Week 14 and a Visit to Winterhope and The Meggat Valley

Another week of fairly good weather. My week started with a 5 mile walk on the Old Drove Road from Old Irvine to The Ker Wood and back. It was a lovely walk with lots to see and hear. My new camera is performing well as this bird was a hundred yards away 

There were loads of flowers next to the track

This is the old Drove Road and it is as straight as a die for over 2 miles

The following day we headed up to Winterhope to see Jean and Wattie Rutherford. It was the first time Gaye had seen her friend Jean for 3 months 

Wattie keeps a lovely garden with a bit of everything on show here 

I particularly like this tub of flowers 

He also loves keeping hens and this is one of his favourites

Another part of his lovely garden

They have a very friendly cat who just loves to sleep in this old pot in a corner of the garden 

Their house is just below the reservoir and the water level is quite low at the moment but not yet at the stage where water rationing will be required

His noisy Cockerel who is very popular with the neighbours early in the mornings

My Wednesday walk took me up the Copshaw road with a stop off at the old Quarry to see the last remaining pond of Tadpoles and Newts. They are surviving well and the water level seems ok. 

From the road I headed across Whita and down the road to the Golf Course where I met Denis and Tom enjoying 9 holes of Golf. 

At the end of my Wednesday walk I met Jack and Daphne Irving and their daughter Trish at Brooklyn. Jack is another keen garden and has done wonders with the massive garden at Brooklyn.

After a short walk on Thursday I went up to the Benpath area on Friday to visit one of the Buccleuch Centre Staff who is currently on Furlough. She lives in the Meggat valley and I combined my visit with a walk up the valley and back. It is a beautiful and peaceful valley. 

A lovely field of either hay or silage near to Meg's house

Further up the Meggat valley

This Roe Deer crossed my path a hundred yards or more in front of me

Our Grandson Thomas in California was 9 on Wednesday. He loves sport and the outdoor life. They had been kayaking on The Ice Lake in northern California this week and just loved it.

A selfy taken at The Round House on Saturday morning 

This Grey Squirrel posed for a photo on my walk round Jenny Nobles Gil on Saturday

Foxgloves 

And finally Demelza the young Rabbit that has been visiting us every day for a week. She was called Demelza by Gaye as we have been watching Poldark regularly during Lockdown