I wrote this post originally in May 2020 during the Covid lockdowns, where we were all confined to our home areas for weeks on end. I kept it when I migrated to this site as a reminder of these weird times and the wonderful spring weather, when we couldn't go anywhere. Unedited text below.
In this state of lockdown, we are all constrained in where we can travel and who we can meet. We should stay close to home so trips to the hills or the seaside for walking or photography are impossible. I make a point of getting out for a local walk for an hour or so every day so I set myself a wee challenge to chose 10 images taken from 10 walks on consecutive days. I called this the 10-10-10 Challenge.
We are fortunate that we live on the edge of Aberdeen with easy access to woods and countryside. From our garden, there is a path to the Deeside Way - a walking and cycling trail from Aberdeen to Banchory. So, the images here are not of empty streets and closed shops - it's only a lockdown for people, not nature.
13th May 2020
3rd May 2020. Our car had been sitting unused in the driveway for six weeks and I was a wee bit concerned about the battery going flat. So we had a short drive into Aberdeen to charge the battery (rule-breaking, I guess as it was not essential travel). But it gave us the opportunity to walk somewhere different. So we walked around Hazelhead park where we found this spider sculpture.
4h May 2020. On the Deeside Way, lots of the trees are now in flower. I'm not great at tree identification but according to my plant identification app, this is the flower of a grey willow tree.
5th May 2020. Deeside golf course - without golfers. In Scotland (unlike England), the access laws allow you to walk on golf courses anytime but you do so at your own risk when there are golfers around. The lockdown means that we can enjoy these spaces without worrying about stray golf balls.
6th May 2020. This is Murtle Den, a delightful spot near to where we live that we only discovered when looking at Google Earth for some different walks. Unfortunately, there are gardens that lead down to the loch so it isn't possible to walk around it (access laws don't allow you to walk through people's gardens)
7th May 2020. After a week of blue skies, the weather changed from the west and today it rained. Luckily, it was short-lived and we were back to sunshine the following day.
8th May 2020. Dandelions are hated by serious gardeners but I quite like their cheery yellow flowers. There's lots of them on the Deeside Way.
9th May 2020. Another golf course walk today. We found these wee wild flowers at the edge of the course near the river and had no idea what they were. I downloaded a plant identification app which identified them as candy flowers - I'd never heard of them before.
10th May 2020. The colour of May in eastern Scotland is yellow. There's whin (gorse in English) and broom flowers everywhere with fields of bright yellow oilseed rape and even a few late daffodils. I liked the contrast here of the yellow flowers against the blue sky. Taken on a walk to woods near our house.
11th May 2020. On the Deeside Way again. This was originally a railway line from Aberdeen to Banchory that was built so that Queen Victoria could travel to Balmoral Castle - her Scottish residence. I suspect it was never profitable and it was closed in the 1960s. Every bridge had a number and I was amazed to see how clear this one still was. I liked the dappled light on this pillar with the encroaching ivy.
