Grasshopper

This little fellow is another of my sights from Glentanar. We heard him and his pals for quite some time before we saw him. He was difficult to spot at first, but quite bold, allowing me to get get reasonably close for a couple of shots. I got pretty dusty lying along the path, but I feel it was worth it.

Then the Grasshopper came with a Jerk and a Spring,

Very long was his Leg, though but short was his Wing;

He took but three Leaps, and was soon out of Sight,

Then chirp'd his own Praises the rest of the Night.

The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper Feast
William Rascoe

Underwater Love no.2

I saw this today:
http://wind-sand-and-stars.blogspot.com/2007/01/underwater-love.html
and it immediately reminded me of my own pics shown below. The fish is a plec (http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/compleco.htm), and the little orange thing is a bamboo shrimp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_shrimp).

Stag

Although there are a few things in this poem that aren't really 'me' (I'm more pagan - definitely not christian), I can totally relate to the experience of coming face to face with such a magnificent creature.

The Stag

Sally Evans

A trail under the trees

near Loch Katrine

and all is silent, barring

a bird, a wind-sigh.

God's creation rises

in the form of a great stag

his magnificent branchy horns and head

alert under an oak-copse

as he steps into the sun

ten feet away from me

as though he were an oak-tree come to life.

No, do not turn and run.

A pagan revelation,

personification of beauty -

I need this vision. When it is my duty

to sketch him from memory,

or from tame, toned-down specimen,

I shall draw on this meeting.

I am with him in the wild.

http://www.poetrykit.org/pkl/featurpoet/sally.htm

Loch Muick

This is a view of Loch Muick from the end of a wonderful walk this summer. I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Scotland.

Along the right side you may be able to make out a white line - that's the path, culminating in a bit of a climb, which we followed to get to where I took the photo, from the car park. Oh - I should mention that the drive to the carpark from the main road is 7 miles long - you need a car to get there in the first place.

As we walked we were flanked by deer watching us from the gorse, and many different birds. We also saw a squirrel, but it was a bit too quick for the camera!

Flowers - Columbines

I'm not sure what type of flowers these are (happy for anyone to enlighten me) but I thought they were tremendously pretty. [Edit to add: I have now been reliably informed that they are in fact Columbines - thank you kopji]

Just a short blog entry this time - Happy new year to everyone.