Got through Halloween, as we are so remote and full of oldies up here we had not trouble from Trick or Treaters, if I came to the door they would most probably be more scared of me, so that was good. October certainly went out with a bang (soon be firework night) really heavy rains has flooded some of the low lying Perthshire areas, but as I have stated we are way above the river and safe from that sort of weather. November has started off with a windy but sunny day so let’s hope it stays that way.
1st.
We built a little patio area in front of the summerhouse with wood chip and edged with sawn down telegraph poles and this Autumn all these one species of mushroom have appeared. Not sure what type as there are loads of this type and colour in the book I have, but they really have spread across the tiny area from one side to the other. Brightened up the area no end.
2nd.
Went for a loooong walk up onto the moors opposite our house today and as I got out of the car at the nearest point to the walk, this beautiful fungi was beside the car. It goes by the Latin name of Melastiza Chateri and does not have a common name, though it is very like the Orange Peel mushroom. My intentions on the walk was to try and see some wildlife but the hills and moorland was devour of any and I ended up taking over thirty shots of old dead pine stumps which had taken on a beautiful colour with lichen growing on them, I won’t bore you with them but will put one below to show you what I mean.
3rd.
At last i can bring you a new bird, one of our winter visitors, though the shot is not brilliant as I took it through the double glazing of the lounge window.
The bird is in fact a Brambling, and, as was the case with this one, can often be seen within a flock of Chaffinches. They are very similar to Chaffinches and can be hard to pick out within the flock but this one was only amongst six others so stood out a fair bit, but as a comparison I have put an old shot of a male Chaffinch so you can compare. Basically it is just that darker head and back that shows the difference.
4th.
The second shot I have shown you before the wonderful sunsets we have, so that is not the real shot for today just to show you that apart from it being very cold all day (a northerly wind) it has been a very bright and beautiful sunny day from start to finish. The first shot is what we had on getting up this morning, a most unusual sunrise making the red clouds very attractive in their layered form. Normally I would quote the old saying about red sky in the morning shepherds warning, but I think any shepherd would have loved being out in the crisp autumn air today, certainly beats rain.
5th.
Went for a walk down to the Castle today and got under this magnificent Beech tree and looked up to this sea of gold and just had to photograph it. When I got it up on the computer screen I had the thought what a wonderful jigsaw it would make, say 5000 pieces, might end up as a Christmas present for somebody. There I have said it CHRISTMAS, not long now.
6th.
A late entry in the fungus shots, as most of them are starting to go over as we get this cold snap at present, but this collection is just through the ground and is still producing more shoots. Nearly a fairies circle but definitely spreading outward. I think it is called The White Coral Fungus and it certainly does look like a dead piece of coral and the book says it is edible, but there are so many that look similar that I will not take a chance with this one.
7th.
On a forum I follow I posted this with the title “Beauty in Decay” and that is how I feel about plants that die off in Autumn. Not sure what plant it was or if when in bloom it was attractive, but but just look how structural it looks now that it is dead. Also for those with keen eyes (or you can enlarge the shot) you will notice a very small green insect on the right hand curved leaf, so even though it appears totally dead it is still providing life for another creature.
8th
Been a busy day today and have had to grab a shot when it is nearly dark and wow what a boring shot it is. Well initially I intended to show you the smoke from our wood burner was coming straight down to ground level which would indicate that the air was cold and forcing it groundward, but when I got outside it was burning fine. So instead I will explain the Scottish saying of “lang may your lum reek” . Which is literally “long may your Chimney (lum) smoke (reek). Which in turn meant that the house was warm and a happy place, as the family had enough money to buy coal to keep the fire going.
9th.
This is my annual pilgrimage to the Garry Bridge to take the most photographed shot in the area of the beautiful Autumn colours. The first shot looking North and the next South, both stunning in the morning light of what is a lovely, mild, Autumnal day.
10th.
Not a bird you see in your garden everyday, a Herring Gull, that is because we decided not to spend what was a sunny day here in Perthshire at home and drive 100 miles over to Oban on the West coast, a place we know well and normally worth the trip.
We got to about Tyndrum our halfway spot and nit started to rain, by the time we reached Oban it was a horrid day real heavy showers, which if we were in a restaurant having our lunch or browsing in shops it would be sunny and as we stepped out it poured down. Never the less we had a good day, even though I feel the town is looking a bit run down with plenty of vacant shops and the others looking like they could do with a paint job. Presumably the weather has a lot to do with the paintwork as it can blow a gale in Oban on a calm day elsewhere. We did have a day out though and I love the drive especially this time of the year .Below is the ferry arriving in from Mull.
11th.
Went for a walk up the hill, with my camera (of course), mainly looking for a shot for today when we heard the distant rumble of aircraft. Turns out it was two (I believe) Hercules flying at the same level as us, both without a single identification mark on them, so I do not know if they were British or not. The first shot is the first plane which was a bit higher than the second, which as you can see from the next two shots was fairly low to the top of the hill above us and as you can see, eventually went below the hill. I was rather annoyed that I did not get the whole plane in the last shot, but I think it portrays how low it was. Made my day.
12th.
Not Christmas yet but nature is giving us a little light show in the Birch trees with droplets of rain hanging where the leaves used to be . The only thing missing is a wee gap in the clouds to let the sunshine on them and it would look like crystals, as it is they look smashing so must not complain, especially as it is so mild at the moment.
13th.
A major event that has been missing from the village for a couple of years due to COVID has been the Saltire Classic Car rally. A rally organised and sponsored by our village garage, where the rally starts and finishes at. Taking in the local area with time and skill tasks at various places along the route. This year forty cars from the Saltire Classic Car Club took part and though I only went down to the start everyone seemed really up for a good day out with a wide range of different classic cars taking part. As they were going out at two minute intervals I just took a few shots of the first ten cars and have put just three on here all of which I would think you would recognise.
14th.
As our son is up for a few days with us and it is his birthday we had the day out, firstly a visit to Loch Kinnordy near Kirriemuir, which is a RSPB Nature Reserve. Only a small reserve but teaming with waterfowl , Pochard, Golden Eye, Whooper Swans ,Tufted Duck and a few more. But the thing that intrigued me was the fact that since our last visit eight months ago the Beaver seems to have arrived, with a fair few small trees chopped down. Above are two examples of their work, firstly showing an easy tree for them but it is resting on the canopy above, so when it got to this stage I think it saw what was happening and just gave up. The second shot shows a much more complicated stem that I think is work in progress. But what power in those teeth to even attempt it.
15th.
Title for todays shot has to be “Men at Work”, these two in a couple of days have taken down what remained of an old section of fencing around the old pheasant wood and are nearly don e replacing it with a new one. If you zoom in you can see that this is them putting the wire onto the new posts, glad it is only a small stock fence as this rewilding wood is a popular haunt for the Roe Deer and they will easily jump this fence. At the same time it will stop the sheep and cattle, that since they have removed the mature trees, have loved wandering through. Already this Summer we saw new shrubs and plants growing in the thicket, so hopefully now nature will advance within the fence.