timber galore

planks for the memory

So the Frisian Lady spilled tons of timber which has washed up between Eyemouth and St Andrews. The coast along East Lothian is comprehensively littered with loads of these planks. And nobody seems to be addressing it. I hope the owners of the Frisian Lady are being suitably fined. Thankfully it is timber and biodegradable (and usable) and not oil or anything toxic. It is quite tempting to go down the beaches with woodworking tools and make something with all the raw material there. There are various structures appearing but nobody has made a boardwalk or anything remotely impressive yet. Quite nice timber as well and now has a corners-knocked-off weathered feel to it. The police are saying, well who cares what the police and coastguard are advising; they are doing f-all and their advice is fatuous. If I had a wood burning stove and lived near the coast I know what I'd be doing.

So Saturday was looking to be lovely weather. Still suffering from a sore throat and cold I opted not to do the fabulous Alternative John Muir Way organised by Keith Burns, and instead have an easy handful of miles round the Gullane circuit with Mary. There was also that smoggy, noisy, overcrowded, over-rated marathon down south somewhere for people who prefer fumes and the proximity of other runners (dressed as star wars characters) to scenery, all jostling together. But there is no accounting for taste.

Now how did that snail get in there? Also, spot the spider.

Thee was a lot of waterlogged ground at Aberlady.

next 3 photos thanks to Mary

mirage weather

I had been hoping Aberlady would be awash with butterflies. The temperature was certainly high enough and I assumed the sunshine would bring them all out. However, apart from a lone singleton whizzing by on the breeze over the JMW and not pausing for a photo, there was nothing. Nada. I was vocal about my disappointment and got a telling off from Mary about complaining on such a lovely day. I huffed around, feeling a bit hacked off. (You can't move on Facebook for the amount of butterfly photos being posted.) The only wildlife visible were some saggy arsed naturists selling their wares in the dunes at Aberlady. If you've ever walked through there in shorts you'll have been inconvenienced by the sharp stabby grasses. It REALLY is not a place that lends itself to disrobing. Why these old, physically repellent specimens need to expose themselves here is beyond me. It's good to have a hobby but Scotland does not have the climate for this, and nobody wants to see old flabby dudes in the altogether.

Mary recently bought another wetsuit. Just a shorty this time and I think it was on sale under £30. I had my wetsuit along as well but when it came time to embrace the cold waters I just didn't have the enthusiasm. So I left Mary to it and ran back up the hill to find a couple of Small Tortoiseshell which almost saved the day.

Mary reported the water was cold but not intolerable.
She was in for a handful of minutes then back out again.

deer

I presume it was the male following the female. Both sexes are visually identical. He would follow her in the air and then land close by and shuffle in even closer. I couldn't hear if he was singing any romantic songs or just reading over her shoulder. I really love the colour of their wings especially the blue heart shapes on the trailing edge of the hindwing. They are one of the most common butterflies and one of the most widespread throughout the UK, but that does not detract from the buzz I get from seeing and taking photos of them.