Summer sun results in shiny, happy people
I MET someone on the street the other day who said that she liked the hot, sunny weather because she had observed that it made people smile more.
I think there's something in what she said. Anyway, with the advent of June suddenly everything seems to be in full bloom.As the song has it – June is bustin' out all over'.
We were recently on the Policies Walk on the Airlie Estate at Cortachy. For reasons of estate management this walk is only open for a limited number of days each year. Thus, for most of us, this was a first visit.
It's not a long walk; some three miles but we extended it considerably by continuing along the Cortachy and Dykehead pathway system. The beautiful landscape hereabouts has formed part of the Airlie family's home for hundreds of years.
Passing the church you make your way through mixed and aged woodland and can take in the wild garden with its spectacular display of primulas, hostas and other plants that thrive in damp and acidic conditions.
There is a large pool in the grounds and the South Esk runs close by the castle. Then there are the azaleas of every hue and trillium, another woodlander, which Peter tells me, is also the floral emblem of Ontario in Canada.
Within the Policies is contained the family cemetery.Here is a memorial tablet surmounted by the recumbent effigy of the Ninth Earl in regimental uniform. He was killed while leading his men at Diamond Hill near Pretoria during the Boer War.
The discourse of Empire is reflected in the words of Lord Roberts, GOC, British Forces, South Africa who said at the time in a dispatch from the front:"I deplore the death of that gallant soldier, the Earl of Airlie, who true to the loyal and patriotic traditions of his ancient house and at the call of duty, yielded his life of devotion to his God, his Queen and his Country on the battlefield."
He was buried where he fell. The Airlie Monument some few miles distant was erected in his honour.
In this extended walk we finally turned at the Scott Memorial finishing up with a cup of tea and a scone at Dykehead.(OS Landranger Sheet 44).
Readers of these ramblings will know that I like to get myself up Mt. Keen, our local munro, a few times each year just to satisfy myself that the legs still work.
I was up there on the second of June on a warm, sunny day.On the final third of the climb cooling breezes sprung up; ideal walking conditions.
I like it up there; the solitude and the sky and a view which seems to extend forever.To the west there were traceries of snow still lying in the gullies of Loch Nagar and the distant Cairngorms.
At the top I sat in the lee of some rocks for lunch and was soon joined by a couple of guys from Dundee who had followed me up.
A faint roar alerted us to an approaching aeroplane and within a second or two a Jaguar aircraft rocketed along the valley that lies between Mt. Keen and Braid Cairn and some way underneath us.It was gone in a trice.
It never fails to give me a buzz to see these powerful machines in such close proximity and to realise that one is looking down on them.Then it is gone and tranquillity returns.
Descending I thought I heard the mewing call of a buzzard.Yet nothing was evident in the skies above and when I stopped in my tracks so did the noise.
It dawned at last that my boots were squeaking.They've never done this before.My buzzard footwear ismaybe trying to tell me something.
In the benign conditions this was a grand day in the hills; my "fix" for another few weeks. (OS Landranger Sheet 44).
Twenty of us were there on the following Monday to walk the coastline from Arbroath to Carnoustie and back which must be almost twelve miles.
You start from the railway at Elliot and there's always plenty going on along here.A dozen trains must have gone by at one time or another.
Seawards there were fishing boats coming and going and folk saw dolphins but I missed them.You pass the village of East Haven where a fishing community has existed since 1214.
The whole route is scattered with wildflowers: buttercups, bird's foot trefoil, campions and a mass of flanders poppies of such a vivid scarlet that many snaps were taken.A sight of rare beauty.(OS Landranger Sheet 54).
A fortnight since I spotted a red squirrel in Burghill Woods; the first I've seen locally in a year. I've submitted this information to the "Scottish Squirrel Survey" (you can pick up the relevant form in Brechin Library).
This is part of a scheme to rescue our native reds from the incursions of the American grey squirrel.The grey now dominates England and is fast taking over in Scotland.The red squirrel has been with us for a thousand years. Without it Scotland would be the poorer.
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Weather for Brechin
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
