For various reasons I’ve had to wait forty five years to spend much quality time with my daughter and she has just given me a marvellous twenty four hours.

Last night after dinner thanks to You Tube we played all the old favourites – we Found our Thrill on Blueberry Hill – Walked to New Orleans and Were Fools to Care with Fats Domino then did the Jailhouse Rock and more with the King at his best. What a lovely old style evening – it was midnight before it was over!

Today – Sunday – we watched where the winds were coming from and they favoured the walk down Bluebell Woods on the west side of the Dee Estuary. Everyone else must have listened to the weather forecast for dire weather to come as we had the woods virtually to ourselves plus three nervous roe deer. There must have been a fawn hidden in the ferns somewhere too because we spotted tiny hoofprints on some of the soft parts of the trails.

We started the walk with rainwear and just as well because this water tap growing out of a tree trunk had to be tested and girls like their fun —

so someone had to get wet —

That set the tone for the afternoon walk and it was laughter all the way —

Rhododendruns and azelias aren’t exactly wild flowers but there they were in the forest before we reached the bluebells —

Wild garlic too – I can smell it yet —

Then onto the clifftop for a breath of air where Rainnie strikes a ‘country girl’ pose —

and dad just enjoys her company —

Hmmm – the packhorse would be a better name —

No worries – it wasn’t long before my guide found a comfy spot for lunch and took over the rucksack —

Then it was playtime as we made our way through this beautiful wood —

one of the roe deer popped out of this patch of bluebells right in front of our noses —

an action shot 🙂

We came upon a graveyard in this remote spot with lairs going way back to 1720. It’s always a shock to see virtually whole families die at a young age – from the local laird at the age of 27 to children of five years old.

A little further on we reached a pheasantry and with the weather closing in we turned back. Some photogenic weathered tree roots and trunks were next for the view-finder —

At a brief stop on a headland we spotted below us the meagre remains of the Mary B Mitchel – a schooner which was wrecked here in 1944 and the anchor can now be seen at Kirkcudbright Harbour.

The little steel there was left in the old sailing ship is lying just above the tideline about halfway up my photo —

Then it was drawing time on a deserted beach —- mermaids were in favour —

Some people post messages in a bottle – others prefer the more direct approach and post letters in the sand —

What a wonderful 24 hours —

Rainnie is driving north as I post but as long as we both survive the chicken curry I threw together before she left I’m sure she will be back before long 🙂

Footnote; The heron in the featured image – top left – is well off shore and just proves how shallow the water can be here at certain times of the tide with the only navigable channel for the bigger boats being way over next the lifeboat station on the far shore and even then only around high tide.

Daughters