Up, up and away!

Today was another beautiful day, blue sky, dramatic white clouds and a very gentle breeze. I drove down to Cameron House, near Balloch at the foot of Loch Lomond, to check in for my seaplane flight - my 70th birthday present from Mrs M. The aircraft was apparently the first amphibious Cessna 208 Caravan, though why an aircraft is called a caravan I don't know!

Unfortunately the company insist on small cameras only owing to expensive damage to the aircraft windows, so I used my tiny Canon PowerShot which insisted on trying to focus on the windows!. Most of the pictures I took from the aircraft were below standard, but I've put one on as an extra - some of the islands in Loch Lomond - together with one that the lady organiser took for me.

We took off down the loch and did a 40 minute circuit of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, with a commentary from the pilot. It was brilliant, if a touch bumpy, especially when he took us through the mountains. He flew quite close to The Cobbler, Beinn Arthur, but I was on the wrong side of the plane to take a photograph.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and after landing I waited until the next flight was ready when I got the opportunity of photographing the take-off and landing.

A wonderful day for clouds - on the way home I stopped on numerous occasions to take cloud pictures! At one point I spotted a running poodle in the sky, head outstretched, mouth open, but by the time I found somewhere to stop it had elasticated into something unrecognisable!