Last Saturday was the first day of summer... apparently. Anyway, it was warm and lovely, so we decided to take ourselves on a minor jaunt across the water to Aberdour by train. Here we are, crossing the Forth Rail Bridge.

Just beside the station is Aberdour Castle, bits of which date from the early 1100s, though there were various developments over the centuries. The last part was built in the 1500s.

This is the oldest part. We got the guide book, which directed us to look on the ground for some masonry that fell a few hundred years ago, but it took us a while to find it, because we were looking for a few stones, not...

something this big.

It would have been quite spectacular to see it fall. They don't build them like that nowadays. Let's hope.

We wondered if there's anyone underneath it. Too late to dig them out now.

Then we wandered down the hill to the smaller beach.

As always happens at the first sign of serious warmth in Britain, people were doing seasidey things.

There was even a girl swimming. It was shirtsleeves weather but the sea must have been FREEZING. She didn't stay in for long. Wisely.

We just walked along by the harbour

and looked at Edinburgh across the water. There's Arthur's Seat, our hill in the city. It gives one a sense of perspective to look at one's home and one's little worries from a distance. I'm not sure that this perspective has lasted, unfortunately.


It's nice being retired, though.

And then we came up into the village again via St Fillan's Church, built about 1140 and still used as a parish church, though it was restored and given a new roof in the 1920s.


Ten years ago today, my father died. It's still strange and sad to think he's not around any more. Those years have gone quickly and have been quite eventful. I wonder if I'll still be here in another ten... . I imagine the castle and church will look much the same whether I'm there to see them or not, which is quite a cheering thought.