bottle

The Martians are having a laugh. They have developed a hate ray and are zapping planet earth. The results are plain to see. Hate on facebook - perfectly rational people losing the rag over petty, mundane, day to day stuff. I have to work hard to restrain myself from telling folk what I REALLY think. Others aren't working so hard. Hate in politics - we have all voted for the most hateful world leaders and policies in living memory. Well the Americans, the British, the North Koreans. Ok they probably didn't vote. Hate in religion - far too many people embracing versions of popular spirituality involving guns and pointing fingers. 

having a laugh

And why are the Martians doing this? Well I imagine it is because humans are planning trips to Mars and talking about settling there. Put yourself in their position. They see a bunch of a-holes messing up their own back yard. Then plan to emigrate. There goes the neighbourhood. Best give them something to occupy their time and maybe they will be too busy squabbling to build the necessary hardware for the journey. And it seems to be working

Meanwhile on the John Muir Way the wind is blowing too strongly again; making the lepidoptery photography challenging. I am trying to zoom in on a small tortoiseshell quite some distance away and feel a tickling on the back of my leg. I take a peep and it is a splendidly coloured green bottle. Isn't it funny how we value some insects more than others. Same for mammals. My mum has a rat visitor sharing the bread she puts out for the birds. If it was an otter there would be queues forming, tickets sold and fish being left on the lawn, but it is a rat and so, likely as not at some point we will be putting a plate of poison out as a welcome mat. Oh the injustice. 

there goes the neighbourhood

meanwhile isn't everything (else) looking nice in the garden?
(like a mental sorbet to unfurrow the brow)

Elsewhere the hate gun wreaks havoc.

So the council have closed the loos at Gullane over Easter weekend. Let's face it, no maintenance will be happening in there this weekend. Unless on triple time. So why choose this weekend? A cynic might suggest the additional custom at the Golf Hotel would benefit the owners to such an extent they would be inclined to reward the council member who came up with the idea. Or is that just the hate gun talking?

some of my favourite things come in green bottles

prime suspect for recent spate of toad murders revisits scene of crime

the stiff breeze brought this lot over from Fife
and we got a couple of light showers 

Mary stood on the partly submerged trailer and imagined she was riding a chariot

The sanderlings have seen us pass by so many times they probably have names for us. Same goes for the staff at Falko's and it is an ongoing project to find out (since we haven't been introduced) what the euphemism for the running couple who appear most Saturday afternoons is. (Probably: one white, one black, 2 scones.) 

new best friend

someone left a date on the beach

red tailed bumblebee