For the past few days it has been absolutely chucking it down over the whole of Scotland and Glasgow has had the most amount of rainfall there since records began – and if you know Glasgow at all you’ll realise how bad it has been! Lots of flooding all over the country but we’re fine here. I just wish someone up there would turn off the taps! To cheer myself up I’ve been having a look at some photos which I took a couple of weeks ago in the time of blue skies. This one is of the old bridge at Dumbarton on the River Leven and there is a swan with cygnets just going under the bridge. These swans went at quite a lick and I had to run to get this photo, not something I do often, I’m more a dignified walk sort of a person. The River Leven often has well over 100 swans floating around this area but most of them seemed to be elsewhere.
The Leven is just a wee river which flows into the River Clyde at Dumbarton Rock which you can see in this photo, but it’s still very dangerous and it seems that just about every summer some lads drown in it. They just want to have a lark but don’t realise how cold it is and it’s full of weeds which can fankle (entangle) you too.
I took this photo last week from the Fife coastal path at Kirkcaldy, just beyond Seafield Tower, walking towards Kinghorn. The rocks there are favourites with the seals and they were making themselves heard that day. Unearthly noises come from them at times, well they would be unearthly I suppose as they’re in the sea, but you know what I mean, positively eerie sounds.
I can quite see how the ancient sailors used to think that the seals were mermaids singing, especially when they hadn’t seen women for years!
I suppose it helped if they were in the water too rather than basking and looking enormously fat. It’s possible that some of these seals were about to give birth, maybe that’s what all the racket was about.
I can hardly believe that we had such lovely weather just last week. We seemed to be in a pattern of one lovely day followed by a wet one for a while but now it looks and feels like November and the schools are going back next week. That could be the cue for the sun to be splitting the pavements and a return of summer. Well maybe.
You live in such a gorgeous place! I think I’d just sit and stare if I lived there. And it never looks like there are crowds of people around, something I can’t stand.
Joan,
There weren’t many people about in Dumbarton although there was a madman swimming in the Leven and pulling a rowing boat. The coastal path at Kirkcaldy is popular with dog walkers and cyclists but not really busy. The worst thing about being near the sea is the freezing sea mist or haar as they call it here and so often it’s just very grey. We nearly bought a house overlooking ‘the bridges’ but it felt like I was falling into the sea it was so mesmerising.
I agree with Joan about the beauty of your environment! I love the desert, but it’s not much to look at sometimes. And to be near water would be a dream. I love your pictures of the fat seals!
Anbolyn,
The water is lovely in blue sky days but it’s often just grey, which looks a bit depressing especially in the winter. After nearly 25 years of living near the water I’m wondering what it would be like inland now, maybe I would miss the sea! I wish I had a video recorder because one of the fattest seals was on the move along the rocks. It’s amazing how fast they can go.
We are definitely walking here! A house over the sea! You could have been Nikki in The Proper Place:)
Peggy Ann,
I’m waiting for good weather to take that photo at Dysart. It could be quite depressing looking out to a sea which is more often grey than blue!