Skyline

I went out to Hawes pier at South Queensferry to get a lift on the Maid of the Forth out to see Dave and "his" island. In response to a last minute message Old Bat joined me, which was excellent. The island is beautiful and the weather got better and better as I was there - J returned on a subsequent sailing but I had been invited to stay overnight.

I was completely spoilt for choice re the blip - the extras are the best shot I've ever got of a wagtail plus a female mallard having a wee rest amongst the seaweed with (some of) her ducklings. They'd been having a torrid time of it since we'd first seen them - I think there were 12 when she made them leap off the high jetty into the water but after confrontations with gulls and a major confusion with a female eider there only seem to be 9 or 10.

But I keep returning to the view of Edinburgh and Leith from the abbey and the custodian's cottage.