I was up at the crack of dawn this morning; woken by the dawn chorus of blackbirds who seem to be auditioning for the avian version of Pop Idol from the branches of the ash tree. Needless to say, Linda and Liam were not for getting up - despite the glorious weather that has marked the beginning of this May Bank Holiday weekend. It's better this way anyway, I thought to myself as I packed the gear into the car. I looked at my watch and it told me that it was 7.30am; less than an hour later, I was parked in a layby in Glen Esk, a mere stone's throw from the spot in the picture. After Glen Esk, I made my way to Glen Lethnot and the Caterthun iron-age hill fortresses, and from there back to the house. I was home by 12.30, and Linda and Liam were still in bed; so my plans for an family excursion to the Fife coast were put on ice. The afternoon was spent productively, sitting in the garden listening to music and chatting. Need to make a mental note to get Liam to cut the grass and pull the weeds...