ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Monday 24 February 2014

NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT. (24/02/14)

It has been a good day. Warm, no wind, little rain and no pictures.

It was drizzling on our first walk but warm. I decided to go looking for reindeer. They are farmed here much like hill sheep are in more temperate regions. We walked for three hours but never caught a glimpse of them.

_V0G8102  Visibility was good and they are not small. No sign of them anywhere.

_V0G8101  These are within a couple of hundred yards of the van and are kept in a pen for tourists. You can pay to go in and get better photographs but they don’t let dogs in. I only took this snap for Carol. Carol they are like a horizontally orientated Kangaroo but with antlers.

_V0G8111  By lunch time it was sunny and warm.

_V0G8110   Even the midges had come out for a fly around……No pun intended.

_V0G8113  On the way back I called at the shop for a new bottle of gas but they have run out. I did see this Pine marten. It’s stuffed as Bill in the shop should be for running out of gas.

Tomorrow I’ll take the van into Aviemore, diesel up and get gas. I’ll do a food shop and then have a run up the mountain if the weather is clear enough for pictures.

That is the sum total of a rather disappointing day.

29 comments:

  1. I though birds in flight were hard! Arise Sir Adrian for the midge flight shot:o)
    Did you go looking for reindeer on your own or did you go out with "tourists guide"? When I was a kid there used to be a place on the side of the road on the way to the ski centre, and they took you up into the hills and they'd call the reindeer over to you so you can feed them, probably not there anymore it was a long time ago.

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    1. No, they don't take dogs on the guided job and it costs money. These are at the same place it's the same set up but the herds wander where they like now.
      I was lucky with the midges they aren't sharp. It took me three goes and another three wouldn't have gone amiss.

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  2. Scottish reindeers must be a very special breed indeed if they're "like kangaroos" :) I had no idea there were any at all in Britain!

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    1. Monica, there are loads here. There are more of them somewhere else in Scotland. If I manage to find them running free I'll look into the job a bit more. They walk on four legs and don't hop on two. That's how I can tell the difference.

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  3. Number 2 looks like warmish days in the Winter here. The reindeer do not look happy. I have a hard time looking at stuffed animals. I can't tell much about the midges but I'm amazed you got a picture of them.

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    1. David, the deer are happy enough. I too dislike taxidermy.
      I wasn't in the mood today or I would and should have spent an hour on the Midges.

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  4. The midge picture reminds me of the Cottingley Fairy pictures, its just beautiful. Well done.

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    1. Cath, it is on that stamp or of that ilk. I should have got in closer and done a better job but I was fed up and manually focusing for an hour on flies was a step too far today.

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  5. Adrian ~ (BIG smile over breakfast for the reindeer pic. I really thought you were pulling my leg about reindeer there). Thank you :) that will set me up for a great day. I wouldn't let your pups near kangaroo either. Have a great Tuesday.

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    1. Carol, I think they were introduced from Sweden. I will see if I can find them wandering on the hill.

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  6. Never mind, I enjoyed it. The Midges, the Raindeers, even when they were tied up.

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    1. Bob, midge photography has possibilities. They have got to have a use.

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  7. Eat more baked beans then you can create your own gas. Rubber tubes up the dogs' arses would also help.

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    1. YP, many a true word spoken. Alf could power the van on his own.

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  8. I never get tired of your mountain scenery and the ski tows. I wonder if anybody skis there?

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    1. Red, it is packed when the wind drops. That two and one of the top ones were theonly tows not working yesterday.

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  9. I've never seen a reindeer but if I ever do I'm sure I'll remember your description of them as horizontally orientated Kangaroo. That really made me laugh!

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    1. Pauline, don't forget the antlers. Reindeer are gentle creatures unlike most of our native deer which can be nasty tempered little devils.

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  10. Midges? In winter? Thank heaven the Island midges haven't caught on to that one.

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    1. Graham, it was a warm afternoon. I didn't have a jacket on.

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  11. There were several clouds of midges here yesterday but I failed to get a sharp photo of any.

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    1. John, I changed the focus screen for a prismatic one. It is perfect or the job. They are about £25.00p and it's a five minute fiddle to fit them.

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  12. Oh Adrian you looked for the reindeer in their wild life, but you were not afraid? or fear that the dogs go by reindeer? Well they do nothing i think but the dogs are hunting for nature or?
    Well anyway what a pity that you have not seen them however in the free state...

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    1. Laura, Reindeer aren't dangerous. I keep the dogs on the lead when there are deer around.
      I'll keep looking for them.

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  13. Your landscapes, as usual, good.

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  14. La primera imagen se parece al Covatilla de Béjar:))
    Un abrazo.

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    1. Estaciones de esquí se ven bien en invierno, pero puede ser un poco de un lío en el verano.

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  15. I love the one of the "midges" - never heard of these creatures before, much like the Pine marten. Sometimes I wonder if there are actually unicorns on the British Isles, but due to the unfortunate hostilities between our nations, England has never got around to sending us a breeding pair for our zoos. If reindeer are anything like the deer in Alabama, I would not be surprised that they were hard to find, in spite of their size; here, they are hunted for sport, and though I find the practice to be a bit too distasteful for my liking, it only takes a few bolting in front of one's car in the dead of night to make one start thinking about acquiring a rifle of one's own. Like most things in life, they are majestic until they become an annoyance. I have heard that kangaroos are viewed by Aussies in much the same way!

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