End of the Year

I always think there is something melancholy about the 31st December, marking the end of another year.
 
Today it was particularly poignant for we attended the funeral, a very Scottish affair, of a neighbour.
 
Standing around a graveside with a lot of friends and acquaintances on a bleak mid winter morning is a grim reminder of one’s own mortality.
 
 

Photo. This oak tree on the Bridge of Allan golf course is notorious. It strikes terror into the hearts of all golfers because they have to tee over it or around it in order to reach the 7th hole.