St Amant

19C with a strong breeze. Very pleasant walking weather.

Took all the tops off the maincrop potatoes this morning. The plants had been showing signs of going over in the last few days of showers. With the tops away the potatoes can sit in the ground for a week or two and develop a good skin before I harvest them.

It was such a nice morning that I popped Maeve the Deerhound into the car and we went through to Arbroath Harbour for a change of scene. Had a wander round, but couldn't do a neat circle as the lock gates to the inner harbour were open and the footbridge not available. So after having a look at the boats by the big shed where the catch is landed we walked back round by the harbour side houses and round to the other side. I noticed that some old buildings have been knocked down on the other side of the Brothock (the river that runs by one side of the harbour and gives Arbroath its name ... from Aberbrothock) and the hoardings that line the site are proclaiming that luxury apartments (what ever happened to calling them flats!) will be built there. I liked the graphics for the penthouses. Nice view they will have!

The blip is a montage from the trawler St Amant. It was too hard to choose just one image. More on the blog, general shots and more close up shots :-)

After lunch Maeve and I went out for our walk. Down the road to the shore but not over the level crossing today. We turned right at the bottom and walked along the street then went over the road bridge and down to the car park at Westhaven. I sat on one of the seats there and enjoyed the view out to sea. It was nice to sit in the warmth and the breeze and watch the boats bobbing at their moorings. The tide was high and the waves breaking over the rocks on either side of the channel. I thought to myself how the view is so different to the ones I hope to enjoy next week in and around Ullapool. Maeve stood beside me and enjoyed not walking.

Later I enjoyed listening to the actor James Cosmo talking with Tom Morton on radio Scotland and choosing three records to play.