vivdunstan

Scheduling in a potential day for us to go to Perth Museum to see Mary Queen of Scots' last letter and the Stone of Destiny. Martin will also want to go to see the ducks and other birds at Gannochy Pond! So we'll have to make sure that the weather is ok on the day we go. And we're definitely going to have to take my wheelchair for me to manage this outing. Keen to see some of the other exhibits in the museum too.

Made it to the Mackays factory shop in Arbroath, ostensibly to get more Mrs Bridges morello cherry preserve. But we came away with 7 jars of jam, preserve, marmalade and chutney, plus unplanned fudge! After in Dobbies cafe, then a wander around the plants area. We live very near Dobbies, and first came to the cafe 25 years ago, after moving to the Dundee area. Many happy memories. Oh and I was trialling my sturdy soled new Moshulu loafer shoes. Very comfortable.

Very weary after our brief outing, but delighted to have managed it. Dobbies Dundee currently has a semi resident robin singing in the main shopping area! It's been there since Christmas. We thought they were playing very loud bird song through the speakers. But on the way out saw the robin perched near the tills. Attracting a crowd.

Taken by Martin at the riverside in Dundee, during his lunch break.

Photo from my husband Martin, who was working in the city centre office today.

Our garden that is. It's taken until now for it (1) to be warm enough for me to sit out for any reasonable length of time, and (2) a warm sunny day when I'm not doing something else, even in another city as on the Capercaillie concert day! We were out from 4.30pm-6.30pm, when it was pleasantly warm, with a little breeze. Martin got our folding table and chairs out, in our usual excellent spot.

Martin sat with me for the duration, happily reading, and intermittently taking photos of planes and birds in our garden. We also had seagulls flying overhead at just 3 metres! From below that's rather terrifying, like seeing a giant plane from below whoosh overhead at speed. But we were more surrounded by sparrows, blackbirds, chiffchaffs and wood pigeons. Oh and #notourcat Isla was curled up, tail swishing happily, in the garden nearby.

I had a first tentative go at sketching. Very rough, very rudimentary, but I was enthusiastically trying it. Looking forward to doing it more. It's about 35 years since I've seriously drawn anything ... I also took out my latest society magazines from the Tolkien Society and Sherlock Holmes Society of London. And was reading a recently published book of charming paintings around St Andrews. And planning various other bits and bobs.

Got this late afternoon in Dundee city centre. I am still offered these Covid vaccines twice yearly by the NHS, being severely immunosuppressed. Very quiet vaccine centre - no one waiting when I got there early. I suspect they have a lot of no shows in the current 75+ group. I was weeks earlier for my vaccine than I might have been, keen to get it before my Capercaillie music concert in 3 weeks.

Because I was seen so early we were able to get an early takeaway dinner from a fab fish and chip shop that is sadly shutting its Dundee branch after this weekend. Sat below the uni, overlooking the River Tay to Fife. Bright evening sunshine, and surrounded by optimistic but unsuccessful seagulls. Martin also spotted wild bunnies on the grass down the steps, so dashed down to photograph them.

Planning a very quiet weekend. I expect to be feverish and very sore overnight. More seriously I will probably have a 3 month long flare in my autoimmune brain disease, starting about a week from now. It’s very difficult. But I will be protected.

My husband’s birds list from his walk today. This is from his usual Saturday walk to the wooded river valley / old railway viaduct very near our home. I post this list every week on Facebook, but thought I'd post it here too today!

28 species seen, 3 species heard (including tawny owl at 12:50!), grey squirrel, bee heard

blackbird
blue tit
bullfinch
chaffinch
coal tit
collared dove
crow
dipper
dunnock
feral pigeon
goldfinch
great tit
grey heron
herring gull
house sparrow
jackdaw
long tailed tit
magpie
mallard
oyster catcher
robin
rook
song thrush
starling
stock dove
wood pigeon
wren
yellowhammer

grey wagtail heard
tawny owl heard
woodpecker heard

grey squirrel
bee heard

We've just looked through all 77 he ended up with as the final batch! I loaded them all onto Facebook, and four onto Bluesky and Mastodon. But here are just a couple. He saw *so* many buzzards. And yes, that is a very famous lighthouse glimpsed in the distance, beyond Broughty Castle.

He was out with his camera all day, in mid/west Dundee, while our car had its annual service and MOT check.

Martin was at the seafront in Broughty Ferry today, while a tyre in our car was replaced. He took some amazing photos of a heron there, which was guzzling on fish, an eel like thing and crab. More photos on his Flickr page. Be warned if you go there the eel eating gets quite gruesome! Meanwhile here is one of his calmer heron pictures from today :)

Forgot to say we had a fab experience with a seagull at lunch yesterday. We were parked in Costas at Ethiebeaton Park above Monifieth. And a huge seagull suddenly landed on the front bonnet of our car, rocking it as it did. It flapped about, staring inside to see if there might be any hope of food. Then flew off again, the car moving again as it did. Sadly neither of us had a camera ready at the right moment. We were awestruck 🙂