May 9th, 2016

Author: donich_admin

Summer arrives

I’ve not said so much about walking over the last couple of weeks.  Reason for this is that in a burst of middle aged enthusiasm I signed up for the Edinburgh Half-Marathon.  All went well for the first couple of weeks training, and then I was running back from Coran in a pair of barefoot running shoes when I twanged my heel.  This has taken ages to heal up and I must admit has turned me right off running – to be honest I’d rather be walking around the hills I love 100% of the time than running 50% and nursing injuries 50%.

Anyway, back in action now, and I realized tonight that although it was snowing two weeks ago, today summer has definitely arrived.  Many of the rhododendrons and azaleas are out, and the Hebe is scenting the air with its delicious fragrance.  My magnolia tree is also just breaking into flower.

Near the Goil Inn this morning, I noticed that the swallows and house martins are back and enjoying their dust baths in the dried up mud in the car park.

This afternoon, two huge red deer were grazing in the back garden – they seem to have lost a lot of their fear of us.

All is beautiful and serene, nature settles into her short warm drowse, and human residents of the Highlands prepare for the arrival of the summer enemy – the dreaded midgie.