I saw on the news the UK has a yellow heat warning. They obviously forgot Scotland. Some of our friends are telling us how warm it is where they live and I am telling them it’s ten degrees cooler here.

We can’t do anything about the weather and if we decided to do something on a nice day we would not get a lot done. So it’s carry on regardless.

So with the sky looking overcast and a day off we decided to go for little walk around the end of Loch Tay. It’s a circular walk of about two miles. The view from the end of Loch is stunning and just being near the water with the mountains in the background is such a good feeling.

As we walked around we saw a couple of fishing boats, different birds including a redstart, the sheep in the field with their lambs and we only saw two other people. The silence was nice with just nature calling. The old rusty bridge crosses the river that runs into the Loch and made a nice photo.

After completing the walk we went to visit the old cemetery in Killin which is behind the Killin hotel. I do like old cemeteries with all the old gravestones and history. This is a very old one and with all the leaning gravestones and long grass it sits there on a small piece of land in silence.

We had a visitor last week. Nikki’s sister Jo came to visit for a week. She stayed in Killin. We had our two days off so took her out and about. We went to Ben Lawers dam and the very scenic route up over the mountain and then another scenic route towards Kenmore where we had a picnic on the edge of the eastern end of Loch Tay. We then did the walk around the edge of Loch Tay with Jo, or to be precise Nikki did the walk with Jo while I marched on ahead desperate to get to the pub for a beer. Nikki and Jo joined me in the garden of the hotel for a drink before we went inside to eat.

Our other day off we decided to go for a drive out to St Conans Kirk which is about an hour from where we are based with a lunch stop on the way. Our destination for lunch was a small cafe which was once a small church now called the Artisan cafe. Me and Nikki had always wanted to go there.

After a loverly lunch, thank you Jo, we continued on our way to St Conans Kirk. Another church in lochAwe near Dalmally on the A85. There is a very small carpark but also a couple of lay-bys near by to park. The doors are open and you can pay for your visit by donations which all go to the upkeep of this wonderful old church. I really hope that people do donate. The national trust would charge a fortune for people to walk around a church like this.

There were only about six other people inside on our visit which was nice so taking photos and having lots of time to look around and take in the atmosphere was a pleasure. I also took a black and white photo to remind me of how it would have looked if someone had taken a photo years ago. I think old buildings always look good in black and white.

Then it was time to head home and again the drive on the A85 was stunning. On Jo’s last day the weather was looking good so we had a BBQ cooked by me. Everyone enjoyed it and no one was ill so I must have got it right. I am so glad we had the BBQ because the weather has changed now so we may have just caught the summer in Scotland.

I have still been taking lots of photos of the site and the different bugs I see. And the other day I got a photo which I was very pleased with of a bee collecting nectar. To get this photo I had to get so close I thought the bee would fly off but luckily he stayed where he was. Perhaps he or she was a model bee and just posing for the camera.

Yesterday I went for a 28 mile bike ride along the old railway line between Killin and Callander which was nice. I wanted to go further but my fitness has gone somewhere else at the moment but I am hoping to find it soon.

So that’s us up to date as we head towards the end of the season for us here. I think we have about ten weeks left here this year before we pack the site up and head out on the highway for a U.K. tour to see friends and family.

We are still loving Scotland so much. The Flora and Fauna on site is forever changing. As one plant goes to seed something else pops up and as one bug is spotted another appears.

We went for a walk up in the forest behind us and it had changed so much since the last time we were up there. Everything had grown and certain views we had before had gone because of the trees and bushes all greening up.

But then there were more flowers to see which also means there are more bugs about. The bees were doing what bees do and collecting their nectar. The midges were trying to bite me, yes they are around now.

The birds and the two squirrels are costing me a fortune in food but they give me so much pleasure watching them it’s worth it. The midges have been hiding the last few days because of the wind, they don’t like wind but this morning the wind had dropped so they were out. We have some spray to protect us from them which seems to work and other things like candles etc. we managed to sit outside yesterday afternoon and have a couple of beers without getting bitten so that’s good.

We saw some swallows flying around a few days ago and were hoping they were going to nest in the tractor shed or on the outside of our shack but so far they have not. Swallows are supposed to be a sign that summer is here but they got it wrong this year as it’s been so cold and wet. Perhaps we will have a late summer.

The woodpeckers that go to my feeders (Great spotted woodpecker) are now bringing the young one to feed. Word has got out that Mike provides a good source of food. And a Jay has also started to come around on a daily basis.

A couple of Hares were running around the other day which was great to see. And of course Tufty the red squirrel has been about every day. I can now open the camper window and he is less than three metres away on a feeder and just carries on eating. Again he knows where he is well off.

Two days ago we went for a walk down by Loch Tay and saw evidence of Beavers that had been felling the trees so we know they are about. I would love to get a photo of one but think they prefer to be out in darkness. I also went out on my bike yesterday in Glen Lochay area and spotted a deer in the field feeding.

I also managed to get a couple of Ticks on me. They must like Guinness. Really hard to spot until it’s to late. They can be quite dangerous, not in the way they are going to eat you or attack you but they carry disease so it’s best to get them off you as soon as you can. I now inspect my legs after walking in long grass. I know it would be sensible to put long trousers on but that’s not going to happen. I will take my chances.

I could put so many photos on here of all the Flora and Fauna but it would take a long time so I will end this short blog with some photos of some of the Flora.

So that’s us up to date as I sit here in the camper the rain has yet again started, the temperature is nothing like I was hoping it would be at this time of year but we are in Scotland and it’s stunning.