Stunning morning at The Centre of the Universe ....

15th August 2016 (Monday) .... 09.30    This is the best morning we’ve had so far this summer;   it was sunny, and warm hot at 07.00.    I went down to the
Elie Bay this morning
beach wearing a light jacket, and that had to come off and be tied around my waist;   it is totally gorgeous here this morning ... and it looks like being so all day.    The beach was quiet, it was 06.45, with only a few birds, and myself, enjoying the ambiance.... however by the time I left the beach to go up  Chapel Green etc on the bike...  (where I had ‘morning coffee’ sitting on the ‘Boss’s Seat’).... the village was waking up.      This is a day for doing things! 

   21.30     This must have been one of the best days we’ve had for a long time .... even though the wind went to the Southeast it didn’t drop the temperature by much.     It was that warm in the late afternoon that I now know where the elusive ant colony is:  it got into a state of excitement and went into mating mode.   There were Queens, and males, (with wings) all over the garden wall at the front gate:   that is where the colony is .... inside the stone wall!   (This is unfortunate for them because I’m going to be cementing the wall in the autumn).    However they didn’t actually ‘take orf’ so I’m guessing the temperature just wasn’t quite right.    All was quiet the last time I looked (about 20.00).... but I’ll be keeping an ‘eye’ on them tomorrow afternoon.     There are ant’s nests all over the place, so there may be others in ‘mating flight’ mode if the
Balcarres Crag 
temperature is right tomorrow.
This afternoon I biked up to Balcarres and had a potter around the crag and Family Chapel area.   The Estate is still looking ‘green’ though you can see that the leaves are beginning to change;  they’re looking old.   It won’t be long before the autumn colours make an appearance.     On the way through Colinsburgh I met, at different places, Jim, William’T’, and Drew and had a natter with all three.    Information gleaned, re things happening in Colinsburgh, was .... nothing was happening in Colinsburgh!     It would appear that the ants nest getting excited was the most moving thrilling event in the EKC Parish today!     
We had a bonnie sunset so today has been one of those, too few and far between,
Queen ant with boys
perfect summer days.    Tomorrow is forecast to be much the same, though it might be mistier in the morning.
Photographs : Top – Elie Bay this morning, Middle – the Victorian folly atop Balcarres crag, and Bottom – a Queen ant... the smaller ones with wings are the ‘boys’.

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