Shortest month and a unusual occurrence which according to the “inter web thingy” only occurs every eight hundred years or so, I am sure one of the followers will correct me if I read it wrong, but it is meant to be the only time we are likely to see four Sundays,Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, each set within a full set of days of the week starting on a Sunday, if you don’t understand me look at a calander and see how neat it looks. Unless some scientific miracle occurs I do not think many of my readers will live for eight hundred years to see another?
2nd.
Went for our daily walk and took my long lens in the hope of getting a close up of the Whopper Swans that were two hundred yards away from my nearest point to them.
Two youngsters and an adult.
Amongst the eight Whopper was this stroppy Mute Swan, here in attack mode.
This ended in a small fight.
Followed by a chase while the others looked on, including the pair of Mallard trying to keep out of the way in the background.
On the same piece of water was these Widgeon.
Just finishing our walk and this helicopter appeared very low belonging to the electricity board, presumably looking at power cables, though I could not see any cables on the shots I took.
6th.
Went out for lunch today in the tiny harbour village of Dunure about five miles south of Ayr. A restaurant we like called The Anchorage that does good seafood. As a bonus to the meal the village has castle foundations going back to thirteenth century but the ruins that stand at present are fifteenth century’s though it was a very cold windy day the camera had to come out.
The ruins from the beach, the cone shaped building is the dovecot which held about two hundred nests and kept the castle supplied with meat and eggs.
The shingle beach and in the distance you can see (centre of shot)the dome shape of Ailsa Craig an island out in the Firth of Clyde.
Another shot of Ailsa Craig, it is un occupied island that is very special, it is the only island or place in the world that genuine Curling stone can be quarried from. A small company in Ayrshire has the sole rights to quarry there and produces the stones from the very hard granite that they collect. In fact as the Winter Olympics are on in Italy at present the one hundred and sixty stones in use at those games were made from here and shipped out as the only stones allowed for the competitions. Think there are many more years of quarrying left seeing the size of the island. Each stone can cost over three hundred pounds when being sold.
Caught the small tanker sailing past in just the right pose.
This is called “Browney’s Cave” and is believed when the castle was built, to be a tunnel that used to go all the way to under the castle for smuggling purposes.
14th.
Went into Ayr today for a quick bit of shopping after overnight temperatures of minus eight C and I have scraped the ice of the car. Got into Ayr and it was plus two, ridiculous.Parked in our usual spot with views down to the Firth and captured this ship at anchor awaiting the tide. After shopping drove down to the seafront and got a closer view of the ship, plus the snow capped Corbetts on Arran. Presume the highest is Goat’s Fell to the right of centre.
15th.
Just making a cup of tea at seven thirty this morning when this Coastguard helicopter came over our house, did two circuits of the glen and flew off. Checked it on Flight Radar and it had come up from Wales did the two circuits and went back to Wales, very strange at this hour on a Sunday, bet it woke a few in the village up.