Formartine, in the gloaming

Bit of busy today, a trip up to the coast to Banff first thing for a team meeting (half of my team are based so half of our team meetings are held in the seaside town) which I left early in order to cross country to Huntly for another appointment.

Both journeys were idyllic in the autumnal sunshine, with the subtle changes of colour in the trees, the harvested fields next to a few ones still green and dotted with sheep and the giant white turbines against the empty big blue skies. Aberdeenshire really is a wonderful place to live and if you can get paid while driving through this glorious countryside from one site visit to another then in my book it is a job worth holding on to. I kept wanting to take photos but in both cases was rushing to get to the place on time so had not time to stop.

Post Huntly appointment I had lunch in the cafe attached to the Deans shortbread factory and took a minute to watch the packing process from their viewing gallery. Fascinating stuff but alas, lots of signs saying 'No photographs please!'.

Back to the office for a bit of catching up on things before home for tea and then back out to nearby Oldmeldrum for the third in a series of community planning events focused on cycling and walking. The night sky over Bennachie was so stunning tonight that after I parked the car, and despite the fact that as was the case with most of today I was running late, I walked to the highest point in the nearby area to take this photograph.