More Neglect

Mindful of the rain prognosis from last night's weather forecast, I was anxious to escape early from the castle and cycle round the marches of the estate without getting wet.
Getting out was a tiptoe affair to avoid waking all the sleeping bodies, but I did make it to discover a lovely morning to share with the small rabbits playing 'chicken' on Braid Hills Road. With very little traffic again, they were safe to scuttle off into the undergrowth as I approached and get to live another day.
The sun was making a brave attempt to break through the clouds, never quite succeeding, but bringing a welcome brightness to the streaky ribbons of clouds to the east.

On my return, I discovered that not only were all the rooms in the castle still occupied by sleeping bodies, but his Lordship who had been out to the land of sweat and testosterone, had brought back a badly injured bird to die peacefully, as he saw it, in the only unoccupied room. The only trouble being that it didn't seem to be doing it very quickly, so we called the SSPCA and they came very promptly and took the poor wee thing away.

The young ones had their own agenda for the day so his Lordship and I took off for West Linton for coffee and after a drive down the Lyne valley we thought to have lunch at Traquair. However the new charge of £2.50 each just to get into the grounds struck the wrong note and we about turned and had a picnic instead on the moors above Innerleithen. Really just as enjoyable.

In the Lyne Valley I couldn't help noticing all the sheep with bad haircuts and the absence of lambs. I don't want to think about where the latter might be, but I fear mint sauce comes into the equation.

Today's blip makes me a trifle guilty because the inside of this hut door has had no cosmetic input from us in all the years we've been in the castle. Shocking, I know but it makes for a more interesting image, don't you think?