Sarah, Darrly and I jumped in my car and did a tour of Glen Lyon last Friday. It was a cold day but we still didn’t expect to hit as much snow as we did when nearing the top of the hills.

Sarah will be along with her pictures soon, if she can get her internet working…

YIEAHY! at last I have the internet back, woohoo! So Glen Lyon. Was great to get out and about in the day time for a change and a lot better than the team meeting I was meant to go in for!!!  It was a beautiful day too, bright sun, cold air, deep mist hugging the hollows and frost sitting in the shadows. We headed up an increasingly narrowing road into the hills, stopping for photos and pack lunch on the way. The higher we got, the more beautiful it became with that wonderful Scottish light hitting off the light snow. We really do live in a amazingly beautiful country, and can’t see why anyone would want to live anywhere else.

Anyway, half way up Ian decided to tell us that he wasn’t sure we had enough fuel to get back down, just to add to the excitement. So with watching fuel gage, aware that none of us had a mobile signal, we turned onto the Ben Lawyers Road and into the snow. What a wonderful view we got, but think the driving was a bit taxing and it wasn’t exactly easy to park on the snowy one tack road. But what we did manage to shoot was well worth it. All in all a very satisfying photo trip.

The Ben Lawers Road

Bothy Ruins

The fog had hit hard but the sun started to break through – the ideal time for some snaps!

The sky was clear for a change and after arriving at Tayport harbour we were soon off again to find a quiet spot in the country to attempt some star trail shots.

Unfortunately I came away with no shots I was happy with, except this one from Tayport.

  OK so it was cold, very cold and it was dark, very dark, but I needed to get out and about with the camera again so I dragged Ian out. After Tayport harbour we headed into the widerness and ended up on the edge of Tentsmuir forest at the ‘Scottish Clay Shooting Centre’ , a spooky old barn in the dark. Ian may not have got much but the sky was wonderful and there were so many stars it was breath-taking and I pulled off some nice shots. Of course I was actually looking at the stars and not at a star app on a phone like the guys, who missed the shoting stars by using their ability to play with technology instead of looking at nature.

The stars put on a good show

After a wee walk through the South Inch to get the kids to sleep we ended up at the Manna House on the old high street in Perth. This is a christain run cafe which is reknowned for it’s good food and fabulous homemade cakes, as well as it’s bookstore that is attached, As it wasn’t too busy we managed to rearrange a couple of tables to make space for us all. Food wise I was a bit limited by my intolerance as most things were breadular (as in made of bread) but they did have baked potatoes and soup available in a selection of Veggie options. Me and A had a baked potato with cheese and pineapples and MS had soup and a sandwich. It was all quite simple with no fancy displays but very tastey with properly oven cooked potatoes. They also do a selection of fruit teas for those non tea and coffee drinkers, like me, who sometimes still want a hot beverage.

MS and A also had a cake each, which both looked lovely and must admit I had a wee taste. The carrot cake topping was divine and the apple pie filling excellent! In general the service was polite and friendly, though a bit slow. The young man on shift was by far the best (sorry didn’t get his name), with a good attitude, friendly and cheerful manner and very good manners (which I value highly, cost you nothing but make all the difference).

Frontage of the manna House, unfortunately was traffic on road so coudn't stand far enough away to get whole front.

VFR World 2012 Calendar

The year has started well for Ian, with one of his images being used as the front cover for the VFR World 2012 Calendar.

Some of you may remember the picture from my Motorcycle Tour of Scotland back in June last year.

It shows my 2000 plate Honda VFR sitting fully laden in the Highlands of Scotland.

Anyone wanting to place an order for the calendar can do so here: 2012 VFR World Calendar.

Many thanks to the guys behind VFR World for using my image – my order has been placed

Rocks in the fast flowing Braan

Photo wise i decided to keep the ISO low at 100 and use the tripod, choosing the shutter speed, leaving the aperture to be decided by the camera. The River Braan was full and fast so the shutter was kept about 1sec to capture the movement but without whiting all detail out. Main problem was getting a different shot in such a well photographed place. The main falls are so often shot, as is the viewing hall and hermits cave. So settled for some more detail shots of the smaller falls and some of the low cloud snaking through the trees of Craigvinean Forest.

Low cloud in the Craigvinean forest

Although the ground was muddy and there was a dusting of snow we continued over trees, down paths and ignoring fathers idea of direction until we passed through a clearing, where a selection of bouders overlooked a rather Scottish looking, baran, mist filled clearing. Very atmosphereic in the winter weather. Then it was on to Rumbling Bridge, which we could hear well before could see as the river was so full and fast. However didn’t get many shots as the spray from the falls was pretty intense and couldn’t get down to usual vantage points due to high river and very slippery stones. So after a wee trip along the riverside we headed back to the car, taking the main path, which was also strewn with fallen trees and debris. So although cold and covered in mud by the time we got back, it was a good outing and was very glad to be out and about with the camera again.

Boulders overlooking the Misty Clearing