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Liam and I went to see The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and laughed just about all the way through it. Despite the introduction of American actors to play some of the characters that in the BBC series of 25 years ago were all British, I doubt that many Americans will get it since the humour is very, very British. It was nice seeing it upgraded and making use of the advances in CGI technology since Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect stumbled across British TV screens all those years ago. We came out of the cinema and headed off up to Blairgowrie where there are a number of castles waiting to be added to the castle gallery. I managed to capture two of the five that are within a mile of the town centre. The two that I got were easily accessible by car; the remaining three involve fairly lengthy walks up muddy farm tracks - so they can wait until my leg and the weather are both a little better - I don't think that they are going anywhere anytime soon. I am certainly glad that I was not living in these parts during the 13-17th centuries, since the number of castles that there are about here dating from those years strongly suggests that neighbouring landowners either didn't get on with each other or their own clansmen - and quite possibly both. It is only fair to note, though, that the majority of the castles are not castles in the way that people generally picture castles - all curtain walls, ramparts and turrets. It has to be said that there are not that many castles of that type in Scotland - or at least not in the east of Scotland. What we tend to have here are fortified tower houses that were intended to offer the residents some protection from attack by small groups rather than to protect towns from attack by large armies. Nonetheless, the fact that there are so many so close together (and often in view of one another) suggests that Highland hospitality in the middle-ages and early-modern period was more often than not delivered on the end of a sword. On our way back, we decided to cross Strathmore and head on up to Newtyle, where there is a nice little inn that sells nice food for hungry castle hunters (and others). After supper, we went for a wander out the back of the inn and up through a field where we managed to get this shot of Kilpurney Hill and it's observatory (a 19th century folly). I really must drag myself up there as soon as my leg is better, because although it is not a high peak, the views from the summit ought to be outstanding. Besides, I want to see what that folly is like inside.

This time last year I was celebrating