First blood

This morning I had to take my car to have a tyre checked; rather than sitting waiting I walked up to the Castle in the rain and took some pictures. Some were blippable thanks to the friendly and well informed castle guides but the light was not good.
Of course the sun broke through as I picked up the car - nothing wrong, checked out and replacement valve, all with no charge. I'll certainly go back to that place!

At home tonight, I sat looking out at the rain in the garden finishing dinner, Finn came running from the field closely followed by Spot the neighbours' cat. Finn was carrying a freshly killed shrew. His first kill. It tears my conscience when they catch living creatures, also it seemed to mark his passage from kitten to cat.
As he played with his victim, I could see all the moves so well rehearsed with toys in his kittenhood. Spot looked on, not attempting to take it off of him.
So I will leave my Stirling Castle blips for a day with kinder light and here is Spot watching Finn, the red glow is from the flash lighting up the new leaves on my red acer in the foreground.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

If, Rudyard Kipling a bit of a cliche but somehow appropriate.