Rather a blurry photo, but the first peacock butterfly of the year for me. Saw quite a few on the Greenside Reservoir track this afternoon. A warm day, bumble bees flying.
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An afternoon walk round the Kilpatrick braes yesterday. Warm and sunny, occasionally clouding over.Egrets, Opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage, lesser celandine, the first primroses of 2026. 5 ravens flew low and fast overhead two pairs twisting together wings loud. A few stonechats on the Muir.
Claude, you are a cutie-pie! – by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Attwood records her conversation with Claude via John Naughton’s daily for Wednesday 18 March, 2026 | Memex 1.1
According the the BBC weather app for my location: Sunrise 06:26 Sunset 18:26
Read: The Cut Up by Louise Welsh ★★★★ 📚
Cat slipped off her jacket. Her arms were decorated with tattoos not yet dense enough to be considered sleeves but numerous enough to declare commitment. She saw me clocking them and gave me a want-to-make-something-of-it stare.
Another crime novel about Rilke, an auctioneer, Glaswegian & nice take on the compromised but conscience driven hero in the criminal borderlands. The novel chases along at a great rate. Especially enjoyed the Glasgow setting. Lots of places I know.
Read: The Spy and The Traitor by Ben Macintyre ★★★★ 📚
On the morning of 4 July, a dishevelled couple in tattered clothes could be seen lounging aimlessly at the end of Victoria Road, Coulsdon, in the South London suburbs. One was Simon Brown, of P5, MI6's head of Soviet bloc operations; the other was Veronica Price, the architect of Gordievsky's escape plan. A Home Counties creature from her pearls to her twinset, Price was not suited to this sort of subterfuge. 'I've borrowed the char's hat,' she announced, as they climbed into their disguises.
I've not read much spy fiction but this true story of a KGB man who betrayed Russia & helped cool Cold War tensions only to be first caught & then escape from the USSR to Britain was quite a trip.
A nice walk round the Ardmore peninsula yesterday, quite windy, low clouds & dull. I’ve updated the script that makes the photo & map grids to show the gpx track as well as the picture positions, pleased with that.
Read: The Wakes by Dianne Yarwood ★★★★ 📚
Reading this between two funerals here. A comic novel set over several funerals in Australia. Covering catering, food, death break ups and new relationships. Good fun.
Walk round the Glen Douglas trio on Thursday. Glorious day. blue sky & touch of frost. Very quite a few skylarks singing & the first frog spawn I’ve seen. walkmap with photos & notes..
#SilentSunday