Merry Christmas

A Merry Christmas to you all, best wishes for 2013 and thanks for your company throughout the year.

Two short winter days

(1) - Tuesday 11 December

Everywhere being solid ice, Kahtoolas were needed straight from the car but we made quick progress along the drove road before beginning our ascent of this lovely unnamed prominence west of, and overlooking, Glen Eagles. Off with the microspikes then through the tussocky grass, avoiding the ice in the hollows between, picking up sheep trods, stopping to view distant Ben Chonzie (Ben-y-Hone), aiming for the highest sunlit snow patch.

Distant Ben y Hone above Crieff from the drove road

It's all familiar ground, and being creatures of habit we sat in our usual lofty spot drinking Lapsang Souchong enjoying what warmth the sun could muster before climbing the last few feet to the cairnless top.  Time being short, the heathery expanse westwards to Wether Hill was not for us today so we dropped down to St Mungo's Farm and the drove road - a useful route for ancient drovers who wanted to avoid paying at Gleneagles Toll.

As a result of walking the Ochils drove roads, A R B Haldane of Cloan House near Auchterarder became interested in "this droving traffic, the routes by which it reached the Lowlands, its ultimate destination and the methods of the men whose work it was". His excellent 'The Drove Roads of Scotland' makes fascinating reading.

The car could have done with its own set of crampons

Just a  simple, satisfying few hours in the 'verdant Downs the Ochil Hills', a few miles from home. What more could you ask?

Massey Ferguson - for Alan R

How about restoring this Alan?

Perkins Diesel Engine

His hypocrisy knows no bounds

The First Minister commissioned Dame Elizabeth Blackwell to produce the image for the First Minister's 2012 Christmas card and the art work will be auctioned next year in aid of good causes. Fine, but be prepared to throw up now:   

Mr Salmond said :"Throughout 2013 we will celebrate the outstanding and diverse beauty of this country in the Year of Natural Scotland, where we encourage people to get out and enjoy what the great outdoors has to offer".

  

Beautiful nacreous clouds

These photographs of iridescent clouds, taken from the garden at 9.10am on the 10 December are known as nacreous or mother of pearl clouds and are formed some 15 -25km high in the stratosphere at temperatures below -78C.

They most commonly appear in polar regions but it is apparently quite rare to see such good displays in the UK. The clouds play a part in the formation of ozone holes as they contain chemicals which destroy ozone. (Information from the Met Office).