Happy Nature Friday friends!
It was a lovely sunny day earlier this week when Gail took me for a walk up the Hill of Fare.
As you know, here in Scotland just now our walks must begin and end not more than five miles beyond the city boundary. And I think we should leave it as a matter of conjecture as to whether, on this particular occasion, the ruler Gail used to measure the five miles on her map was an ever so slightly elastic one...
We start off with me posing nicely in the farmland near where the car was parked.
We then ascend a track through a mix of broadleaf and conifer plantations, our ears ringing with the merry sound of birds anticipating spring.
Before long, we find a small patch of snow.
And as we climb higher, leaving most of the trees behind, the snow patches across the track get bigger and deeper.
The Hill of Fare is a broad and gently undulating plateau of heather moorland, and at the summit we enjoy stupendous views all across Aberdeenshire, from the snow capped Cairngorm mountains to the North Sea.
Or at least Gail enjoys the view, while I focus my attention on scavenging for any picnic leftovers which previous hikers might have dropped in the vicinity of the little summit cairn...
It is thin pickings I'm afraid, picnics being one more of life's pleasures not allowed in Scotland right now...
Thank you once again to our friends the LLB Gang for hosting the Nature Friday blog hop.
