High summer with autumn tints ...

That title makes me smile; I used to know someone who was rather fond of the expression "autumn tints", so that we found ourselves anticipating it with stifled hilarity ...

This is the road past the farms at Ardyne, in the south of the peninsula, and a favourite walk of ours when we think other places will be busy. It was so hot in the afternoon sun that we'd have been content with a shorter walk out the Ardyne beach road, but the car park was so full of cars that we pictured people and dogs everywhere and settled for this lovely road instead. 

I love the tumble of bright montbretia (ok - crocosima, or whatever ) beside the tall feathery strands of rose bay willow herb - their furry seeds always make me think of the return to school in the West End of Glasgow, where the air would be full of them and the scent of privet flowers ( I think that sentence is bordering on zeugma, but I'll just leave it there ...). Nearby, there was a gate into the field, under which there was a river of the most incredibly green slime. I'm told it's pretty toxic stuff, but I'll post its photo as an extra anyway.

We walked as far as Knockdow House and back; we were actually glad of the shade of the big trees in the bit of road we usually feel cold in. And when we got back to the car, which was admittedly standing in the sun, the thermometer read 33ºC.