After the storm

The calm after the storm. By the time I was up and around this morning with my camera, the water levels in the Annan were already going down, although that is not obvious from this photo, looking north from the garden!

That's the river behind the trees on the left. What was different from normal was the roar of the water.

I took this pic from the bottom of the garden.

Downstream from Skip.

Where is the actual river?

All very well to take these pics of the power of water, but not so enjoyable if your home is threatened. Sympathy for those, as the news today has been full of horror stories of residential and commercial properties affected.

For me, there was only a little inconvenience as access to the Jocksthorn Bridge was blocked.

The water had been very much higher during the night, and was still flowing from the field over the road mid morning.

Pics © Skip Cottage

Skip island

It certainly has been a bad storm! The River Annan is well over its banks near Skip today, not surprisingly, as it's been raining non stop for more than 24 hours. And the weather forecasters are predicting that there's more to come! At least Skip stands well above the river (fingers crossed).

I'm sorry for those further down Annandale who may not be so fortunate. Today is certainly not a day for driving around Dumfries and Galloway. Thoughts are with those who have to be out and about.

You will have seen this field to the north of the cottage here and here. It's a lake today!

It is flood plain, so this is not unexpected. Apparently the river was diverted to its current path, just out of sight on the left, when the railway was built in the middle of the 19th century. The river used to come in from the right and run along the north slope of the garden in the foreground!

The only silver lining is that the garden pond doesn't need filling!

More on Copland's Monument

Earlier this year, my explorations took me on to the hills behind the Minnygap farms, on the west side of Annandale, see here. I posted photos of this interesting construction, marked on the maps as Copland's Monument, and noted that I could find no documentation of who Copland was.

Jim Storrar, author of two Moffat Miscellany books which I've mentioned before (see here), has been in touch to say that he has 'stumbled upon' a reference in the Dumfries Weekly Journal of Tuesday, 26th July, 1803, which explains that Copland was a local shepherd killed on the morning of 20th July, 1803. Thanks Jim.

The paper says, "On Tuesday night and Wednesday last we had a violent storm of thunder and lightning here, accompanied with some very heavy showers of rain. We are sorry to state, that Mr John Copland of Monygap (sic), about five miles from Moffat, while he was going to look after his sheep, on Wednesday morning, was struck with the lightning and instantly killed."

Presumably the monument was erected soon thereafter, making it more than 200 years old!

Photos © Skip Cottage. The dog is Tally!

Autumn colour

The rain has been battering Skip all day and the wind is stripping the leaves from the trees. Autumn is here. On Thursday I had a last look around the garden before the winter hibernation! This splash of red really stood out.

Six years ago when I was setting out this lavel of the garden, I made a trip up to the Tree Shop at Cairndow, and came back with three small trees which I hoped would become the focal points of the garden. I haven't spent much money in the garden, but this was, for me at the time, quite a major purchase! It's taken a few years, but this Acer is becoming established and I'm sure you will agree it is making its mark. It's all to do with anthocyanins, see here!

On the other hand, this michaelmas daisy was a division from a friend and appears to like its new home. I don't know what cultivar it is, but that doesn't matter a whit!

I'm pleased to say that my neighbours got the forage maize safely gathered in!

First frosts

For the past two mornings there has been a sheen of white over the fields. Cold and frosty mornings have arrived. The 'non stop' begonias immediately stopped, keeling over and dying, and heralding the demise of the summer containers (look back here and here). The priority has been this week to plant up something to add a bit of colour at the front of the house through the winter. Here's what was accomplished, looking a bit miserable at the moment. But let's see what they look like in February and March when the bulbs push through.

Someone has to tell these little Coreopsis. Grown originally as a biennial, these two plants are in their second year of flowering, and have so far taken no notice of the cold! Very cheery.

The big job next year will be to do something with the heather and shrub border.

Yes, I do sit here and ponder... occasionally.

Michaelmas daisies and Kaffir lillies still provide colour, although most of the garden is getting past its best.

Clematis tangutica 'Bill Mackenzie' is my 'plant of the month'!

The other job that did get done (and I'm not going to list all that did not) was to get one of my three compost 'bins' ready for all the leaves. Skip is surrounded by a number of very large beech trees, and will be awash with leaves soon. I'm ready for them this year!

Rainbows over Annandale

Spectacular showers today, and lots of rainbows. Here's one, looking east from near Cogries towards Craig Fell. I almost felt I was inside the rainbow. But the pot of gold remains elusive!

Chasing steam

I'm standing in a field (above). Near a railway line. And I'm not alone. I encountered a lot of really strange people today. They were standing beside roads, in laybys, on bridges, and on station platforms. They were predominantly male, of an older vintage, although wives and partners could be seen often sitting in cars close by, reading, and, in one case, knitting. They operated cameras, and video cameras, and sometimes both. They were in touch with others by mobile phone. These patient people came from all over Scotland, and the north of England. All of them completely daft.

They are Mainline Steam Railway fans!

I learned from them facts like, "She was on time at Oxenholme." "A little late leaving Gretna." "It's a sell out, no seats when I tried to book." "It's the first time a Jubilee has been in Scotland for forty-five years." (Really?) "It's just as well she's not stopping at Beattock, so she can take a run at the hill." "Why hasn't she got a banking engine for going up Beattock, when she's got one tomorrow morning for Cowlairs?"

These people study their OS Maps and are expert in navigating the smallest of back roads.

I heard reminiscences about standing on platform ends in the 60s, visiting sheds, travelling on heritage lines. I met people that were following the train, by car, all the way to Mallaig!

These are really strange people! I'm one of them. Here are a few of my photos.

What we were all looking out for was LMS Jubilee Class 4-6-0 no 45690 Leander, pulling the Preston - Glasgow leg of the Railway Touring Company's three day excursion, The West Highlander, here photographed near Langhill Farm on its approach to Lockerbie.

A thing of beauty. Read about Leander here and here.

It does look as if this supermarket is providing a needed drink.

Pulling away from Lockerbie station.

I need a video camera! (If you want to see what Leander is like on the move, look here.)

Stopped for a rest in a loop on the Main West Coast Line near Abington.

At speed on its way up the Clyde valley near Lamington. What a wonderful day!

Pics © Skip Cottage.