Rambling Russells

Since our first "tea" a few years ago we look forward to Durisdeer in September. The teas are actually served during July, August and September and have been for almost 50 years! Needless to say the ladies  - & gentlemen -  have serving tea down to a fine art! They can be found in the church hall, next to the church.     We decided to take a walk before our tea - to build up an appetite! Not that we needed to! There is a track that goes beyond the church, leading into the hills. There is even a Roman fortlet further up the track.     After the recent rain the track was rather puddly in places, but as it is a stony track it was not really a problem. The sun shone as we set off although the wind was rather strong. The hills looked lovely - still very green - must be lovely when the heather that covers much of the hills is flowering!     ...

Scotland and Poland have had cultural and trade links since at least the 16th Century but the Second World War saw thousands of Polish troops come to Scotland as allies in the fight against Germany. They were tasked with defending a long stretch of the East coast against invasion. In 1942 the 1st Polish Armoured division, under General Maczek, came to the borders to train and prepare for the liberation of occupied Europe and in that year Barony Castle in Peebles became the main Polish Staff Officer training college.     After the war Maczek, and many of his comrades, including Jan Tomasik, made their homes in Scotland. The 3D map of Scotland was actually the brainchild of Jan Tomasik who had been a Sergeant in the 1st Polish Armoured Division. He had been stationed at Galashiels and married a Scottish nurse in 1942 after being injured and treated in the town's hospital. After the war he became a successful hotelier in Edinburgh and bought...

The weather was very changeable at the beginning of the month, with 60-70mph winds at times during the first week! It seems to be the time of bulbs and corms at the moment - with lilies, dahlias and gladioli giving of their best. The day lily's are a warm mid-orange colour and last for ages despite their individual blooms only lasting one day.     The dahlias are rather lovely. I like their 2-colour flowers.     The gladioli have a most unusual lime green colour.     One of my favourite plants comes into bloom now as well. Fuschias make attention spots around the garden with their different colour flowers and calices. Pruning them right back in the spring seems very drastic at the time, but it certainly reaps rewards now. There are so many varieties to choose from and they are a plant that is easy to take cuttings from.     Ot...

August has been a busy month so our records may not be as complete as they could be! It has been nice to see some birds - other than house sparrows - about in the garden again, and a bonus to see the robin back. Some starlings are beginning to swoop about together - practising for murmurating later perhaps?? Monthly max is as follows: Blackbird - 3 young Bluetit - 3 Buzzard - 2 Coal tit - 1 Dunnock - 1 Goldfinch - 2 adult, 2 young Great tit - 1 House sparrow -50 Jackdaw - 1 Pied wagtail - 1 Robin - 1 Starling - 12 Swallow - 1 Swift - 10, although we have not seen any since 16-8-16 Woodpigeon - 2 Wren - 1 The bees are still very busy around the garden - did mean to go out and do more of a bee count but just never got to do it! Our monthly max should be more than this but here it is: Buff/white tailed bee - 3 Carder bee - 3 Honey bee - 1 Red tailed bee - 2 Tree bumble bee - 1 We have certainly seen an increase this month in the number of butterflies around the garden. As th...

We usually check the route of this bike race to see when it comes close to us. This year Stage 1 travelled from Glasgow to Castle Douglas and Stage 2 headed from Carlisle to Kendal. So plenty of possible locations to see the cavalcade pass by if the weather permitted. We study the route to find somewhere where the bikes are likely to slow down, otherwise it is just a blur and a whoosh. The forecast looked quite good for both days so we headed to St John's Town of Dalry in D&G which was the last sharp bend on narrow roads before the long sprint to Castle Douglas. Away from the crowds outside the village pub, a few locals had gathered at the junction further up the village and we settled down on our folding chairs.   The outriders started to appear about ½ hour before the bikes were due. Firstly the organisers and media photographers in their cars.     Closely followed by Police and Race Marshalls on their motor bikes who ...