The last day of June

A few days ago I spied a field splashed with red, and yesterday I went to look more closely.

Looking north, across the Firth of Forth to a hazy Kingdom of Fife, the field runs alongside the main London - Edinburgh railway line, and as I took my photos a coloured co-ordinated, poppy red Virgin train passed by.

I have a new favourite walk, around another huge and glorious field. In past times I think it was probably two very big fields with a lovely hedge dividing them, but sadly that hedge has now gone and it has been merged into one gigantic field, with a track carved through the middle.

At the moment one half of the field is growing corn, still a glaucous blue and ripening. The other half is barley, rippling and velvety to the eye.

Storm Hector left a lasting impression when he tore across the countryside a couple of weeks ago.

The views all round are magnificent. As I stand and listen to the wind through the grasses, the sky lark above and the occasional buzzy bee, it is hard to believe that Edinburgh city centre is only twelve miles away to the west, and just visible in the blue distance. I would rather be standing here than on Princes Street!

All along the eastern fringe of the field there is a delicious tangle of wild rose, meadow vetchling and blackberry. I also found some goat's beard, which has my favourite seedhead.

On the eastern edge there is also a large and peaceful pond, which currently has a family of coots, with three chicks paddling furiously behind their parents, in and out of the rushes.

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In a vase on Monday - colour

The intense colours in my vase this week come from nasturtiums, sweetpeas and a single glorious zinnia! Their beauty and love of life speak for themselves and need no further words from me! Enjoy!

Colonsay postcards - on arrival

The first thing I do, once we have unpacked our car, which has been groaning with all the stuff we need for a week's stay in the holiday cottage, is head for the outer gardens of Colonsay House. It is a place of wonder for me! I particularly love the leaves of the giant rhododendrons. There are many different varieties, all planted in the early 1930s. The outer gardens are generally overgrown, having had little tending over the decades. That makes them even more magical! The old woodmill falls apart a little more every year, but that's fine by me because I love corrugated iron and especially if it's rusted! And of course the bees. Colonsay's beekeeper, Andrew Abrahams, has one of his apiaries on the edge of the pine wood. So lovely - the hum of busy bees and the heady smell of the pines. We are here - finally! Delayed by four months by the wretched virus, but now I am on holiday! Hooray!

Found items IAVOM

I am on holiday on the Inner Hebridean island of Colonsay. It is my happy place. Thoughts of Colonsay rattle around in my head each and every day I am not here! I haven't got a vase to share this week but some lovely things I have found over the past few days, which are just as beautiful as a vase of flowers! I hope you agree! Here are some leaves of giant rhododendrons, growing in the outer gardens of Colonsay House. Some skeleton leaves of magnolia. The dried stem of a kelp seaweed. A couple of conkers (can never resist those!), and a branch heavily populated by a number of lichens. The air on Colonsay is so clean that lichens flourish here!

the running wave

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