Proof

Took this as much to prove that we've had some sunshine up here more than anything else.

These 2-3000 year old stones belong to one of the many stone circles found around the east coast of Scotland. This one - Easter Aquhorthies - is just outside Inverurie, just past an industrial estate, some shops and new houses and up a bit of a hill. It said on the info board it may have been used to observe the movements of the moon which I can quite believe as we've definitely seen more of that than the sun.

Despite the apocalyptic deluges going on elsewhere today we did have some good, warm spells of sunshine. Enough to encourage a barbecue, some fishing (Euan and his pal) and for a cycle out and about the single track roads and tracks around the area. There's lots of hills, most of them going up it felt like.

And lots of inquisitive cattle.

Having negotiated a heart busting climb up near to a stone tower that's in the middle of some renovation, it was only when I was halfway across the next field towards it that I noticed 3 or 4 young bulls appearing over the hill. As I wondered how much truth there was about bulls becoming enraged at the sight of anything red, what with me wearing a bright red t-shirt and that, there had now formed a group of a dozen or so tracking me on my flank. I considered shouting something at them but was unsure if they'd understand my Clackmannanshire tones as opposed to the Doric they're used to. Plus, there was a guy in a hard hat climbing the scaffolding around the stone tower and I didn't want to sound like I was kacking myself, even though by this point I was. I made it to the other gate just as they all lined up behind me and, as quickly as I could with a bike in hand, waded through the quagmire of mud, shit and piss that was collected there. It was horrendous. I shouted up to the guy in the tower and asked if he could see any path down to the road from this side, which he couldn't. I looked back at the massed rank of bulls staring at me and headed off through the field to see if there was any other route out. He was right, there wasn't. Eventually I did find a very overgrown path (not a cycle path) that led back to a road and I made it back to the cottage just before the persistent thick fog descended again.

Next time I'll have a really good look before I leap any gates out in the countryside.

I savoured my barbecued beefburger with an increased sense of enjoyment after all that. Revenge is circular shaped and fits in a bap it would seem.