Elgin Cathedral, Spynie Palace and Duffus Castle

Not a very promising start to the day, We set off from Muir of Ord for Cawdor Castle but as the weather brightened we pushed on to Elgin instead, the day just got better and visited Spynie Palace and Duffus Castle as well

www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyres ults/propertyabou...
ELGIN CATHEDRAL
Spiritual heart of Moray

Elgin Cathedral is one of Scotland’s most beautiful medieval buildings, and the inspiration for many an artist.

An awe-inspiring building

The imposing yellow sandstone ruin is also one of the most important architectural legacies from that bygone age, whose intriguingly complex building history will reward the patient visitor

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The cathedral was the ecclesiastical centre, the spiritual heart, of the diocese of Moray

The Chapter House

The restoration of stonework has been handled with great skill and care

Stone bishops and knights

The bishop’s cathedral or seat, was not always at Elgin –

it had previously been at nearby Kinneddar, Birnie and Spynie – but once it was transferred to Elgin around 1224, it remained there until the Protestant Reformation of 1560 effectively left the cathedral redundant.

Lindisfarne

A visit to Berwick on Tweed to meet two lovely people became a lovely treat

A much to my delight a visit to Lindisfarne  had been planned.I had only visited once before and the weather had not been kind, fingers crossed we seemed to have a good start.

I WISH!!!

Taken in the pretty village of Ravenglass

Almost Black & White

All of my B&W images are conversions from colour, a few are new and some are old images I have dragged out again to give a bit of a facelift

BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE

This one was taken at Ruthven Barracks way back in 2008 not very well exposed so I just played around and added a filter

SWEET PEA

Not sure garden flowers lend themselves to this treatment, this must be one of my very first efforts, looking at it now it could do with a little of the noise taken out

April

WHAT WILL THIS MONTH BRING US?

Watching Ewe

31st of March and it's blowing a Hooligan here.
It certainly isn't going out like a lamb

Watching Ewe, a photo by bfurphy on Flickr.

Some Days you're the Pigeon..........

Some Days you're the Pigeon.........., a photo by bfurphy on Flickr.

A Spring Day In The Garden

The garden was desperately needed a good tidy up

Weeded  a little, split a few plants and rehomed them in one or two  vacant plots,

I think I lost a few plants to to frost this year

Swept up the debris of sunflower husks which seemed to be almost ankle deep below the bird feeders

I had taken the camera into the garden with me hoping to capture a few

shots of the birds on the feeders but they all seem far too busy doing what comes naturally at this time of year

So I turned my attentions to the two best girls.Roxy my little whippet doesn’t stay still for long but she posed for a short while just enjoying the sunshineThen Tara my 14year old finally woke from her slumbers, looked at me with her one almost good eye and promptly returned to snoring her little head off on her cushion

Not much to see just at the moment, Flowering Cherry is yet to put on a show,  just a little more sunshine should do it.

Only a few Crocus and Daffs

 and
Primroses I bought from a garden center

It Snowed

I should have done this sooner but overtaken by lethargy
with the cold and miserable days
of January my mind still seems it be hibernating under a foot of frozen snow.

This, I think was one of the most beautiful days of December, bitterly cold , sun shining and after another heavy snowfall eveything just sparkled in the frosty air

Topped up the bird feeders and was on my way

Set off down Leithen Crescent and down towards the "Batty" where Leithen water runs into the Tweed

Here is one I prepared earlier

Eyemouth and Coldingham Bay

A foot of snow on the ground and I am thinking back just a short while to our day out to the coast.

Forecast good and promised to be one of those lovely Autumn Days, so we deceided to give the dogs a run on the beach

Trying out my new camera phone, finding it a bit fiddley but I expect I will soon get the hang of it

This is some kind of Junk tied up beside the museum in Eyemouth

and this looks like some kind of crane barge to me

Wonder where he left his motor bike????

Autumn In The Borders

Dawyck Gardens Near Peebles

Arrived early doors, a miserable day but started off well with hot chocolate and scone in the Visitor  Centre

A perfect time of year to visit

Astounding colours

By autumn

the hues change to deep reds and yellows as the trees

prepare for winter.

  

Hints & Tints of Autumn, Fungi & Fairy Rings

A walk along the Tweed from the Toll Wood

One of those blustery days that promises rain

Luckily we were out and back before the downpour

Edinburgh Butterfly Farm

Set off over the Granites 

Up onto the A7 and down towards Dalkieth and to

Edinburgh's Butterfly and Insect World

at Dobbies Garden World

The Tree Nymph seemed to be the most prolific of the butterflies, they were everywhere

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Close to Home

Close to Home

As is usual I don't have to wander far to find something of interest I really am lucky to live here

Set off down "The Batty" it's just a strip of land with old pine trees  on it and where Leithen Water runs into the River Tweed

        

After a misty morning cobwebs covered in dew festoon the grasses and hedgerows

  

Sun shining in through the trees lighting up the feathery heads of the Rose Bay Willow Herb