House Martin Take 2

Well, I may have captured a House Martin at the weekend, but today I was presented with a huge array of possible shots...

A day off work is best spent doing something you wouldn't normally do. Sorting the house or the garden just feels like a waste of a day away from the desk - today with us both off we headed to Tantallon Castle, somewhere we've driven past numerous times, but never stopped by. And I'm so glad we did because it's just a superb place.

They get up to 60 pairs of House Martins nesting, and you can get really close to the nests; not-at-all-common-especially-in-the-east Fulmars; and cracking views of a be-Ganneted Bass Rock.

From there it was off in the sunshine to Smeaton Nursery by East Linton (which Mel had seen in Lady Findhorn's journal) for a wee spot of lunch, then Hailes Castle - down in a valley, free to enter, and situated nicely by a lovely little river (with the promise of kingfishers and otters, neither of which showed unfortunately). It was, however, tadpole central...

After all of that, and the tough choice between shots as it was, the board game series has hit a hiatus.

Oh. And the World Cup has started. Woo hoo!