Not a Heron

The alarm went off at 4:15am....I panicked. Such an early alarm meant that I was awake well before it and I was already making breakfast. Would it wake Rosemary up? Nope.....Fewwwww

At 4:55am I was on a fully laden bike, heading off to Yellowcraig. I had an image in my head and my geekery meant that I was predicting an amazing riding sun. Perfect to catch Fidra. It was great with no cars on the road. Google Maps said it would take around 1 hr 50 to get there...and as a super rapid cyclist, I predicted 1 hr 30! Google Maps was right and the sky was a fire red by the time I got to Dirleton! I was gonna be late! After locking my bike and getting my kit ready, I jogged to the beach. The lighthouse and the arch in the rock was lit up by magnificent natural light! 

Shite......my big lens was too big and the more I rushed, the slower I went. I got the 35mm on, fired off a few hand-held (image 2) and then tried to get my tripod up! Then a big cloud came and the magnificent light was gone! My tripod is rubbish.....it takes 5-mins to fine-tune! I wish I hadn't got a cheap one! 

Afterwards, I pottered about on the beach for a while, watching the birds: a few herons (I didn't take any pictures), some godwit, oystercatchers and an assortment of seagulls. But even by 8:30am, the beach was starting to get busy and the wildlife started to hide. I had a wee snack, some tea and then started to desperately need the toilet (not the kind I can use a bush for). The next hour was unpleasant. By the time I got to the Yellowcraig toilet, I was considering calling a midwife. I was panting like Rolf Harris (not a good thing) and had started to sweat! Ohhhh no....East Lothian Council had shut all its public loos because of COVID! I tried the ones in Direlton 'just in case'.....my day was ruined! Wait.... I'll try Archerfield (closed), Muirfield....maybe not. Yay....a cafe was open in Gullane. The happy event occurred just after 10am! My scone and coffee was all the better for it.

I then pedalled to Aberlady where I took this pic. I really like it and my other shots weren't amazing today. 

I wasn't settled though. The paths were too busy. It's such a dichotomy that it's nice that more people are enjoying the outdoors, but not so nice that my fav' peaceful places are less peaceful as a result. The birds don't liked people and I basically saw very few creatures apart from a big hairy caterpillar. After my packed lunch, I decided to head home but stopped off to see what was going on at Musselburgh lagoons first. Mainly greylag geese! 

Now I am tired! It was quite a day!