Monday Walks

  To be honest, this may be a bit of a cheat. We didn't leave home specially for this wee walk. It was Sharon's birthday and, as usual, we went away for a few days. As it happens, this walk was done on the day before her birthday, but it was certainly the most enchanting of the walks we did whilst we were away it, so it qualifies as our weekly walk! The day did not, however, start well! There was a long and convoluted saga around getting some nice food for a picnic, which I will not go into here. Suffice to say that we did get something to take away in the car after some sweary words and angst. Then, off we set on the scenic route I had chosen for the day. It wasn't long before we found ourselves beside the picturesque Loch Nell. I expect that the name Loch Nell is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Loch Na h-Eala - The loch of the swan. In any event it was very quiet and tranquil and helped to sooth the morning's troubles away. From there we carried on to Balgowan woodland...

  A bit far afield for our joyful walk this week We were down near Bridge of Earn, taking Blue, the blind dog, back to his home and getting things ready for Sharon's sister and husband to come back from their holiday. We have often thought about visiting the Japanese Garden near Dollar, so today was to be the day! We expected a serene and peaceful walk. The presence of a large bus full of very loud school children threatened to prevent our serenity. Inside the reception building, we spotted this. It did not immediately jump into my mind, but if even one of the screaming hordes noticed a sliver of joy, then it would be possible to believe that the garden had, indeed, planted a seed for tomorrow. Or, am I just a grumpy old man? We didn't hang around and made for the garden immediately, to try and get ahead of the excitable children. We could glimpse the tranquillity beyond the trees and the bridge. It really was quite tranquil and inviting. The Garden is called Sha Raku En - the ...