Loch Rannoch I - The Animals

Stayed for a week in a farm cottage half way along Loch Rannoch. The farm animals were doing a very good impersonisation of pets. The ducks swam in circles on their wee pond pretending to be afraid of me while arguing with each other.

The cockerel was very proud.

The Jacob's sheep were a bit Celtic looking, with some woad-like horn painting.

In the fields by the loch, wild geese were finishing their evening meal. Rather than fly and waste energy as I tried to sneak up quietly, they just sidled away. Invariably keeping one eye on me and one eye on where they were going. A mixture of Canada geese and Greylag.

This guy was crossing the road when I almost flattened it with the bike. Colourful, but painfully shy.

This pheasant was yet another camera shy potential dinner. Every time I tried to focus he skittered away another couple of feet further into the dim trees with me clambering, slipping and sliding up the bank. I need a much longer, faster lens.

A little extra Fitness but less Motivation

Another morning of sleazy politicians on the radio each claiming that things would be whiter than white tomorrow. If I hear David Cameron again, I may puke. However, the sun was shining and it's that time of year when I can sit on the living room floor in a sliver of sunshine to eat breakfast - luxury.

Couple of hours in the Hub garden, pulling up weeds and hoeing in the hot sun. According to the radio, last year I was shovelling snow this week. Instead, I was sweaty in shorts and t-shirt. Lunch by the pond with a book and I was trying to tell myself that I would really enjoy going out on the bike. Eventually motivation was generated.

Glentress was relegated to a cooler day (with more motivation) as I decided to go round the Meldons block - anticlockwise this time to try to get some different photos. The aim:  to be a bit faster this time.

The two Meldons

More than two sheep

I definitely need a training partner to tell me when to watch the birdie. Or maybe I was just knackered.

Some sort of success with the photos as at least one was 'to the right', but to get the manual settings to produce that, I had to increase the exposure to f20 which showed up the smears on sensor [reminder: get this fixed]. Wobbled up the final uphill and back to a cup of tea and a home made biscuit. I'm fairly sure that anticlockwise has more uphill.

Pedal for Happiness