Beck's Burn Diversion and Problems

On a visit to The Becks Burn today Charlie and I saw for ourselves the problem created by recent floods. The bridge is due to be repaired soon as it is in a dire state, but now the burn had made itself a diversion, that at the moment leads nowhere but it is causing a marshy area and could eventually join the burn further down and create an island. On this photo you can see the new stream at the top left of the photo and the bridge to the right of the centre of the photo. Walkers now have to cross on stepping stones to get across the new stream.

Near the wee tree stump is where walkers have to cross the new diversion.

looking from higher up this is the area where all the water is flowing and I think it will eventually join up with The Beck's Burn a few yards further down creating an island.

The old bridge due to be repaired soon. Hopefully there will still be a burn going under it, but water is such a powerful element you never know what the next flood might bring and it could use the new diversion and eventually this bridge might be useless. There is such a lot of gravel in the burn and it just depends on how it reacts in the next flood.

 

Our Silver Birch Gets Pruned

 

For many years I have had people knocking on our door offering to prune our Silver Birch tree and at many different prices.Last autumn a local tree surgeon gave me a good price and said he would do the job when it had no leaves on. This was done today and it’s had a good prune. This was just before he started.

You need to have a good head for heights to do this job.

He gets very high up and spent nearly 4 hours in the tree.

There is a lot of shredding to be done tomorrow when they come back.

The pruning finished.

The Ponds are a Great Place to Sit for a While

Normally most of my photos locally are taken in the morning when I go my daily walk. I did my walk as usual this morning but it was such a lovely day I decided to drive down to the Ponds at the lower end of The Tarras Valley Nature Reserve. The light was just perfect, although it was quite cold. There are 2 lovely seats there created by local furniture maker Daniel Lacey so I sat on them for about 40 minutes and enjoyed the views. At the top pond a pair of Dippers flitted past me now and again, but never stopped anywhere for long. 

I never tire of visiting these ponds and soon they will be full of life and the banks will be a mass of wild flowers

The reflections of the trees on the farthest away pond were just magical

 

My Favourite Photos of 2025

January 2025 and our Grandson Elliot enjoying life at Bear Valley Ski Resort in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. All the American Graham family love their skiing.

22nd January and a meeting of the Last of the Summer Wine Walkers at Stow

Early February and Fraser is featured in a News Release by GM. https://news.gm.com/home.detail.html/Pages/topic/us/en/2025/feb/0210-graham.html

One of the new ponds created on The Tarras Valley Nature Reserve. This area became one of my favourite places in 2025 and hardly a month went by when I didn't visit them. They should be spectacular in spring 2026.

This is a Joshua Tree in The Joshua Tree National Park visited by Fraser and family in February 2025

Gaye's friends Margaret and Sandra on our annual lunch at Moreland near Penrith

March 2025 and a walk at Westerhall with John and Sandria

Early April and the American Grahams arrive for a week on the Northumberland coast at Seahouses. This is Elliot and Eleanor at Cragside in front of Gilnockie Tower

The Graham family before a kayaking expedition at Amble

Eleanor & Elliot at Bamburgh Castle

and their late Granny Sidne on the same throne several years earlier

Dinner in Newcastle with the family. Tommy was still in USA on a school trip and Hannah was in The Netherlands at University

Another get together of the Last of the Summer Wine Walkers at Gattonside near Melrose

May and a day trip to the Nith at Glencaple

June and Fraser, Elliot and Tommy are on a raft expedition on Middle Fork American River. Some of the rapids were spectacular and on one fast part of the river only Tommy stayed in the raft.

end June and Mario, Fiona and Leo are near Whitley Bay

July and the Last of the Summer Wine Walkers have our wettest ever walk at Joppa in Edinburgh

While the next day Mike and Charlie and myself have a lovely walk in Langholm

Gaye on South Pier in Blackpool in July

Leo in middle row in the blue T shirt on a school trip to China

Most days I walk past Alison Hutton's garden and its always a pleasure to see what is in bloom. This particular July day it was as spectacular as any time I have seen it. 

Summer Fair night and the bands playing Highland Cathedral in the market place 

Hannah and Leo enjoying a walk on The Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in August

Fiona and family with Mum and Dad in August

The Tree of the Year 2021 at Kippford and another Last of the Summer wine walkers get together

September and the Ponds on Lower Tarras Valley Nature Reserve are looking much better now

Another last of the summer Wine get together at Kelso

A spectacular autumnal view of a tree in Wilton Park, Hawick

October and a day out with my ex employees and friend Charlie at St. James Park Newcastle

End November and one of the TVNR Highland Coos

The TVNR Lakeland Fell Ponies in December

The final walk of 2025 with The Last of the Summer Wine Walkers at Tweedbank