Trees

 Now with my brother for a couple of days.

We decided that after a long day driving (180 miles) a walk before supper was a good idea...and we found a few large oak trees!

Trees

 We had lunch out today..a little late, so Let's Go For It !!

Then a walk in a park after a browse around the Ayrshire Art Society's annual exhibition.

Pirate on the roadway...for size comparison! I had to angle the camera to get it all in!!

We are trying to get a walk in every day..this was more of a wander.

District Nurse tomorrow, hopefully we will get more answers to questions..or she can tell us who and how to ask....

Palliative care is ok, managing pain...but knowing what is causing the pain would help understanding.

Pirate is chatting with a friend in Whanganui now...how we would love to be there again !  He sends us photos of everyone, great to see how they are getting on.  It raises the spirits, talking with them, gives us hope and strength to carry on.

River Ayr walk

As shopping was done at lunchtime, I decided on adding rolls salad and cheese to the list....then four miles out of Ayr to Auchencruive (properly spelt Auchencraobh) the site old the old Agricultural college..like so many, closed and sold off. The name means Tree field..and it's exactly that. 

We parked by the unused gate and picnicked before our short wander up the River Ayr Way.

This has the look of a Rimu? There are many imported trees from the original owners of the estate over 200 years ago

It is so dry....not water running down the path, but a flow of dry leaves

 

Making the most of the sun

 It was breathtakingly beautiful and warm this morning up in the hills

The plaque was fitted, ready for Monday

The Saltire has been signed by the riders in the Scottish Commonwealth Games teams since Delhi...

Then a picnic lunch and a walk in the woods where one of Pirate's dogs is buried.. underground where he always loved to disappear!!

Beautiful..but the gnomon is pointing the wrong way? This was at about 1.30pm

I didn't go further along that side...it's a loooong way down!!

Then back home and some more quick seed sowing, getting the greenhouse working.

Akaroa

 Yesterday's day out...done then because the cruise ship comes in there today.

There are a few of these...relics of the whaling trade

New houses...with a style nod the the old...they do fit in unlike some

Twisted tree..the rata family can grow as epiphytes, then grow roots down as well as branches up

The post office, still going..

The bank building, for sale

A good café and bakery

We ended up here for lunch. Not sure what this building used to be, but it is rather posh now! Getting gluten free food was a problem, even more so when you want vege as well. It hadn't been a problem anywhere until now.

Wriggly tin roofs everywhere.

We walked up this street...

Church closed, despite the sign saying open

To this

A bit Gaudi influenced...looked interesting, but at 25 bucks each....

To the glorious dead...I am not sure what the population was in the early 1900s....but 116 are recorded as being lost between 1914-1919....and when you think that influenza carried off even more, brought back in the troop ships....

The dark line is the main highway, yellow sealed side roads and grey gravel roads. Green is tramping tracks.

This landed out of sync! ....but most of the place names are French.