walk. I've been desperate to see the otters which have taken up residence, but no luck yet.
These purple things are everywhere...... anyone tell me what they are?
We've never struggled to see puddles this summer...... I liked this one and the way the grass is poking up through the rainwater.
