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.