Thursday, 28 February 2008

Royal Observatory, Edinburgh

Power sky!

Harrison Arch

Detail

Harrison Arch Edinburgh

Front in the early morning sun

Wednesday, 27 February 2008

Seat of the Gods, Blackford Hill

Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh

Just weird!

Crocuses

A touch of colour half way up Blackford Hill

Harrison Arch, Edinburgh

The wandering photographer escaped from work!

Sunday, 24 February 2008

Cap Law Hill, Pentland Hills


Cap Law Hill, Pentland Hills

Looking toward the Moorfoot Hills in the far distance.

South Black Hill (on the left) Cap Law Hill (right), Pentland Hills


Scald Law and South Black Hill from the Font Stone, Pentland Hills

The wandering photographer went for a run up the hills despite the blue skies there was a strong biting cold wind - in other words... it was freezing!

Saturday, 23 February 2008

Newlands Kirk

Winged soul of the deceased rising to heaven

Newlands Kirk

Decomposed tree

Newlands Kirk

Clinging on

Newlands Kirk

Gate out

Newlands Kirk


Highland Cattle

Hielan Coo and calf

Highland cattle

Hielan Coo and calf

Highland Cattle

Hielan Coo

Tuesday, 19 February 2008

Late evening light


Sunset on Auchencorth Moss

After another day the sky lights up

Lamb

First lambs... spring is here!

They are challenging beasties to photograph... they won't stay still - pinging around all over the place!

Solitary tree

I could tell, this tree was waiting to be photographed

Manor Valley, Scottish Borders

Green trees, brown trees

Manor Valley, Scottish Borders. Larch trees

Monday afternoon and an exotic location deep in the Border Hills

Castlelaw Hill Fort and Turnhouse Hill

The day is looking good!

Carnethy Hill, Pentland Hills

Taken from the summit, looking to South Black Hill and Scald Law, the latter is the highest point on the Pentland Hills!

Pentland Hills to the south west

The hills in the middle distance are where the WP was yesterday

On top of the world... well South Black Hill anyway


Looking south from the slopes of South Black Hill

The wandering photographer has climbed halfway up the hill... he stops for a breather... I mean to take a photograph!

Another view across to the Moorfoot Hills in the far distance


Silverburn

The village of Silverburn looking chilly

Looking from the Pentland Hills to the Moorfoot Hills, Auchencorth Moss between

When the air is still, cold air sinks to the lower ground, the moor between the hills is -6C. On the hillsides it is only -3C! Warmer climes indeed!

Silverburn

A tree at the foot of the Pentland Hills. Hmmm not as frozen here.. is it slightly warmer? - yes! The clever wandering photographer knows his patch!

Near Carlops

Still freezing!

Auchencorth Moss

The inhabitants were decidedly chilly... and so was the wandering photographer! He decided to travel to a warmer clime!

Auchencorth Moss

Overnight the sky was clear, by Monday morning it was down to -6C.

Monday, 18 February 2008

Watching tree


Misty moss


Mystical morning


Windblown

Monday morning was cold but magnificent. The wandering photographer went upon high.

Sunday, 17 February 2008

Sunday afternoon ripples XII


Sunday afternoon ripples XI


Sunday afternoon ripples X


Sunday afternoon ripples IX


Sunday afternoon ripples VIII


Sunday afternoon ripples VII


Sunday afternoon ripples VI


Sunday afternoon ripples V


Sunday afternoon ripples IV




Sunday afternoon ripples III


Sunday afternoon ripples II


Sunday afternoon ripples


Low tide in the harbour


Four feet?


Flotsam

Washed up above high tide mark by a storm

Seaweed


Present and fossilized ripples

This image is special. In the one image you can see ripples forming today AND similar ripples that formed 300 Million Years ago and are now fossilized as hard rock.

300 Million year old ripples - now fossilized


Both of these formed 300 million years ago under the same processes that are forming the modern ripples today... 'The present is the key to the past' ....Charles Lyell

The flight of the Heron

The trip ended with this omen for the wandering photographer... time for lunch!


Looking back to Scald Law

After the jog over and down Carnethy in typical bleak conditions... the sun started to come out...!

Carnethy from Scald Law

Scald Law is the highest point on the Pentland Hills, Carnethy which is next highest is a quick jog away

East and West Kip


Cairn, South Black Hill

Useful to keep out the cold wind

Auchencorth Moss

The wandering photographer exerted himself this morning and climbed the Pentland Hills. A spectacular effort for a bleak image from the summit of South Black Hill looking down towards Auchencorth Moss in the distance

Saturday, 16 February 2008

Statue of a Druid, Penicuik House

Oh no! Its that wandering photographer again... !

Statue of a Druid, Penicuik House

Well, I've been standing here a long time and I still can't think what I was going to say!

Penicuik Estate ha-ha


Penicuik Estate

Deep into the woods

Penicuik Low Pond

Elegant swan bottom-feeding

Penicuik Estate

Ancient and gnarled moss-covered tree roots washed by the burn

Penicuik Estate

Primaeval landscape deep into the woods

Old stump

Tiny bit of life still in there

Frosty side


Auchencorth Moss

Tree branching out over the moor

Auchencorth Moss

Local inhabitants of the moor feeling warmer than the wandering photographer!

Frosty dry stone wall


Frosty gorse


Auchencorth Moss

Fresh frosty morning with a hint of cold haze

Auchencorth Moss

Return to frosty moor

Friday, 15 February 2008

Pentland Hills

Light receding

Auchencorth Moss

Sundown

Auchencorth Moss

Strange tower

Auchencorth sunset

The end of friday... almost

Wednesday, 13 February 2008

Auchencorth Moss

End of the day - with great relief as planning permission to build a huge wind farm on this site was turned down by Midlothian Council. To see what it would have looked like http://www.auchencorth.org.uk/news.html ... it would have been somewhat limiting for the wandering photographer!

Auchencorth Moss

On the way home

Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill

Needed wider angle... and longer lunchtime!

Salisbury Craigs and Arthur's Seat from Blackford Hill


Blackford Hill

Super sky!

Blackford Hill

After the pond, Blackford Hill

Blackford Pond, Edinburgh

A wow sky today!

Blackford Pond

Reflections at lunchtime

Tuesday, 12 February 2008

The Eildon Hills

Once again another day draws to a close

Smailholm Tower

Sunny side

Smailholm Tower

Reflections

Snowdrop wood


Snowdrop wood


Hundy Mundy Wood VI

Hedge?

Hundy Mundy Wood V

Long shadows

Hundy Mundy Wood IV

Hundy Mundy Folly

Hundy Mundy Wood III

A tree at the end of the tunnel

Hundy Mundy Wood II

Cathedral of trees

Hundy Mundy Wood


Gift from nature


Snowdrops... spring on the way?


Lichen on tombstone


Monday, 11 February 2008

Passion fading


Night sky


Sign in the sky

Omen for good

Haar edge

People down there see nothing but haar

Haar

Mystical

Haar

Magical

Haar sea


Haar

Today was cold and the Haar was down

Sunday, 10 February 2008

Talla

The day draws to a close. The low sun casts the valley into deep shadow, the temperature drops... time to go home...

River Tweed


River Tweed

Above the falls the trees are encrusted with moss

River Tweed

Sparkling rapids

River Tweed

River Tweed in its upper course

Scottish Borders

Deep in the Southern Uplands there was great clarity

Scottish Borders

In front of the advancing haar

Sunday afternoon

A cold damp haar rolled in across the moor from the sea. The sun strained to be seen

Sunday morning

Good fit

Sunday morning

Light

Sunday morning

Wall rock

Sunday morning

Ok, Ok... one more!

Sunday morning

Storm damage

Sunday morning

Forever active, the farmer moved the sheep - they trailed through the wood staring at the wandering photographer as they passed onto the open moor

Sunday morning

Sunny side

Sunday morning

OK, one more!

Sunday morning

The shadows were long

Sunday morning

The low sun cast great shadows

Sunday morning

The low sun picked out the old wall and tree debris

Sunday morning

There was an ancient stone wall amongst the ancient trees

Sunday morning

Layers

Sunday morning

This morning I wandered into a wood I had passed many times but never entered...

Saturday, 9 February 2008

North Berwick town at night

A great end to a day of wandering!



Harbour night

This was a long exposure six seconds, so there was some movement of the boats due to the swell

Sunset


Birds rock




West Bay, North Berwick


Tranquil harbour

Harbour wall, North Berwick

Colourful rocks

Harbour wall, North Berwick


Rusty rings


Rusty eye


Winter almost over


Stone wall


Old fence post

Old gatepost

Forest dweller


Passage of time


Moor morning


Friday, 8 February 2008

Essence of starling


Swirling starlings


Swirling sea of starlings sent spinning skywards...


Thursday, 7 February 2008

Thursday evening light


Thursday evening storm


Wednesday, 6 February 2008

Darkness falls


End of the day


Monday, 4 February 2008

Storm light


Closer storm clouds...

Almost time for the wandering photographer to escape!

Distant storm clouds


Slates


Line of houses


A bright day in Edinburgh


Allotments


Sunday, 3 February 2008

Old stone wall at the lime kilns

The stone is well weathered.

Lime kilns

The two kilns. The ground in between has been quarried for the limestone.

Lime kiln, the second kiln

By this time it was raining. It was very windy and the rain was quite horizontal!

Detail of the building stone in the lime kiln


Lime kiln

A few miles on the back road are some old lime kilns. This is one of them. Yesterday's snow has gone completely!

Lunchtime visitor

Male chaffinch

Saturday, 2 February 2008

Seeing the light

'Light comes to us unexpectedly and obliquely'

Friday, 1 February 2008

Auchencorth Moss

The wandering photographer had frozen fingers this evening