lamm and cock

On Sunday Mary was in a Hitler-black mood. However a large high pressure over the whole country looked promising so I trod eggshells (as much as feasibly possible) and we ended up heading to the Lammermuirs for the short but scenic route round Hopes Reservoir and over Lammer Law. I christened the trip "the Great Snake Hunt episode 2", a sure way of jinxing any possibility of catching snakes sunbathing up the hills. When I say catching....

Iain and Janis during their 59mile ride.
Had to nearly run them down to get their attention!

After a couple miles of tarmac it is off-road and into the hills. The forecast had failed to spot the wall to wall blue skies all afternoon having predicted cloud cover with bright spells!

I had been thinking we would check out swimming potential but M was not inclined.

On the last Gt Snake Hunt, Steve and I failed to find any snakes although we did come across an entire shed skin about 15" long. Just after I took the photo above Mary stopped towards the top of the wee rise and called me to catch up quick. I belted up the climb to find the only (four-legged) snake of the day. You can find these lizards in the Pentlands as well but they are rare and I only see one or 2 a year. So a great find and they are super-cute. This one hadn't warmed up fully and although skittish it would stop long enough for a photo. I was reluctant to handle it as it looked like it had already grown back it's tail and I didn't want to risk further damage.

As we went round the next corner I was saying to Mary that there were a load of bee hives here on a previous occasion and that Graham H possibly knew who they belonged to. (Other than the bees.) And hey presto there they were getting the benefit of the wonderfully purple flowering heather all around. You can see at the edge of the photo Mary didn't hang about but I got in close for a couple of photos and the bees were really filling the sky and all doing that dance at their front doors letting others know where the good stuff was. It was buzzing!

Then onto the big sustained climb. I noticed M seemed to be attacking it well and she said afterwards it felt really good. Her mood was improving greatly. I was going to say it would be impossible to be here and not be delighted by the day but then I remembered a dour looking c-you-next-tuesday hiker who passed us just after the lizard incident, who struggled to find the courtesy to return our cheery hellos. I should have kicked his shins for him.

The surroundings were just fabulous and I was finding it hard to contain my enthusiasm, taking several hundred photos. Just as well I hadn't had a coffee or I might have transcended.

We normally take the right hand path here; the direct trail round the shoulder of the hill and back down to Blinkbonny Woods. However it was so pleasant we went left, up to Lammer Law summit.

Mary was holding the camera up portrait style (the legacy of the iPhone) and I suggested she use landscape instead (because it fits the format of the monitor/website that those of us not addicted to silly small hand-helds will use to view quality photos on) and she said so be it, producing the above photo of a beheaded tyrant. Very amusing.

small tortoiseshell wearing winter pyjamas

Mary's mood had improved to the point where I could risk cranking her up by flying alongside and taking photos of the shadows.

sprint down the last hill to the van

huge numbers of swifts/swallows/house martiny birds here

phew just as well he turned off that could have been arghhhh....

After squeezing past this combine we went to a cafe in Haddington for a snack. (I was looking at the full scottish breakfast and about to enquire if they did it all day when Mary ordered a scone and coffee and I felt I had to eat less than my own body weight in sausage, bacon, beans and chips etc. and reluctantly settled for a bacon and brie roll. Could have eaten about 5 of them.) Then we went down towards the coast for a swim. On the way, more harvesting deja vu. If you want to know what it would be like inside and right beside one of these giants while it is at work click here for Bruce Mathieson's excellent wee video.

So we drove down to Gullane with the wet suits in the back but never got swimming. Yes we were a bit bushed from the run but it was more the surroundings. We paid the £2 ticket at the car park but sat in the van unable to work up the enthusisam to go for a dip. Most off putting was the family of assorted lowlifes nearby who were peppering every sentence with f-words and when they eventually left (without wanting to sound too much like Panto Katie Hopkins, was one really called Chanelle?), they left a circle of litter round where their car had been. Irn Bru bottle, chip wrappers and pair of shoes. Scum.

We drove off disheatened. On the way home Mary opted for the coast road and I asked if we could pull in and do a photo shoot of Cockenzie before they blow it up. It was still blue skies and ideal for some photos. Mary got bored and returned to the car after 5 mins. I was there for half an hour trying to fit in the giant spectacle by doing panaoramic sweeps with the camera. There is a fence all the way round and security inside so you are limited. But given I will prob be busy on the 26th (2 Breweries hill race) it was good to get some close ups before it all comes down. The chimneys look as if they will fall relatively easily, but there is a massive amount of internal structure still in the turbine hall that I find hard to believe will be easily levelled with explosive charges. 

Icon or eyesore? 

Something Battersea Power station about this? 

For me the place is so iconic. I have been taking photos of the 2 chimneys for years now, sometimes filling the frame, sometimes as just a couple of blips in the background a long way down the coast, and it will be sad to see them gone. They are the 10 mile markers for coastal runs and can be seen easily from most points on the journeys we take along the coast. However, close up they are pretty ugly, albeit in a spectacularly industrial way. Last few weeks to appreciate them before they are gone and I enjoyed this opportunity to say goodbye, close up. 

Cockenzie Power Station
Opened 1967 (5 years younger than me!)
Decommissioned March 2013
Blown down midday Sept 26th 2015