Snowdrops and sunshine

It was a beautiful day so we went to Poyntzfield to see if the snowdrops were out. As we drove up the long drive we saw several of the large, old trees had fallen down. There were men at the top still clearing the carpark area so we parked round the corner and walked to the entrance. We knew the herb garden was closed but the area around the trees was a mass of snowdrops and aconites. The woodland is part of the Snowdrop festival in Scotland. There's a lovely carving of a Green Man that I will blip another time.
We walked back along the path and down the track past several cottages and some farm buildings. More trees were down and it must have been really scary during the storm.
A tree creeper flew past and was busy pecking at the bark. Robins and blackbirds were singing . A black and white cat was sitting on a window sill sleeping in the sun A heart shaped wind chime hung above it's head.
Several chickens and a duck scratched around a pen. As we approached one of the larger houses ,that had views over the Cromarty Firth, a small terrier came running over to say hello. I remembered him from last year, a friendly little dog.
Poyntzfield House looked impressive , it's a large mansion dating from 1757. Perched on top of the Cupola (viewing tower) there's a bronze statue of 'Adam' made by Gerald Laing. Laing was a 'British pop artist and sculptor who lived in the Highlands. Among other works are a sculptor of Sherlock Holmes in Picardy Place Edinburgh, Four Rugby players at Twickenham and the Mercat cross with a bronze unicorn , four falcons and four bowl sundials in Falcon Square , Inverness .He lived at Kinkell Castle, which he rebuilt over a period of 40 years until his death in 2011 aged 75. The grounds contain his studio and some of his statues.