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.
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| Roe deer - a regular sighting |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Supermarine Spitfire Mk Ia of 92 Squadron, RAF Manston, December 1940 |
Naturally, it couldn't stop there.
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| Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 |
and from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
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| Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc |
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.
