sunset and moonrise on the airport run

Mary is a morning person. Normally she would avoid an evening run however she noticed the full moon was rising, the sun setting and Cramond Island becoming accessible all within minutes, just after 6pm. And the weather might just be optimum. If we did the airport run setting off an hour before, the rewards might justify hanging around at home all day. 

I am more of a night owl, so my tail was wagging like fury, (if an owl's tail wags), and I suspect I was a bit psycho-hyper after a coffee or 2 out the newish percolator, if the photos are anything to go by. I took a couple of slices of bread for the duckies at the estuary but it was Baltic when we jumped out the car at the Cramond Inn so there was no chance M would entertain this on the way out and by the time we had done the circuit it was far too dusk on the return. Next time duckies!

hmmm the council have closed this route we'd better turn round

turn around the fence more like

then elegantly straddle the other end

look I am a qualified pretengineer and this looks fine to me

(no idea why the council re-opened this, then shut it down, it really does look solid after the fix)

We crossed the Almond at the Cramond Brig then turned left before the hotel, going under the motorway bridge and up the North side of the river, crossing at the Grotto Bridge, then following the delightful riverside trails up to the airport boundary. Running towards the low sun in the trees made for lens flares and orange lit pics. Mary kept a steady pace while I stopped to take photos then raced to catch up. My caffeine legs felt zippy for the first time since the housemaids knee.

One of the few bits of graffiti I actually like.

Well done Jokey/Joker/Josey/Jopey/Dopey/Doper/Joyer/Josef/Popey/Poser/Roger...

pigpen

love a backlit bush

I think this is a goosander

If you want to see something scary google goosander teeth

Too lazy? I've put the link there for you. Worth a peek!

new beanie!

mental age slightly increased today

full psycho mode

I was hurrying to catch Mary before she turned left down Nether Lennie

and this weirdness came out. Some interesting light about. (This road features in the CAAC 5.)

sundown

moonup

So we were running down the Almond and realised it was about 6.07pm and the moon would be appearing anytime soon. Mary upped the pace saying she would get there (the view being blocked to the East) before me and she would see it first, it was hers and I wasn't to steal it. I remarked that she was flaunting her generous nature again. Then stole her moon and posted it on facebook. 

After 5 mins standing around watching the moon rise and taking pics we got very cold and shivered back to the car. It was nice to get the best weather of the day and to be running in different conditions for a change. Don't think M was convinced and it wasn't really hanging-about-feeding-the-gulls weather. However a few Carnethies have been doing headtorch things and I am tempted to get involved. You don't get long distance landscape photos but it can be quite fun / spooky / adventurous.

We were not tempted in the least by the prospect of walking/running out to Cramond Island. Although we spent quite a time discussing a bivvy out there, and fighting off the giant rats to see who gets inside your sleeping bag. Fun for another day.

it's all kicking off!

By which I mean SPRINGTIME! The toads have appeared from their winter dugouts and are going at it like there IS a tomorrow. The birds are singing. The sea looks almost inviting and the air is warm. Was it just freshly ground beans from Falko's or was it the first day of Spring? The toads certainly thought so. And there was a handful of them heading towards Marl Lochan for their annual festival of debauchery.

them again

Now this chap caused a little stir on facebook. While it is sad he was lying by the road recovering from a pretty nasty incident with a car (I imagine), getting close up reveals the subtle but radiant plumage you don't always appreciate from the other end of the garden. (Some birds at this time of the year will be wearing breeding plumage and it may be that.) In fact folk who know their birds, were having doubts about this even being a commonplace chaffinch just because it was so glorious. Due to this I couldn't put it back on the pavement and (although I wanted to take it home and put it on the mantlepiece) placed it in the hedge off the ground. Where it did not look right either.

in it's natural habitat!

But after a short recovery nap it felt like a different bird...

the water was high but still

carnage!

After spotting the first toad on the approach to Marl Loch we stopped there for a gander. Couldn't see any more except for these 2 which were both missing their hind legs. I'm thinking a heron, maybe a French heron is the culprit. If you look closely you can see a leech as well, yucko! Meanwhile Mary had spotted this couple (below) who were taking a time out and were very well camouflaged in the grasses.

The warm still air and broken sunshine was very cheering and Mary was putting in a fair bit of sprinting. She has been running much better all of a sudden and enjoying raising the pace out on her weekly runs. She spent far more time ahead of me than usual while I was messing about taking photos. But then we would both stop and get absorbed with sea shells or rock pools. For once the weather was encouraging rather than finding 5 minutes later you had to get going before catching your death. 

them again

maximum speed or mental age?

the sun came out and it was just splendid

It was all so marvellous that when we got back to Gullane we extended the run over through the woods and back along the shoreline. In the small pond inshore there was a ton of frogspawn. 

The photo above was taken just before returning to Gullane Bay, which would be out of shot to the left. The outcrop of rock is Gullane Point and the distant hills the Pentlands with the Kips showing in the dip. From where Mary is to the Kips is 24miles as the crow flies.

flying!

Very delightful run, (9miles) not only for all the flora and fauna and milder weather, but the promise of longer days, sunshine and the whole Spring and Summer ahead. FAB!