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" ... man to man, the world ower,

Shall brothers be, for a' that."

Robert Burns

I keep the words of Robert Burns at the top of this section.  They NEVER cease to be relevant.

Arogance and ignorance continue to take precedence over the voice of reason. The tunnel vision of too many callous individuals continues to pull in the direction of the abyss.

Call out these bullies and dictators for what they are, whoever they are and wherever they are.

May has turned out to be a bit of a scorcher this year, with very little rainfall.  The rivers are pretty low, and the plants are needing a good drink.  And the dogs Logie and Fin lie basking until they're almost too hot to touch (Though Logie moves to the shade, Fin is still to learn that trick!)

There were quite a few Orange Tip butterflies on the wing, but relatively low numbers of other species (Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and a single Red Admiral).  Hopefully this year will be better than last in terms of insect numbers.

Dry and sunny weather prevailed for most of April, but with a cold easterly wind during the first half of the month.  The first butterflies appeared - Peacocks and a solitary Small Tortoiseshell early in the month, and a bonus of a female Emperor Moth warming her wings on the south-facing wall of the house. Then, synchronised with the flowering of the Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis) aka Pasque Flower aka Lady's Smock, the bonnie sight of male Orange Tips in search of females (which appear later on).  Prolific Dandelion flowers are ready and waiting for Bees, which sadly are few and far between.  Hopefully this year will not be quite such a disaster as 2024, as far as the Butterfly and Bee populations are concerned.

And my first fish of 2025 - a beautiful 20lb Pike, caught on "fly" (a big, hairy, yellow lure) and, of course, released.

March is here, bringing some warm, sunny weather, bird song and blossoming flowers.  Had an hour on the Tummel on the 15th (Opening day of Brown Trout Season), but no trout or grayling.  ALMOST caught a very ambitious minnow!

The 20th Niel Gow Festival went very well and, as it so often does, the sun came out for the 50 (!) folk who came on the Niel Gow Walk on Sunday.

On Monday 24th, Fin arrived - an 11-week old Cocker Spaniel, and a friend (we hope) for Logie!

The wee bird (below) is a European Robin (Erithacus rubecula), quite different from its North American namesake!  Small, cute looking and very trusting of humans - but aggresively territorial when it comes to other Robins!

Mid-December, and a period of sustained high barometric pressure has brought freezing temperatures and beautiful sunny days.

Sadly, one of our visiting Whooper Swans (a juvenile) was killed when he collided with a power line.

Our weather during the first half of November has been incredibly mild, with very little wind or rain.  This has prolonged the display of glorious autumn colours, with the leaves remaining on the trees quite a bit longer than usual. In mid-month, an airstream from the Arctic brought the first really cold days, but with high pressure persisting to give us blue skies and sunshine.

Whooper Swans and Greylag Geese have joined our resident Canada Geese in the stubble fields.

September is here, and that means a lot of fishing. Of course, a lot of fishing does not necessarily mean a lot of fish!  But I did have a good day on Loch Broom (the Perthshire one, not the sea loch in Wester Ross) - 17 wild Brown Trout, all caught and released.  Such beautiful creatures!

The weather in August was a mixed bag, with some very warm sunshine on occasion, but a lot of windy days.  This was especially true during our recent trip to Ireland.  We took a fortnight to drive around the perimeter of this beautiful country (clocked up 1,700 miles!).  I was hoping to catch an Atlantic Bass on fly, but the weather put paid to that.  It was a grand trip, never the less.  And I did have a grand day on the legendary Lough Currane with Neil O'Shea.

Earlier in the month I enjoyed playing for classes at the annual RSCDS (Royal Scottish Country Dance Society) Summer School in St Andrews.  That was a week of warm, sunny weather.  I played for two excellent teachers - Lyndsey Ibbotson and David Queen, and the participants were a truly international crowd, with many having travelled from Japan and North America.

The beginning of June and some very warm weather was quickly blown away by very cool winds from the north-west. A temporary setback - hopefully!

But at the end of May there came the very sad news of the passing of my good friend Rod Paterson.  His velvet vocals graced the albums of Jock Tamson's Bairns, The Easy Club, Ceolbeag and, most recently, Bring In The Spirit.

And featured in Bill Bryden's terrific productions "The Ship" and "The Big Picnic".  He will be sorely missed.

The month of May and some warmer weather has arrived (at last). Most of our summer migrant birds have returned and I have heard Cuckoos. 

It's not all good news however.  I'm very sad to to report that the male Osprey of the pair nesting at Loch of the Lowes was found dead at the beginning of the month.  This leaves the female sitting on eggs and faced with the dilemma of leaving them exposed to the cold and to potential predators while she goes to find food. 

Thursday night Sessions in Dunkeld - The popularity of the Taybank Session continues!  (Get there early i.e. before 8pm) The other, much slower, session is now at Erigmore in Birnam (up St Mary's road, behind the Birnam shop), also beginning circa 8pm.