Sunday 13 July 2014

The Best Of Both Worlds.

It's been a week since I was out & about taking these pictures, but working night shift & with one thing or another I've only just managed to get them uploaded.
Just now we really are having great weather, hot & sunny with the odd burst of heavy refreshing rain to clear the air, so with hot weather where's the best place to be ?...
Down by the beach I reckon, but as the title suggests I'm so lucky to have the best of both worlds with the beautiful coast line & stunning country side on my door step I like to incorporate them both into my adventures.

Crossing the A1 heading for the deep blue & the heavy clouds are looking quite threatening but the forecast was to be fair with rain in the afternoon.








Barns Ness light house having a fresh lick of paint, I'd love to get up the top of that scaffold for some pictures of the surrounding area.
White sands lime kiln,
Layers of coal & limestone were burnt to create quick lime for agriculture. This was a dangerous & labour intensive process, but proved it's worth in increased crop yields.


The ever changing coast line, bottom picture of a fossilised beach.

'Sunny Dunny'
Dunbar in the distance.
Art ?!!
 I'm not so sure,
 local artist the 'cog' standing for church of gloss, this is one of a few pieces dotted around town, I don't understand art to me art is a good picture of something :-/




Lauderdale House standing proud at one end of Dunbar's high street. The original commission of the building was by Captain James Fall MP, Merchant Prince of Dunbar, later sold by Robert Fall to James the 8th Earl of Lauderdale & later again purchased by the Government in 1859 which was then converted into an officers barracks with additional barracks built & parade ground etc.
The original centre block of the building was built around 1740 with the additional large flanking wings built in 1792, originally the main entrance led onto the high street but was later converted to the rear of the building.
I have not idea what the sphinx represents but only know that she has the body of a lion, the wings of a large bird & a human face which in Greek tradition is a woman. 


The Bass rock at this time of year turns white with all the gannet droppings.
The same same yacht now at sail.

Some of the many left overs from the war along our coastline.



Passing by the 'Bridge to nowhere' where I came across this cool camper van.
This wee collie dog was fair eager to get going but had to wait on it's owner who was in deep conversation with another dog owner.




Skirting along the path on the edge of the salt marshes where the birdsong was in full voice, but these heavy clouds on the other hand were building up for something.




The remains of a Matilda MkII tank which me & my friends had many a happy hour playing on when we were kids, imaginations running wild but not much left to see now though!
Given the shattered state of the remains it is thought that the tank was obsolete or damaged then dumped on the sands for target practice.

A sure sign of summer when you here the song of the sky larks.



Loads & loads of moon jellyfish strewn along the high tide mark.


Beach restrictions in place to protect the eggs of the ground nesting terns.






Taking 5 to watch a couple of paddle boarders & a wee fishing boat.
Cinnabar moth caterpillars with their vibrant warning stripes, the caterpillars absorb the toxins from the ragwort leaves & poison is stored in it's body & remains within their bodies into adulthood, birds & other predators are repulsed by their foul taste.

More tern restrictions around the other side of the headland of Spike island.



Like little cactuses in the desert.





Erosive forces eating away at the sand banks, where sand martins have burrowed out their nests, unfortunately someone has took it upon themselves to disturb the birds by carving some sand art below the nest holes.




You know you are in Scotland when you see tartan sheep !
The local council have been busy painting up the old road signs & distance markers this one being Haddington 9 miles Dunbar 2 miles & Edinburgh 26 miles. 




The Biel burn where I learned & had lots of fun fishing when I was young growing up in the village of West Barns, unfortunately there doesn't seem to be nearly as much trout as I remember.
I remember when an old woman called Mrs. Thomson lived in this farm cottage & my dad had a joinery workshop in the courtyard behind the arched gates, where I would have to open these big gates to allow him to drive his van through, it was a race to get the gates shut & into the workshop as there was a flock of geese that used to chase anyone who entered !


Heading inland now & the pigeon doocot at Bourhouse looks as photographic as ever, I'd love to convert one of these old true works of art into a house & keeping all the stone nest boxes as features within the building, sadly too many of them are being aloud to decay.

Lots of overgrown trails at this time of year.

With the rumble of thunder in the distance & heavy rain sweeping westwards it was time to high tail it back home.




...And just in time too, back home & within 10 minutes the rain battered down, welcome to summer in Scotland ;-)

Thanks for stopping by & thanks for looking.


No comments:

Post a Comment