nearly but not quite

18/03/20 Every time we went running on a sunny day in March I'd look out for early outlier butterflies. I'm sure it drove Mary nuts. I felt there could be one or 2. Nearly but not quite. It was also getting towards lockdown. Nearly but not quite. We considered ourselves fortunate as some European countries began to do serious lockdowns involving none of the luxury of being able to get out and exercise every day. 

important news

However some of the advice was NOT bordering on the profound. This (in the famous public loos at Gullane) above, for folks who have forgotten how to wash their hands. Far more useful (before the toilets closed full time for the foreseeable) would have been a pictorial on how to get back out the hefty swing door without touching the handle with your freshly washly hands. (Do not throw away your hand drying towel (or employ toilet roll,) and use to open door by handle, then dispose in bin before allowing door to swing closed behind.)

free; the Aberlady 11

wigeon

19th March seems to be the date most years for the mass toad migration and orgy at Marl Loch and elsewhere. Tends to be the first properly warm day of the year. Might have been a day or 2 early this year as we saw either some residue of the party or it just getting underway. 

I had put my sore i.t. bands down to running in shoes that had lost their bounce. I timed the buying of 2 new pairs at Run-4-It well as pretty much everything closed a day or 2 later. Run-4-It is not my favourite shop but they were one of the few places in the world (incl. online) who had a moderately coloured pair of Speedgoat 3s and the (above) less moderately coloured Speedgoat 4s. Both seem great so far though I prefer the less brightly coloured ones as these scare the wildlife more.

quite glad I don't have to go in the water to practise my sport

or keep a horse

There were some lovely things about and it was great to see the sunshine after a long grey dull winter. But I couldn't help thinking these blossom branches would look better for having a butterfly or 2 on them!