A Debatable Question

 After some pretty dismal weather these last few days it was nice to wake up to nice clear blue skies and sunshine. I spent the most of the morning doing some much needed basic housework and generally tidying up before deciding whether to go for a cycle run or for a walk and settled for a walk. I recently tweaked my shoulder reaching into a lower cupboard and since it has got steadily worse to the point reaching forward on the ebike to grip the handlebars is painful enough to abandon cycling sadly at the moment. 

I jumped into the car and after purchasing the E&L and filling up with petrol I made my way to the Back o' Tarras for my walk. I did find changing gear quite difficult due to my shoulder and wouldn't like to drive any distance at the moment, so that's cycling and driving put on the back burner for the time being although I'm not intending doing much cycling over the winter months.

I stopped and took a look over the land which I suppose this part is no longer debatable after the successful buyout recently, or is that a debatable question?

I was attracted to these rather colourful fungi on the roadside.

The picnic tables t the car park are looking well weathered but I think they have a rather nice rustic appeal.

Th trees are looking rather skeletal against the sky now they've shed their summer coats.

It was nice to walk beside and listen to the Tarras burn rushing over the rocks.

It was a good walk but I didn't go as far as I intended but just nice to get out for a couple of hours away from the constant depressing daily news we are faced with at the moment but we've got the freedom of our local countryside and things could always be much worse. 

On reflection I can understand why exiles make a beeline for this truly wonderful spot on our doorstep.

Later in the evening I had my usual video call with my friend Malcolm which cheered me up no end an my apologies for my earlier mournful waffle.

A Pocketful of Gunge

 The forecast look promising enough for a bike ride later in the day when I woke up this morning. So after a rather half hearted attempt to do some housework I decided to get changed into my cycling gear and go for a short pedal. This the first  time I've been out in over a fortnight, due to various reasons but  it was worth the effort. 

With no winds to fight against it was an comfortable pedal without spending too much energy. There was quite a bit of surface water on the road that was coming down off the hills to contend with but nothing serious, but it did serve to remind me in investing in a pair of overshoes, I will seek advice from my cycling guru, Tootlepedal.

My next door neighbour was out cleaning has car as I was preparing to leave and he enquired where I was heading for, I said I had no idea but would decide when I got to the end of the street whether to turn right of left, I turned left, and headed off up the Westerkirk valley.

My first stop was in this pull off to get a shot off one  of Westerkirk's iconic views......

........the Gates of Eden.

Cycling on I came upon some healthy looking specimens of fungi on the verge of the road.

An example of the water that was coming off the hills after last nights rain.

I pedaled on up the road and was pleasantly surprised to see the phone box had been restored, maybe some of these multi national company's do have a heart and listen to local opinion, or maybe some political influence was at work. However it was nice to see back in place, and I'm sure a nice coat of post office red paint would set it off grand against a lovely background.

I moved on into The Benty, turning left and.......

.....right over the bridge and heading up the opposite side of the river to Enzieholm bridge before returning home. But before that .....

I manged to get a couple of pictures of the mausoleum and Westerkirk grave yard.

After last nights rain I thoght there would've been more water in the river.

On arriving at Enzieholm bridge I stopped to have the banana that I had put in my pocket but un fortunately I had put my mobile phone in the same pocket and the result was mashed banana that caused a lot of problems with the phone when I got home.

But never theless I headed home and was cheered up with some brief sunshine on the way.

 I did stop for a couple of shots of the Kirk as came through the village.

The rest of the afternoon was spent frustratingly trying to get the phone to work, apparently the banana gunge had jammed the volume key which had put it in a mode that Couldn't get out of. After some online help from a patient and helpful technician it was decided I needed to put the phone in for repair, but as strange things happen I set it aside and when I checked a while later it was miraculously up and running much to me relief.

An Achievement and a Dazzling Display

The thermometer suggested that it was rather chilly outside when I got up this morning so my planned cycle ride was put on hold until the temperature rose to an acceptable level, by 10 am it had rose to 5°C and there seemed to be little wind so it was a good time to set off. My goal today was to pass the 300 mile mark and as I was only 16 miles short it wasn't going to be a difficult task. I headed up the Wauchope road and took my usual route by the Bloch farm then by Barngleishhead returning by the Bloch, to make sure I achieved my mileage I cycled to the foot of Callister then pedaled  home making my total since getting the Ebike to 302 miles. As the winter months are almost upon us and an up and coming foot operation means my cycling days are going to be curtailed for a couple of months, but until then I'll make the most of the good days that are offered.

 I set off on this pedal without my camera but as I have posted numerous photos of the same route I don't think they'll be missed, but the following pictures are from a walk I had on Saturday around the Castleholm. 

Looking up through the trees at the Galaside wood.

Heading towards Duchess Bridge

Duchess Bridge

Result of the inclement weather at the Cattle Show time

South Lodge looking attractive

Langholm's iconic eyesore

A ghostly remainer from Halloween

I did manage to get some shots from my back door of the firework display that was being held over on the Castleholm and watched by a vast crowd on the Kilngreen which was also accompanied by a spectacular bonfire later in the evening which all led to a dazzling display. 

The fireworks in the shots may look a bit haphazard but to those who are interested this is due to the camera being hand held at an aperture of 11f and a shutter speed of 4 seconds, I think they make acceptable images but next year I'll be more prepared and use a tripod.

A Varied Day

I attended an excellent concert last night at the Buccleuch Centre by Jaqui Dankworth and Charlie Wood. They did some nice takes on some popular classics, and left the audience feeling well entertained. Whilst I was there I had a chat with Tootlepedal at the interval and we arranged to meet at Wauchope Cottage in the morning for coffee and a stroll.

After coffee we drove up to the feeder station, parked the car and headed down to the Tarras Burn at the bottom of the hill

There was some nice light on the trees but lacking in colour

The stream was looking quite attractive.

I did some experimenting with my new camera by moving the camera vertically at a reduced shutter speed to get a blurred abstract effect, I was quite pleased with the result.

I did this one by accident and find it the most pleasing.

We stopped off at the hide before heading home but there wasn't much activity apart for the pine trees just about to shed there needles.

In the evening I got a phone call from my friend Helen inviting me to go with her and her family to the bonfire and firework display at Eskdalemuir Hub to which I gladly accepted. It was a lovely moonlit night when we arrived but the trade off was it was extremely cold but it was an excellent show and I managed to get some reasonably hand held shots.