holidays are over

OK the holidays are over and it's a return to work. Well almost. Managed to get a couple of runs in while transitioning from holiday to work. Just before we went north my PC went south. It had been unwell for some time and holding on by it's fingertips. Then I got the blue screens of death and it flipped off one final time. The repair shop (after reading the label on the side saying "Vista") said buy a new one. Much as I hate to toss it onto the dead tech mountain I am taking advice and looking to buy a reconditioned machine.

There's a lot of ladybirds about at the moment. If you get close enough you can get a selfie off their shiny backs.

overseas visitors trying out the 7 Hills recce

Wednesday: I planned to be at work but took time out to fix my PC. Or rather, after the repair shop said buy a new one, we went to Gullane to run on the beach. Mary has kindly lent me her laptop, although it doesn't have photoshop, so the photos may look less refined than usual.

reflection selfies

my enthusiasm for wildlife probably runs thin at mating flies

fraction too slow to get that bird perching moment

This is not the first time I have accidentally disfigured Mary with gooseberries.

She suspects it is deliberate.

how many moths?

We hung about the Speckled Wood clearing but none were landing (perching) on the ground or lower branches. We could see loads flying about the higher branches but suspect the sun wasn't warm enough for them to land within reach.

this handsome lemon spider strayed out of focus

Mary sang songs about lemon spiders.

fritillary caterpillar

The tide was low so we ran along the sand towards Archerfields messing about in rockpools. There were a number of homophones about: from frogs-pond (and frogspawned) to rock pulls. I was trying to do the visual equivalent with silhouettes and reflections, matching facial contours with shapes under the water.

a throstle!

now with photoshop I could clone out that extra bit of petal bottom left (sad emoji.)

So this deer ambles out the tree cover just as we are going past. It was really close and I hurried (panicked!) to get some pics. I get home and what is it doing with it's neck looking on back to front. FAIL. Dammit. 

I had left the house thinking it was near perfect butterfly weather - warm, a little bit sunny and next to no wind. But nobody told the butterflies and there were very few about and those weren't settling. I had just about given in and was getting prepared for the obligatory fast last mile back up the road to Gullane when this Speckled Wood landed nearby. It seemed to be more hairy and deeper dark brown than the ones I had "got" in the woods near the beach. I was v pleased. The butterfly bible says they come in different shades, and Summer versions can be darker than Spring.

But where are the fritillaries? Just checked and that caterpillar which Mary spotted was in all likely-hood a deep green fritillary in the making. Hopefully a few about soon.