I took the title from a not-uncommon Scottish road-sign that indicates that the banking of the carriageway is counter to the curve…. I thought it suggestive of mornings that begin with insufficient coffee and other disoriented times…. Today, however—a great day! (Just didn’t want to forget the phrase….)

We came across this pair in this order about a tenth of a mile apart. They each waved as we went by, leaving them plenty of room. Big horse, I think the draft variety.

Later, we encountered several groups of bicyclists. Took me a while to figure out people were (skipping church) enjoying a Sunday outing.

We set a route through Galloway Forest Park…I think almost all the trees are planted. We also saw tree-free moor. In the second shot, you may be able to see a circular stone wall near the bottom of the photo. I think this is an unused animal enclosure, probably for sheep before this became a forest preserve.

These cattle didn’t seem spooked…they are among over a dozen that ran across this field in a line rather than a bunch/herd, I think to meet up with buddies. Hard to know cattle motivation, though….

The sheep in the second paddock were utterly non-plussed.

We drove to the end of the road on the Machars peninsula and had lunch at a special “carvery” Sunday buffet, today highlighting roasted pork loin cut to request and homemade apple sauce, plus crusty baked peeled potato chunks. Yum.

I took this photo of the harbor as we arrived in Isle of Whithorn (means white house, and is on a peninsula not an island, but no matter), and the tide was waaaaay out. I loved the little red car out with the seaweed clusters on the sand. By the time we left, the car was gone and all these boats were afloat.

We also checked out the roofless ruin of St. Ninian’s chapel on the headland, which Historic Scotland states was built about 1300. Ninian is traditionally considered to have lived in the 300s to 400s, but the historical references may be myth-fiction. While the on-site signs indicate pilgrims who landed here came to this chapel to recover from their sea legs before making their way several miles inland to the Candida Casa (white hut), the first Christian “building” in what is now Scotland.

I know nothing about dating ancient mortars, but I am skeptical that the ruin is really that old. Or maybe I’m just ignorant….

’Tis the season for these lovely deep blue flowers. I have been seeing them everywhere, along with white flowers that look like not-parsley and may be hemlock, and pink flowers I’m just not sure of.

I finally found someone to ask today. They are bluebells, Hyacinthoides non-scripta. Duh.

This website says almost 50% of the world’s bluebells are in the UK, and that they are the preferred flower of the house goblin. My house goblin never mentioned them….

This entry was posted in outdoors on Sunday, 7 June 2015 at 5:36 pm.
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