River Doon

After the rain we've had, the River Doon is running as high as I've ever seen it.



The building in the centre is the Brig o'Doon House Hotel with the main window of the function suite (I won't shock you with the minimum cost of a wedding there) showing.

The partial building you can see in the top right is the Burns Monument in Alloway.

Rare visitor

Hi folks, I'm back from a successful, if somewhat damp, bird-watching trip. I'll post a couple of photographs once they are all downloaded. Meanwhile, we had a visitor to our own bird table at home this morning. Apologies for the slight blurring, but I was taking these with the big lens hand-held and I'm not as steady as I once was. You'll note how different the colour seems depending on the magnification and angle of the shot - it is the same animal each time.

Ayrshire Countryside

These two photographs were taken at the same time and from the same place as the second photograph yesterday.

Instead to looking South, I looked to the West to the Brown Carrick Hills overlooking Alloway. The peculiar objects are communication masts.



Then, looking to the north over the village of Dalrymple, you can see the viaduct of the Ayr to Dalmellington railway, opened in 1856.

Calm Doon

........... or in this case, anything but.

I took this picture outside the Brig O'Doon House Hotel just after a night of heavy rain. This stretch of the river is just visible in some of the earlier photos of the River Doon taken upstream from the railway bridge.

The river is not as calm and gentle as it was then!

Autumn Leaves

Just before the strong winds and heavy rain sets in, we went for a walk passing through Rozelle Estate. The dead leaf colours are brilliant.

Fungus

Let me immediately confess that I have absolutely no idea what sort of fungus this is - that's one of the many areas of ignorance I have. So if anyone can identify please do.

There were three or four of them at the edge of a park area beside the road, looking for all the world like small white pegs.

Bridges

Today's photograph is of the Alloway Old (15th Century) Bridge in the background and New Bridge (1816)in the foreground.

The Old Bridge is immortalised in the poem Tam O'Shanter by Robert Burns; this saved it from demolition at the time the New Bridge was built.



The photograph was taken from the bridge built to carry the Ayr / Turnberry / Girvan Light Railway

Old v New

Went out for lunch today to the Alloway Inn, which used to be the Ivy House, which used to be the North Park House Hotel. The first photograph shows it from a distance over the allotments. This is the new, since the building was put up about 10 years ago.



At a slightly different angle over the same allotments, we see Bellisle Hotel, which started life as Bellisle House in the early 1800s. This is the old.



I thought I'd give you a slightly closer view of Alloway Inn.

Calmer Water

This photograph is of the River Doon, taken from the main road bridge over the Doon in Alloway looking towards the bridge which carried the now defunct Ayr / Turnberry / Girvan light railway.

Home - Garden Plants

If you remember my post on the 1st of May concerning East Lugtonridge Garden, this is a view of the plants I bought there. All are blooming well.



Please bear with me over the next week or so - my posting is likely to be a bit erratic.

Robert Burns (9)

On the day before we celebrate his birthday, a picture of Burns Cottage where he was born.

Robert Burns (6)

In March 1814, Alexander Boswell, son of James Boswell, first mooted plans to create a monument to Robert Burns. Eventually in 1823 the 70 foot monument opened. The location of this classic Grecian temple was selected for superb views of Burns Cottage, Kirk Alloway and the Brig o'Doon. From its roof, visitors can see the River Doon and the Carrick hills.

Tam o'Shanter (6)

Since tonight was dry and I wanted to see how this camera performed at night, I thought I'd take an photograph closely equated to what 'Tam' might have seen.

So here is Kirk Alloway - floodlit and with the sodium street light adding the colour.

Robert Burns (2)

The gravestone of the parents of Robert Burns located in Kirk Alloway graveyard.

Tam o'Shanter (4)

The bridge in question in Tam o'Shanter.

Now, do thy speedy-utmost, Meg,
And win the key-stone o' the brig

Tam o'Shanter (3)

When, glimmering thro' the groaning trees,
Kirk-Alloway seem'd in a bleeze,

The very church referred to, but during daylight hours! I was taking no chances.

Tam o'Shanter (2)

This is the other planter situated outside the Cottage where Burns was born in Alloway.

Tam o'Shanter

This planter is situated outside the Cottage where Burns was born in Alloway.

My nom de plume

It's January, it's Ayr, ergo it must be Robert Burns [January 25, 1759 – July 21, 1796]

With considerable self-control I've managed so far not to put any 'Burns' photographs up on the site and I've only included (I think) one reference to him, but that now changes.



My nom de plume comes, of course, from the poem "Tam o'Shanter"

(Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a town surpasses,
For honest men and bonie lasses)

and under the circumstances expect more than a few pictures of, and cross-references to, the Bard in the forthcoming days.