Appointment

Well, I now have an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon in little over a week's time and, hopefully, will get a proper diagnosis of my knee problem and appropriate treatment as quickly as possible. In a rare bout of optimism during February, I entertained the belief that whatever the injury had been, it was now well on the way to recovery.  Alas, after a day in the snow last Tuesday things quickly deteriorated. Pessimism. Normal service resumed.

Wether Hill top came and went and a descent to West Mains farm brought us some attention from the local sheep. We too enjoyed some lunch.

They kept approaching us as if expecting we had brought some SUPAlyx

Sheep sticks its tongue out at another.... 'I got the last of that tub of SUPAlyx, so there!'

Some interesting snow formations were encountered, but the photography doesn't do them justice

I doubt I'll have much to post about in the coming weeks/months given the knee situation but I hope you, dear readers, do.

Variety is the spice etc

A reduction in grazing over many years has resulted in longer grass in the Ochils, but this is even more obvious in those parts now owned by the Woodland Trust where there is no grazing at all. Since mid-September walks here have been relatively short (12 km)  to 'assess how the knee holds up', but the tussocky nature of the terrain is as hard on the ligaments as so-called rougher ground.  Outcomes have varied.

We've had some lovely days though.

Roe deer - a regular sighting

Easter Downhill

A little bit of Mozart

It's not all been about hills and knee trials. Last month an email arrived from MUSA, Museum of the University of St Andrews, informing me that Scottish Opera were performing twenty minutes or so of  'The Magic Flute' in the Bell Pettigrew Museum, Bute Medical Building. Having spent much time in and around this building in student days I am ashamed to say that I could not recall ever being in the Bell Pettigrew (I suppose I must have been!) so, apart from listening to a snippet of opera, it would be an opportunity to view  some of the 3000 or so specimens collected mainly during the Victorian era.

There were four members of Scottish Opera - a flautist (obviously), a harpist, singer and a storyteller who very amusingly set the scene prior to the next piece of music. As he said at the end: 'when I've turned Grand Opera into pantomime, my job is done!' What a superb thirty minutes! Prices for the full performance at various venues varied from £17.50 to £74.

A walk along the east sands in wild weather rounded off the day.

Enjoying quite rough seas at St Andrews (rougher than it looks!)

 The Carpow Logboat

Discovered by Scott McGuckin at Carpow Bank near Abernethy on the Tay Estuary, this dugout canoe from the Late Bronze Age has been dated 1260-910BC and is therefore around 3000 years old. It now has a permanent home at Perth Museum and Art Gallery. We just had to see it.

It was a fascinating afternoon and the full story can be found in the excellent little book by David Strachan, The Carpow Logboat - A Bronze Age Vessel brought to life, published by Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, and also online of course.

WWII aircraft

Airfix models that is. I built any number of these as a boy and Lynne gave me a gift of a Supermarine Spitfire MkIa kit last Spring. It was suitable for age 8+ please note. 

Supermarine Spitfire Mk Ia of 92 Squadron, RAF Manston, December 1940

Naturally, it couldn't stop there.

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3

and from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc

Next is another Spitfire (Mk IIa) and an Avro Lancaster B. Mk I, both of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. I must get started, although I've learned that a little more preparation before painting will give better results so these will take a little longer to complete. The models are 1:72 scale.

Weeks not without interest but I do wish my knee would hurry up and get better. By Christmas if I do zero the doctor says, but he probably knows me well enough to guess that there is little chance of  that.  Anyway, I've got this Berghaus Akka jacket coming soon for review !

Finally, I need to get round the blogs and catch up with what's going on.