Stumped

I thought the weather had stumped me for an outdoor blip today, and I'd already banked a miserable looking shot of the rain battering off the car windscreen as I sat in a layby eating my ploughman's roll at lunchtime.

But, I've been taking this 'B' road road home almost exclusively recently, partly to avoid the roadworks, partly to avoid the more and more aggressive and impatient drivers that seem to be on the roads at this time, and it's never failed to throw up a photo opportunity.

It could've been the new Clackmannanshire Bridge that was silhouetted nicely in the late afternoon sun. Or the old couple who had a ladder going 15 feet up their hedge and five foot out into the single track road as I drove past their cottage; didn't mind waiting for the old gent to come down and let his wife move the ladder so I could go past. Or the buzzard that teased me as I pulled off the road when I spotted it sitting on the huge electricity pylon nearby. It watched me get the camera out and raise it before it swooped down and off into a more concealed perch. If I'd had time to change the settings to suit I'd have had something much better than the half dozen blurred shots I managed.

Still, I'm sure there'll be other chances like these to be had, as I'm certain to be using this road more often. It may add a few minutes to the journey but the pay-off in de-stressing the trials of the day just done is priceless.

PS: For anyone around this way and geocaching inclined, there's one in the picture above. Pretty easy one actually, you definitely won't be stumped.