348.
Liam and I had a good day today. This morning I agreed to let him buy a Playstation game off Ebay with the money he has made by selling some of his old games. It is a game that he has been after for a long, long time, and one which has, apparently, been withdrawn from the UK market. A strategy shoot-em-up is how he describes it. By way of thanks, he agreed to mow the lawn (such as it is). After lunch, we sat and watched a little bit of TV, then I decided that it was time for me to get out the house. I may not be able to walk very far, but I can drive as far as the car can take me. I convinced Liam that an afternoon up Glen Clova had to be better than sitting playing 'Nation State' on the internet (the latest craze, apparently), He eventually agreed, and off we went. I am ashamed to say that in the 15 years that I have lived in Dundee, I have never before been to Glen Clova. There are five Angus glens (glen is the Scottish word for valley), and I have only ever been the full length of one of them - Glen Isla. I remember then thinking that we really must visit all five, as they are all beautiful and all different. So that's me struck number two off the list. I have been a few hundred yards up Glen Esk, but that doesn't really count. Weather permitting, next weekend we will head up Glen Prosen - said to be the most beautiful of the five because it is one of the least accessible. We shall see. Anyway, the weather was perfect for a trip to the Highlands. It was warm, dry and hazy. Judging the lighting conditions was always going to be a problem - so most of the shots I took were bracketed (remember, I only use manual lenses - because I can't afford the automatic ones). It is places like this that wide angle lenses come into their own - but I resisted the temptation to use the 18mm auto lens, preferring instead to stick with the 28-200mm lens for its flexibility. I paid £50 for this lens, and while it is not brilliant at any one thing, it is a useful piece of glass. So much so that it was never off the camera. So, back to the journey, we rounded a corner and came across this little collection of lambs gamboling in the field. As I stood taking photos of them, they moved closer to me - obviously curious (they haven't learned to be sheep yet) - so I was able to get some magical shots. Liam and I spent some time just gazing in awe at the scenery, and thinking how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful and small country. A refreshment stop was made at the Glen Clova Hotel at the head of the glen, before heading off back to Dundee via Kirriemuir (birthplace of J. M. Barrie), Glamis (birthplace of the late Queen Mother) and Tesco (home of fine wines and mineral waters). My leg may be very sore at the moment, but it was worth it to spend some quality time with Liam experiencing some awesome scenery.