East Lothian.

Having dropped Herself off at a patchwork workshop, I went up to Swanston to walk on the Pentlands and past the Hillend ski lift for this Blip of East Lothian. I found it quite dis-orientating, being unable to identify the landmarks that I know so well from ground level. For example, I should be able to pick out our house from here or, failing that, at least the village. The blocks of flats I can manage as well as Berwick Law and Traprain but, beyond that, not a lot.
 
On the way up, I passed a sign claiming that the Hi’lan’ coos are friendly; viz.: friendly in the sense that, if you don’t annoy them, they (probably) won’t annoy you; it also claimed that the best way of pissing them off is to let your dog chase them. I once took Merlin up Traprain Law and introduced him to the wild Exmoor ponies up there; he just wandered amongst them sniffing noses. The coos are a different matter; they’re enormous with long pointy bits and very scary. Shortly after the sign were the beasts themselves, just standing there blocking the path; I gave them as wide a berth as possible, avoided staring at them and they ignored me. On the way back, a couple of girls were wondering how to pass them safely; having Blipped the first extra, I repeated the performance of sidling past them and the girls seized the opportunity by keeping me between themselves and the coos.


The second extra is of a drunken rowan taken with the fish-eye.