looking for Signs of Spring And All That Jazz

Shot of the Day

Saturday
After breakfast and a general tidy up I phoned Tootlepedal to see if he was interested in a short stroll to make the best of the sun that we were greeted with. There was no answer so I set off to see if I could get some shots for the next Langholm camera club meeting as the theme is Signs of Spring. It's still a bit early yet for much to be budding except for catkins they are quite plentiful The snowdrops are well through and covering the ground quite thickly in some places. 

I liked the way the sunlight was coming through the trees as I made my way along the path towards the Duchess bridge.

I took this shot from the bridge and the out of focus water in the background provides a nice background that emphasizes the catkins

Looking upriver from the Duchess bridge

The hills seemed to take on a warm spring glow in the early Spring sunshine.

I came upon these crates of Snowdrop bulbs I was always under the impression that it was against the law to dig up these bulbs without permission. On inquiring these crates have been lying here for some time.

Snowdrops where they should be

On my way home I called into Wauchope Cottage for a nice cup of coffee and to see if Tootlepedal would like to go for a short walk in the afternoon. I mentioned the crates of snowdrops and Mrs  Tootlepedal said she had noticed they had been there for some time.

I met Tootlepedal later and our walk was on  path that we hadn't been on before so it was nice to explore new ground. Unfortunately as good as the track was it petered out after a short distance and we had to cross a small field onto the golf course where there is fabulous views of the town and hills beyond as you can see in my Shot of the Day.

We stopped off at the Kilngreen to admire the ducks and flying birds

 

Tootlepedal got a much better shot of the Oyster Catcher than me.

We made our way back to Wauchope Cottage by the Ty Pennington path round the Castleholm. I declined Tootlepedals offer of a cup of tea and headed for home and a snooze.

In the evening I attended a wonderful concert at the Buccleuch Centre by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra playing the music of Billy Strayhorn. For a more detailed account of the concert visit Tootlepedal's blog. I was joined by by colleagues from work for a pre-theatre supper in the centre before the show. It was an excellent meal and first class service and it was nice to see that others were taking advantage of this option. 

Signs of Spring

 Over in a flash

Treacherous going

I've been on holiday all week as it's half term. As with most holidays they are over in a flash and you wonder what you've done with your time. I spent quite a lot of my time entering new photos onto the website. These were photos of Princess Margaret's visit to the Academy in June 1977, the year of her sister Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee. Before that on Sunday I watched Scotland suffer at the hands of the Welsh. Scotland looked quite good but due to bad mistakes and some bad luck they through the game away as it seems to be the norm .

A lovely morning

a sign of Spring

On Tuesday morning I decided to go and see the snowdrops at Holmhead. After crossing the Jubilee Bridge I turned left to go along the riverside path on the north side. The going was rather treacherous due to the slow thaw and the amount of pedestrian traffic compacting the snow into ice. When I reached the Duchess bridge I turned off and took the middle road towards Holmhead, as it was away from the river it was clear of any ice or snow. It was a lovely morning and there were a few signs of spring about.


a carpet of Snowdrops
I spent my early years of life at Holmhead, (my Grandfather was head keeper at the time.) and as far as I can remember there has always been a carpet of snowdrops in the wood at the front of the house. After putting the camera to good use I headed for home.

courtesy of Picasa's new image processing software

The toll of the recent weather

To be continued. (I think)