Old haunts

After my nodding over the computer last night, and a stressful night's sleep with an endless, busy dream that I can't now remember, I'm resolved to avoid midnight blipping and am starting even before apero-time ... It's been such a sticky day in terms of heatfulness that I'm still wearing the somewhat unbecoming shorts I've had on since this morning, though I notice from the study window that the sunny Firth is now very much swathed in thundery-looking grey. Maybe I won't need to water the garden this evening.

Spent the morning intermittently stressing at the thought of my daughter-in-law driving south, with my granddaughter as navigator; I'm relaxing now in the knowledge that they've arrived at their overnight accommodation. Apart from that, all I achieved was some Italian - I've always known stress made people tired, but it's been a while since I've felt it for myself. We had lunch outside again, crowding into a shade like trees where'er you walk ...

And then my pal came round and we went out for a gentle amble round the Bishop's Glen, mutually unloading angst. (Some may recall that it was while doing this on another occasion that I ploughed up the track with my nose). The Bishop's Glen is the site of Dunoon's former water supply, and there used to be two reservoirs; now there is only one, with the dam and water channel still marking its former use. It's less than ten minutes' walk from our house, and when the kids were small I used to spend a great deal of time here, despite the steps at one point that made the buggy quite difficult. On one occasion, I had left my infant of perhaps 18 months on the top of the upper dam while I foraged down the slope for brambles; it only occurred to me retrospectively that it would have been a great tragic tale for the local paper had I fallen in to the water and not been able to get out, with my child watching helplessly ...

There were, however, no mishaps today, just ladylike perambulations. The view I'm blipping is one I've taken in all weathers over a period of 40+ years, but I don't know that I've ever blipped it here. It was particularly appealing under the hot sun, and people were swimming in the loch at the far end. 

Since I began, an aperitif has arrived along with some nuts. It is time to desist. I shall peruse a few of the journals I have so shamefully neglected while life took over ...