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Was down at my folk's house the other weekend & took the dog a walk along a river about 2 miles from the house (the Euchan), got to the falls & sat watching them (it's a seriously beautiful place) & then the salmon started jumping... sat enthralled for ages until the dog got bored & started pestering me to carry on walking.

I've seen the salmon at the Euchan Falls many times, but every time I'm gobsmacked to the extent that I don't even think about trying to poach one (I have been known to poach the odd salmon/trout/pheasant in my time ;) ).

Other things that have amazed me (all within about 5 miles of my parents place) include:

Seeing a stoat 'dance' to a rabbit (they whirl about, chasing their tail, jumping in the air etc, all the while getting closer and closer to the rabbit which is mesmerised - then go for the throat).

Seeing a sparrowhawk take a swallow out of the air, about 6 feet in front of me.

And the best one, my Dad suggested we go for a walk down the Vennel (a steep gully near us), into Kirkconnel, have a couple of beers then get Mum to come get us. We used to do this walk a lot when I was living at home, it's one of our favorites. We came over the brow of the hill & were walking along the top of the gully when I saw jackdaws, crows, rooks, ravens, a couple of kestrels & a buzzard, all swooping down at something downhill from us that we couldn't see.

I thought we'd find a couped sheep (when they've not been sheared, but it's getting near shearing time they can roll onto their backs trying to scratch & the weight of the fleece can trap them, then the birds attack their eyes & start eating them while they're alive). So we were heading towards whatever they were swooping at when, about 100 feet below us, up flew a golden eagle. My dad says he'd not seen a look like I had on my face since I was a little kid. I'm not religious, in fact I'm anti-religious, but moments like that I certainly do feel a religious awe. We watched it fly off, right across the valley.

My dad told me later that he'd heard there was a juvenille eagle that had wandered over to our area from Galloway. I'd seen one from a distance in the Highlands, but never that close & on 'my own turf'. He hadn't told me because he wanted it to be a surprise. I bought the drinks that day.

Lovely stuff Rod, thanks for sharing that.

It sure is a breathtakingly beautiful part of the world up there, and you've just made me yearn for another visit.

Wow Rob - fantastic! 


I remember walking downstairs one morning and looking out of my kitchen window, there is a wooded area at the back of my house, and at that time I didn't have a fence separating my garden from the wood, this particular morning I looked out to see two deer staring back at me.  I just stood there with my jaw dropping.

I don't live out in the country as such, my house is surrounded by fields, but I am literally a 1 minute drive from the A583.  I never in my life dreamed that one day I would find deer on the edge of my back garden.

Used to have a resident sparrowhawk when I moved in, but after the previous owners told me it sat on the fence by the dining room window eating a catch one morning, I discouraged other birds from coming into the garden by not feeding them.  Nature can be beautiful, but it can also be VERY cruel.  And that isn't a sight I wish to see whilst eating at the table!

Memories memories.

I grew up in the new forest and remember being blisfully happy exploring all the time. Now i live in stoke, booo.

Rod, a wonderful post. Thanks for giving us that. I had to take a moment out to consider what I have seen recently that is awe inspiring and came up with driving through the Drakensberg range in Natal on Chritmas day, two years ago. It makes you feel somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme.

TraceT, yes nature is cruel. Last week I had 7 ornamental chickens in the back garden, a fox took one then, obviously liked it, and took the remaining 6 last night.

I had an incredible experience only two weekends ago

I was taking the kids for a walk down a footpath in the countryside...the kids were chattering away and being rumbustious, the weather was unseasonally warm and all was right with the world

Suddenly, Ryan, my 8 year old, whispers "Dad, Dad, come here!"

I walk over as he puts his finger to his lips and there I see, about 25 feet away, emerging from some undergrowth up a bank a large cat like animal with a rabbit in it's mouth....

we crouched down, a little bit scared and not wanting to be spotted...the animal wandered right across our line of vision and then looked right at us....


I did the "I'm a strong Dad" act and whispered to the kids to be completely still...it held our gaze for about 30 seconds and moved off

When we got home Ryan and I got straight onto the internet and discovered that the animal was in all likelihood a Lynx, though I could find no suggestion of them being present in this country

Since then, try getting Ryan off the Natural history books and televison channels...



p.s Rod...a great post

p.p.s Rhm Two years ago I stayed in the Injasuti area of the Drakensberg ..coincidence, and you are right, sensational place

Trace It does add something special to see nature from your own home doesn't it. My parent's house is above the town, and we have an old quarry over the back from us. They get a pair of kestrels every year nesting in the quarry & one year we were lucky enough to see the young fly the nest, the noise they made was incredible (I always thought the youngsters were jumping out of the nest going "SHHHHIIIIIITTTTTT!!!!"  :D ).

There's also a pair of buzzards around regularly, and this year they brought 2 fledgelings with them, my Dad & I sat at the kitchen window watching a pair of swallows bully one of the youngsters into landing, they were smaller than its head - but were so fast & intimidated it.

There used to be a merlin hawk about, but we've not seen one for about 5 years now.

Lastly, about a couple of months back I was sleeping in my old room (converted attic), when I was woken by the incredibly loud screeching, and noises of things scraping on the slates. It proved to be a young barn owl, that had landed on the roof & was screeching for mum to feed it. I love nature, and bird of prey in particular, but I was seriously thinking about getting the air-gun out that night :)

Rhm, I'd love to see the Drakensberg, actually there's lots of Africa I dream of seeing. I loved Bryce Courtenay's Peekay series & he writes a lot about the Drakensberg in the first one (The Power of One - my favorite book ever).

I also love Wilbur Smith's books so Africa is a place I long to see.

2 main dreams about Africa,

1 Doing the Safari School - 6 weeks where you learn to be a safari guide... even if I never went back I think that would be worth any money.

2 Riding an african elephant through the Okavango delta... there's a guy does this with captice elephants that he brings back to Africa & works with. That would be somethig I'd bore poeple about for the rest of my days.

Tighty, brilliant story - I'd kill to have seen that. Lynx were native to Britain ut were killed off along with wolves, bears boar & beaver.

They are talking about reintroducing the European beaver & possibly even the wolf into Scotland - I'd love to see that.

Also according to european law, as the lynx is a native species & endangered, the govt should now be making your area a sanctuary & doing all they can to help the lynx, to the extent of releasing a mate ;) - but I doubt people would be too keen on it :)

Wow, what an INCREDIBLE thread, thank you Rod.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of a few, I'm gonna sticky this for 24 hours. Can one of the Mods remember to unsticky it on Saturday please.

AWESOME. How lucky are we on blonde to have peeps like Rod to share these things with us, & Members who appreciate them.

In the fullness of time, this thread will go into "Best of blonde".

Awesome Rod, where abouts do your parents live? I'm not to hot with other areas of Scotland, but it sounds like a lovely place. I'm still impressed when I see a fox scavenging around an urban area, so things like this are just too pretty for words.

It's a place called Sanquhar - claim to fame is it has the oldest Post Office in Britain.

It's in Dumfriesshire, just over the Strathclyde/Dumfriesshire border. The town's always been a high unemployment area & unfortunately the  drug dealers etc have moved in, but I still love to go back have a few beers in a real villiage pub (where everyone not only knows your name, but they can usually tell you your familly tree back at least 4 generations).

I'll get my mum to send me some pictures if I remember.

The miracle of birth does it for me, I have been present for the birth of all of my children and I've played midwife to horses and dogs etc loads of times, it's still thrilling and emotional

Don't call girls the weaker sex until you've witnessed it guys

Great post Rod

childbirth is a strange one, i too was present for my childrens births though it was not the greatest experience overall for me.
To see a loved one in such tremendous pain, no agony, was hard to handle, the birth itself was exhillarating and a never to be missed experience, truly wonderful.
The last birth i was smashed on gas 'n' air though :D :D

Sitting on a beer crate in the Cameroonian jungle in a mud hut with a warm beer and a 360 degree lightening storm crackling away for over an hour. Absolutely dumbstruck!

Quick call security David Attenborough has hacked into Rods account   :D

I was in Acapulco in July 2001, was travelling throug hthe mountains and jungle just outside of the city to go on a sort of rocket powered white water rafting (http://www.shotoverjet-acapulco.com/acapulco.html), anyway it's a long trip through teh most amazing forested mountains, and we stop to take pics, on this high mountain pass.

As I get out of the coach, I can see these HUGE birds in the valley below, gliidng with the biggest wingspan I have ever seen. There are two sets of 4. I am transfixed, and I ask the coach driver what the birds are.

Apparently they were condors! I can't explain how huge these things were, but you could see the ends of the wing feathers, and it was amazing.

BTW Acapulco is the real Mexico, the Pacific side is beautiful.

Not quite the same as childbirth but birth all the same.  A girl that used to live down our road had a bitch and my dog got to it one year, few weeks later she came hammering on my door screaming that the dog was in labour but nothing was happening.  I shot over there to fiind the dog trying to deliver her first pup.  I didn't think twice about it, I was straight in there helping her, she had no idea as she was only a young dog, I had to break the sacks and everything. I stayed and did the same for all 6 pups.  That was the most amazing experience for me.

I know giving birth to your own child is amazing too, but we women don't appreciate the miracle at the time, we're too busy screaming in pain and wanting to kill the man that helped get us that way!  lol

I've wanted to train as a midwife for the past 14 years, but having a mortgage to pay has stopped me from taking the great leap of faith and becoming a full time nurse.  I guess I'll just have to settle for a one time midwife to a dog.

Great thread.

Reminds me that there's more to life than poker.

If You want to see some of the Drakensberg relatively cheaply (and in the comfort of your own living room) then watch the film Zulu with Michael Caine. A particularly breathtaking area known as the Amphitheatre is the backdrop to this film.

Went there once....Amazing :)up

Don't frow them spears at me!

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I once saw a bin man pick up some dropped rubbish during the bin collection......

Well someone had to bring the post back to reality  8)

hi all

i love all this story telling about real life experiences and how simple things can make you really happy. As  a studet nurse i was also in awe when i helped the midwife deliver babies. i was on such a high with this mirical that i used to stay well beyond my shift to see a birth and help the mother. its a mirical every time!

another thing i saw, probably one of the most brilliant experiences ill ever had, was when i was camping in the Isle of Skye at Sligachan. It was september 2003. me and my b/f were looking at the stars (like we alwys do when camping) when suddenly this star starting shooting across the sky. it stopped and then came back and started jumping up and down. we could not believe it and have tried to see it again since but with no joy. i researched what it could be and found lots of similar 'ufo' stories. The most rational explanation i could find was the americans test their new/secret planes over the north sea and they land on europes longest military runway in macniharish near mull of kintyre. its supposed to be disused but i visited there months after i saw the star and it was certainly not unused. apparently the scandnavians have been complaning of sonic booms for years and insist its got something to do with test flights over the north sea. very interesting.

a much more sad thing  (am i allowed to tell a sad one?) is when i was a student nurse again. my friend had stayed overnight with me and there was a loud chapping at the door the next morning. it was the neighbour from downstairs saying one of her baby twins was not breathing (the baby had fallen out of a basket). my friend and i ran down and began resusitating the baby. the paramedics got there and took the baby away to hospital. the most amazing thing happened. the other baby twin started going blue and had laboured breathing in sympathy. we rushed it to hospital beside its sibling and it was fine. i couldnt believe that although this baby had not fallen, it was having the same symptoms as the one who had. ill tell you, it was automatic pilot me and my pal were on. after it, we were both shaking like leaves on a tree

mad

My Mum's now back from visiting my neice in Ireland, so I got her to send me a picture from the Euchan Falls, the path passes above them & you look down on them to watch the salmon jump.

(http://www.piczs.com/is.php?i=18314&img=euchan.jpg)