Its been a busy few days – so this blog is running a little bit late, therefore this and the next entry date from Tuesday, 21 August and Thursday 23 August, respectively.
Just as I was beginning to think that I was either getting webbed feet or trench foot, Tuesday saw me take to the hills for the day. For this visit it was up into the Moorfoot Hills, above Heriot. Wow! What a difference from the enclosed feel of primeval swamps to the wide open views of the almost treeless moors. If one was going to suffer from agoraphobia, then this sort of sudden change could well act as a trigger. But it was good to feel the wide open spaces again after the confines of the swamps and blow all those cobwebs away.
Looking Towards the Carcant and Dunlaw Windfarms – 21 August 2012 (Copyright Carol Jones)
From an advantage point somewhere near the top of Huntley Hill, the views eastwards towards the Carcant and Dunlaw wind farms, make striking white statements in the landscape, as the sun appeared and disappeared behind the clouds, catching the white blades in the process. It is one of those strange days of August, where the sky is blue, but across it pass both white and black clouds that occasionally open up with short and sharp showers.
Passing Shower Cloud – 21 August 2012 (Copyright Carol Jones)
By now the hills have developed a generalised rich purple tinge as the Heather was in full bloom. From our vantage point the further hills had sizeable areas of purple Heather, mixed with areas of still bright green grass, still growing following our very wet summer. Where there was less Heather and more grass, the purple of the flowering Heather formed isolated clumps, that almost made the hillside look as though it had a case of measles. Their were purple clumps of Heather surrounded by the greens of both grasses, rushes and a variety of mosses, together with a highlight of golden brown from the metallic coloured spikelets of Wavy Hair-grass.
Heather and Grass Mosaic – 21 August 2012 (Copyright Carol Jones)
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