Wildlife & Fruit in the garden

Hooray, hooray the sun came out today and yesterday and it is warm at last, I can't remember such a dismal August, but September is usually super, touch wood! I picked my peaches yesterday, they are not too bad flavour wise and the apples are looking good. I built a very small pond at the end of May and it is amazing how all manners of creatures find their way to it.

All my guests staying last night managed to see the pipe band playing in the Wellmeadow which they thoroughly enjoyed, they play on a Thursday and/or a Saturday a couple of times a month in the summer. Hopefully I can get some pipe band photos next week as it is Braemar weekend and the Blairgowrie Highland Games on the Sunday.

Morgan Car

Guest's staying last night arrived in a beautiful Morgan car. They had been travelling around Scotland in it and were due to fly home today. I enquired about the car and they had hired it from the Thomson & Potter garage in Burrelton which is only 15/20 minutes from here on the A94 road.

Learn something new every day as I was totally unaware there was a Morgan dealership there and that you could hire out a Morgan car. Anyhow, have a look at http://www.morgansinscotland.co.uk/

Honda Goldwing

Had some more of these lovely bikes staying, or I should say their owners. My guests were off down to East Yorkshire to the 2008 British Treffin http://www.gwocgb.co.uk/ having had a tour round Scotland and previously Ireland. One of my children was delighted to get a seat on one.

Sorry, couldn't resist showing our haul of mushrooms today!

Vintage Motorcycles and Rugby

I have some guests staying who are attending the 34th annual Scottish National Assembly of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club. The club's base every year is at the J. J. Coupar Recreation Park, about a 10 minute walk away. As it turned out to be a glorious day I had a stroll over to watch the bikes coming back from a run out, and there is an opportunity to get up close to all the wonderful machines, also caught a rugby match going on as well.

Land's End - John O'Groats

Had a nice young couple staying last night who were cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats, at least it was dry today for their trip up the mountains to Braemar, as the weather for the time of year could be better to put it politely. Over the years I have had a number of people staying who are cycling this direction of the route (there are several variations for going North) either for charity or personal achievement or both and I have total admiration for anyone who undertakes this challenge, something to put on my 'to do' list, maybe!

http://www.ctc.org.uk/

Drimmie Wood

Had a lovely walk at Drimmie Wood this afternoon, one second it was bright warm sunshine the next torrential rain showers, so I got rather wet. At the start of the walk the heather is looking lovely and there are fantatic views, then you enter the wooded area, planted with spruce trees, before coming to part of the walk that follows old drove roads used hundreds of years ago to move cattle around. Dotted around the wood are wooden art sculptures made by a local group.