We had a slower start to the day because it was Sunday….The daylight streamed in early dawn but soon turned to black rain clouds.

The 3 of us breakfasted in our room. My son Jak phoned from Spain….rubbing salt into the wounds as they had bright blue skies, high temperature and were about to walk the dogs….whilst we waited for a dry moment to bolt to the car.

Today was a ‘Jackson’ mystery tour….John had the map and directed us up into the hills. There was an absolute palette of colours…the most striking being the vibrant yellow gorse, sparklingly bright from the rain…what a picture..

There was also beds of bluebells in roadside woodlands….

…clumps of daffodils still bloom…

Lambs of various ages all added to our belief that Scotlands cooler climate allows its nature to flourish at what we call ‘the normal time of year’. Where as down south our daffodils and bluebells were over a month ago.

We were also amazed at the most beautifully kept gardens in the little hamlets and villages. The array of wonderful colourful rhododendrons were absolutely stunning.

We stopped at a view point…one side was bright sunshine whilst the other was grey low cloud…I just managed to get a couple of shots before the heavens opened …

We drove on enjoying the views in the dry warmth of the car.

Around lunch time we arrived back at The Kelpies, where we ate our sandwiches and used their conveniences.

Then we dropped John at Falkirk High Station so he could go and train spot, while Dad and I went back to the hotel.

We picked John up at 18.20 and went straight to the Beijing Banquet again….we had enjoyed it so much a few days ago we decided to do an “eat, repeat” experience..

Tomorrow we have along trip up to Inverness.