A VERY, VERY OLD SUNDIAL

This is what I call a "cheap shot" because it is right out of my window looking down on the herb garden. I heard the sprinkler go on and went to have a look. The stone sundial was scavenged by my husband's ancestors from Linlithgow Palace which is about 15 miles west of Edinburgh. Wherever Cromwell knocked down something, an ancestor was soon there, seemingly, to scoop up one thing or another. Mary was born at Linlithgow Palace and stayed there from time to time. It is open to the public.

The reason for a cheap shot is my dog. Anyone who saw yesterday's pic might realize that there is a large, black dog everywhere I go. I have learned to step over her but this morning, as I approached the bed with a cup of coffee, she decided to move suddenly, just as I was about to put a foot between her paws. I went flying. Nothing is broken, only a shattered coffee cup and my nerves. Terracotta floors are unforgiving so I do have rather unattractive black and blue knees and a sore wrist, both disastrous for those seeking, always, the perfect photograph.