Ancient espalier

I nipped into the ruins of the Abbey of Deer this morning for five minutes contemplation before my busy day. The wall that surrounds the ruins was built by the Ferguson family in the middle of the nineteenth century. They used the stones from the ruins of the abbey buildings to create a walled garden, and I suspect planted this tree at the same time. I love the way the light was creating shadows and catching on the wall this morning. This is one of my favourite places, only a mile or so from home, and never fails to stir my soul.