July Arrives and Brings the Bad Weather

Last weekends weather was so bad and it continued on the Monday so the furthest I got for a walk was up to the Quarry on the Copshaw road to see how the Tadpoles and Newts were doing in the last remaining pond.

At the start of spring there were several ponds but during the very dry spring the nearly all dried up leaving this last one which seems to be thriving 

It was Wednesday before I got a decent walk and this was at Rowanburn and down the old railway line and through the wood near where there was an Italian Prisoner of War camp during the war

A good field of Barley next to the Rowanburnfoot Road 

This used to be Canonbie Station in Rowanburn

On Thursday Gaye and I went up Ewes to Arkleton Walled Garden for the first day of its summer opening. We collected a jar full of flowers and enjoyed a nice walk round the garden. Its well worth a visit.  

Gaye with our jar of cut flowers

She suits Green and of course used to be called Gaye Green

Plenty of Flowers and the more you cut the more there are come.

A nice sheltered spot

Friday was so wet that the only walk I did was 2 miles round Langholm Lodge and finished like a drookit rat.

There was a slight improvement in the weather on Saturday so I headed round Jenny Nobles Gil which seems to be my favourite walk during this Lockdown period. These Foxgloves look great with the rain on them 

A month ago the walk round Jenny Nobles was very dry but now its very wet and muddy in places with the path more like a stream at some parts of the walk

A small stream running along the track

I love the two Snails on this flower 

A gang of Ducks at the Kirk Bridge and unlike those folk on Bournemouth Beach a week ago they know how to keep a distance apart

I Love the Upper Tarras Valley so this morning I took a gamble and headed up there and despite the gale force winds the weather was not too bad. 

Some lovely wild flowers but no idea what they are.

On my way up the valley I saw some Swallows flying out of this wee shed so decided that on my way back I would have a look in. As I looked into the shed at the door I got the fright of my life as a Barn Owl flew between my head and the top of the door. I had hoped that this week we would have been able to travel a bit further out of Langholm but due to a spike in Covid-19 virus in Annan and Gretna our area of Dumfries and Galloway is still restricted to no more than five miles. Hopefully this will be lifted in time for our planned walk in Selkirk on Wednesday with The last of the Summer Wine Walkers. We can only hope that the restrictions are lifted and we can enjoy once again our weekly walks.