Moo-ve over darling...

Well the blip gods positively showered me with photo opportunities today!

It started with morning visitors in the garden, no not the ducks, this time two little sheep!  They were so cute :-))  Quick snap and blip done...or so I thought.

After lunch and a FaceTime chat with the Skye gang, we set off on a drive up the hill to Ben Lawers dam (ah, mist rolling down the hill, the damn looking menacing and like a scene from James Bond...now I have my blip I thought)  On over the hill to Glen Lyon turning left at Bridge of Balgie (and resisting the temptation of the lovely coffee shop and home baking - well done us! :-) to follow the River Lyon passed Meggernie Castle and Stronuich reservoir, and on towards Loch Lyon.

This is a part of Glen Lyon we haven't explored before and oh boy, we were not disappointed!  

It was 19.5 degrees outside and behind us the sky was blue with white fluffy clouds, but in front there were grey and white clouds and rolling mist, with shards of sunlight intermittently forcing their way through to land spotlights on the hills and the green fields at the foot of the glen.  Absolutely breathtaking.  I shot the green valley floor...ah now I have my blip I thought...

Then we turned a corner to come face to face with a beautiful dappled grey mare.  Whoa! I said to David (see what I did there ;-))  Now this is my blip!  Beautiful horse, standing in front of the most amazing backdrop of hills and clouds.  I was in seventh heaven.  The shutter on my camera hasn't clicked so much in about three years.  I even had to change card!

We carried on our way, planning to turn at Lubreoch Dam as we had a dinner reservation at The Three Lemons in Aberfeldy.  We were almost at the dam when we turned another corner and there before us was a sight that made me gasp and almost burst into tears...a herd of Heilan' coos!  Just munching grass, standing and lazing about being as photogenic as they could possibly be!  

Oh Blip Gods!  What are you doing to me?!  I spend weeks and weeks and weeks struggling to find blips, resorting to blipping my shoes for heavens sake!  And today you present me with so many blip opportunities it will take me days to edit them all!

As we chatted to one particularly nosey coo, a cyclist came from the opposite direction.  He stopped to take photos too.  When he reached us he stopped to chat saying he'd passed a car further along the road, the occupants of which had stopped him to warn him of the large herd of massive and scary cows ahead.  He said they seemed positively shaken by the experience of having to pass them!  "I thought I was going to cycle round the corner and be met with a group of menacing and blood thirsty cows ready to eat me for dinner!"  he said, and the three of us laughed and laughed as one of the little furry calves lay down on the grass beside us with a gentle sigh :-)))

He cycled off and we carried on very slowly through the herd, some of whom were curious enough to lift their heads and look as us whilst the rest got on with the important business of munching grass.

"You definitely have your blip now!" said D.  "Yes," I replied, "unless the next corner offers me the Monarch of the Glen!"

But alas that was not to be...and I really can't complain!  

Back to the cottage for a quick freshen up then off to the Three Lemons for  a wonderful meal.  Our sharing starter of freshly made bread (still warm) with fat juicy olives, thick hummus and fresh pesto was absolutely scrumptious, as were our mains of parma pizza and seabass with crushed herb potatoes, courgettes and samphire cream.  We had no space left for a dessert.

As we headed along Bank Street in Aberfeldy we passed the beautiful art gallery Artisan& and were delighted to see two paintings featured in their windows by two artists (Gail Stirling Robertson) and Rochelle McConnachie) both of whom we know, and have paintings of theirs at home.  

Gail currently has a solo exhibition at the gallery so we must pop in when the gallery is open (leaving the credit card behind!!!) 

What a day!  If the blip gods ignore me for the rest of the week, I cannot complain.

Some more pics in extras but it's going to take days and days to edit all the shots from today that I want to keep.  It's a lovely problem to have :-)))