purplerabbits

I am in work today and feeling OK, mostly, if slightly - I dunno - odd? Detached? I dunno what to expect at this point, so I'm not too worried by not feeling what I expect, and I've never been too bothered by what other people expect, which is a win.

On balance then, it was a good thing I didn't get my act together to go to Lughnassadh, though it looks as if people had an ace time. Not going meant that I was there for my mum when she called, and also when ducklofty called to invite me on a birdwatching trip on Sunday.

So instead of Tyningham I went with Jon and Alex and Hamish and Hamish's kid wee Alex to the Grey Mare's Tail near Moffat. I freely admit that had I know where I was going and looked it up ahead of time I would have baulked at the climb, but I had my walking stick and took it at my own pace and we were handily slowed down by having a two-year-old with us. I am still very proud of making it from the carpark to Loch Skeen and back, though, (4km each way, with a total climb of around 300 metres according to NTS). I am also very happy that the knee seems comfortable today (thanks to Alex for letting me have the front seat of the car on the way back so I could keep it at its preferred 120° angle.)

We didn't see Ring Ouzels, sadly, which was the official aim of the day, but I we did get a good view of the peregrines which nest by the fall, and I saw Stonechats, which was a new one for me - also plenty of larks and meadow pipits and pied wagtails (Hamish reckons National trust properties get set up with a breeding pair of wagtails as part of the deal.) So I was very happy with the day (and it was good to be able to geek with another birdwatcher.)

Then yesterday work told me not to come in, and being obedient like that, I didn't, but decided to do one of my 101 things and walk out of town (doing Grey Mare's tail having obviously gone to my head.) I set off at 10am with some randomly assembled food and a litre of water and went down the canal as far as Slateford before cutting off at the community woodland by Redhall Park onto the old Balerno railway line. This goes to the Water of Leith avoiding the very windy bits in Colinton Dell. I took it easy and occasionally stopped to eat and sit around and got to Balerno at 3pm (I know eight miles in five hours isn't exactly exertion, but I don't care.) I visited Malleny Gardens at Balerno, mostly because I like to think I have a destination in mind for a long walk. They were pleasant, but I'm not a gardener, so some of it's wasted on me except as a quiet sunny place to sit and rest my feet.

Then in a somewhat foolish way I walked through the Gardens and took the back road behind the Water of Leith to Currie. Yes, it's in the country, which made me feel that I had really and truly got out of town, but it also reminded me that a lot of country is stony dusty tracks between fields that go on for ages. It was good to see skylarks in the corn, though.

And then I got a bus. It seemed like a good idea.