After yesterday's gloomy weather, we woke to brilliant sunshine today. For once, I didn't waste a lot of time doing nothing, and was out on the hill before ten o'clock. This is the crack of dawn for me these days.
It was a good day to be out on the hill, whether walking up it....
.or looking at views from the top. I could take the long view...
.or look down a bit.
I took in some details.
And I looked back at the trig point and thought that it might be cloudier in England than it was on the top of Timpen.
It can't be denied that autumn has touched our hills and turned them brown...
.but we have a bit to go yet before winter comes and there are still greens among the brown.
and we paused for a socially distanced chat.
I headed on down the track through the woods..
..and added a picture of ragwort to the scabious that I had seen on my walk up the hill.
I also saw toadstools on the edge of the wood beside the track. They appear in the header picture.
I got home after 3.8 miles of sheer enjoyment. You can pack a lot in to a short walk round Langholm.
There was time for a late cup of coffee and some shopping before I made a lentil and sweet pepper soup, well seasoned with chillis from the greenhouse for lunch.
..and a siskin wasting time shouting when it could have been eating.
I was keen to get out for a short ride on my bike, so I left the siskin to its bad behaviour and set off to go round my 20 miles Solwaybank loop. Sadly the sun had got overtaken by clouds and was only shining were I wasn't. When I was on Callister under a cloud, I could see it shining on the sea past the remains of Chapelcross power station on the shores of the Solway...
.and I really do mean shining on the Solway.
New turbines keep appearing at the Solwaybank Windfarm but I never actually see any action as I cycle past. It was the same today, so I cycled on and only stopped when I spotted a buzzard in a tree. With characteristic disdain, it waited until I had nearly got my camera in focus before it flapped lazily off, circling just above me while I twisted and turned in a vain attempt to get the camera refocussed in time. Uncharacteristically though, it perched on another tree a bit further away and let me take a picture.
I never got any real sunshine on my ride but I didn't get any rain, in spite of some serious looking clouds at times...
.so I wasn't complaining. Once you get to October, any dry and not too windy cycling day is a bonus.
And the sun did shine when I got home and had a walk round the garden.
And there is still quite a lot to see.
The sun was out now and it was a lovely afternoon for a tour. When we got to the windfarm, it was a hive of activity. The first stage of the first tower has been erected..
and we could another section of tower...
Up and down and round and round
by tootlepedal
Today's guest picture comes from a walk in Warwickshire which my brother Andrew took last week. I have been trying to work out what is going on at the end of the field but have failed.
After yesterday's gloomy weather, we woke to brilliant sunshine today. For once, I didn't waste a lot of time doing nothing, and was out on the hill before ten o'clock. This is the crack of dawn for me these days.
It was a good day to be out on the hill, whether walking up it....
...or looking at views from the top. I could take the long view...
...or look down a bit.
I took in some details.
And I looked back at the trig point and thought that it might be cloudier in England than it was on the top of Timpen.
It can't be denied that autumn has touched our hills and turned them brown...
...but we have a bit to go yet before winter comes and there are still greens among the browns.
On my way down the hill, I met Nancy and Jenny, two friends and ex colleagues,...
...and we paused for a socially distanced chat.
I headed on down the track through the woods...
...and added a picture of ragwort to the scabious that I had seen on my walk up the hill.
I also saw toadstools on the edge of the wood beside the track. They appear in the header picture.
I got home after 3.8 miles of sheer enjoyment. You can pack a lot in to a short walk round Langholm.
There was time for a late cup of coffee and some shopping before I made a lentil and sweet pepper soup, well seasoned with chillis from the greenhouse for lunch.
There wasn't much time for a look at the birds today and there weren't many birds to see when I did look at them, just a chaffinch on Mrs Tootlepedal's fake tree...
...and a siskin wasting time shouting when it could have been eating.
I was keen to get out for a short ride on my bike, so I left the siskin to its bad behaviour and set off to go round my 20 miles Solwaybank loop. Sadly the sun had got overtaken by clouds and was only shining were I wasn't. When I was on Callister under a cloud, I could see it shining on the sea past the remains of Chapelcross power station on the shores of the Solway...
...and I really do mean shining on the Solway.
New turbines keep appearing at the Solwaybank Windfarm but I never actually see any action as I cycle past. It was the same today, so I cycled on and only stopped when I spotted a buzzard in a tree. With characteristic disdain, it waited until I had nearly got my camera in focus before it flapped lazily off, circling just above me while I twisted and turned in a vain attempt to get the camera refocussed in time. Uncharacteristically though, it perched on another tree a bit further away and let me take a picture.
I never got any real sunshine on my ride but I didn't get any rain, in spite of some serious looking clouds at times...
...so I wasn't complaining. Once you get to October, any dry and not too windy cycling day is a bonus.
And the sun did shine when I got home and had a walk round the garden. Mrs Tootlepedal and I have a different view of the garden at this time of year. She looks around, sighs, and sees all the things that are over or going over, and I look around, smile, and see all the things than I can still photograph.
And there is still quite a lot to see.
The reason for my short cycle ride was that I wanted to take Mrs Tootlepedal out for a drive. She was more than happy to come, and we decided to drive round a scenic route that I had cycled a few days ago and see the new windfarm at Crossdykes on our way.
The sun was out now and it was a lovely afternoon for a tour. When we got to the windfarm, it was a hive of activity. The first stage of the first tower has been erected...
...and we could another section of tower...
and one or possibly more blades waiting to be used.
We dawdled down the Esk valley back to Langholm and got there in nice time to start cooking our tea of salmon with the final courgette fritters of the year.
With a four mile walk, a twenty mile bike ride and a twenty five mile drive, I am pretty confident that I did a day of good weather justice. Oh, and I mowed the middle lawn while the soup was cooking.
The flying bird of the day is just a glimpse of that annoying buzzard when it was flying around me
