Just a few of images from a recent trip to Monorgan orchard near Longforgan in the Carse of Gowrie.

The past month has seen some damned awful weather; wet, windy and generally unpredictable. Little opportunity to concentrate on much photography. 

The Orchard project is going on fine. A trip to Port Allen and Wester Ballindean, the latter quite a jungle now so difficult getting into the orchard as such. Great haven for wildlife though. Fruit now forming, anticipating a heavy crop. Elsewhere near home I was struck by a bumper harvest of wild cherry (Gean) I came upon, reasonably plump, juicy and quite delicious. I've never encountered cherries like it before, certainly not in Scotland.

Another sighting of a Comma butterfly down in the usual spot, very fresh winged unlike examples earlier in the year.

One day of decent weather with enough promise of it being thus, though the day did have a short phase of dodgy looking weather, returning to form I thought . So, my first trip to Glen Taitneach (pictured bottom) to check out the un recorded folds again and anything else that might catch my eye. Their structure of the folds certainly isn't a simple square, rather sections to the side that are possible 'buchts', sections for actual milking. Next trip to double check on dimensions for recording and submission to relevant historic databases. The folds have their accompanying shieling huts, interesting in their own right.

Earlier on the Folds and Porticos artist walk in Glen Beanie was a reasonable success though we did encounter two very heavy showers that dampened things down a bit, otherwise everyone was happy and a good day was had. Short report here.

With an interest in archaeology and life gone by I was pleased to come across a cup marked stone the other week. It was so obvious I was sure it would have been recorded. No indication on any maps or references to it, so I checked with Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust who kindly (thanks Sarah) checked their Historical Environment Records, no mention of it there either so it has now been duly noted and recorded for the future.

Its in an area near the Drimmie wind farm that has a lot of archaeology, so really no great surprise. I'll have another look around the area sometime soon to see if there are any more.

Some new images from my ongoing orchards project.
These are from Monorgan orchard near Longforgan, the orchard is now free of livestock. Others can be found on the Orchard gallery; Here.

The comma is still in the same location from a few weeks ago, despite less than seasonal weather.

The Comma butterfly that has visited a particular spot down by the woods has returned again this year. I was rather concerned that the recent very cold weather would prevent them coming North. However, today the weather is more like a proper Summer and perfect for butterflies, warm and slightly humid.

I saw two Comma's flitting about and there was an Orange Tip around as well. The Comma's did look a bit weather beaten rather than the pristine as previously but more might follow. Good to see them back.

As a offshoot project for Perthshire Visual Arts Forum I've created a collaborative art project. Taking place in July.
If a member of PVAF and wish to 'collaborate', then please register on the PVAF website.

Here are the details:

Folds and Porticos
of walking in landscapes.

PVAF are inviting members to participate in this exciting collaborative and creative project / experiment.
Responding to the act of transhumance and reflecting also upon the Grand Tour to Italy.
Join us for a day of creative endeavour through a short walk to an upland shieling ground and fold in one of the beautiful Angus glens.

PREAMBLE

From the mid 17th until early 20th century people moved their livestock to summer grazing grounds called shielings in upland glens or remote moorland. Transhumance as this is called was little written about for it was the act of a social group that were in the main pastoral subsistence farmers and of little import. They lived a life of toil with few rewards, finding pleasure in the small rather than the grand.

There were tacit mechanisms that informed this act of transhumance and living at the shielings. Skill and knowledge of the land and livestock were fundamental to this tenuous way of life as was knowledge of the weather and its sometimes dire consequences. They had a rudimentary lifestyle that meant closeness to the landscape, to nature and the elements.

They have left us with little more than shadows, minimal structures that can only hint at their lives and their world, their glens, their hills.

Shieling huts and folds (small animal enclosures) are all that remain. These are the portal upon which our imagination can enter their lives and world. Did they recognise the wonder of their surrounding landscape, that moments of sublimity were being sought by others in far off landscapes. Or did they, on occasion, recognise the sublime in their own microcosm?

While they packed their belongings and tools, preparing for a few weeks away from their farmtouns (the elderly probably remained and the men folk would return to mind the crops) another social group, that of the rich and carefree were packing bags and trunks to make a journey of their own.

The journey of the well-to-do however was not a few miles with livestock to an upland glen and a small shieling hut with few comforts but on what was to become known as the ‘Grand Tour’, setting out to travel hundreds of miles across Europe, principally to Italy - Venice, Rome and Naples. Their concern was not the quality of grazing and livelihood but transport, quality of inns, suitable horses and letters of introduction. Theirs was a year and more long tour rather than toil.

This parallel existence and of great divide foreshadows our lives today.

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Two images from Friarton / Barnhill orchard last week. The trees in a large part of the orchard are being consumed it seems by giant hogweed.

Its the 1st of June and its raining, windy and cold. So much so I've just put the fire on.
The wildlife will take a bit of a hit with this. Young birds and butterflies.

Certainly a lot.

Two quick panoramas while parked up by Loch Ailort. Top image looking across to Eigg and Rum with the Skye cuillins just appearing on the far right. The bottom image across (right half) to Ardnish and Eilean nan Gobhar (Goat Island), with the Sound of Arisaig, coastline and mainland beyond. 
Never let it be said that I can't knock out pretty pictures.

Just a little zingy colour for a change.

A few recent images from a trip to Grange and Port Allen orchards in the Carse of Gowrie. An exciting period with the trees in flower, tracking their transformation is interesting, opening up new visual possibilities. I'll update the Orchards Gallery with these and a few more.

Posted not out of any love for wind farms but by way of a small achievement on my part. With the fast moving blades getting the overlap and their desired positions required many images and considerable masking from one overlap to the next. Thankfully the power of dedicated stitching software then comes into its own.
I've captured 15 of the 16 turbines here, many more are pending planning for the adjacent moorland. The dark hill in the background is Mount Blair.

The stone in the foreground is marking the grave of a dog and is not of any great antiquity. However just a few meters away on a small rise there is a very nice kerb'd hut circle, with a large recumbent stone near its entrance. Worth a visit. I wonder what its occupants would have thought of all that now surrounds them. There are many other hut circles and features in the area.