The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

Looking out the back window at our garden one day in late April, I happen to notice the flowering bushes were flowering.  I also noticed it was a nice day . . . the first nice day of Spring.

So, I grabbed my trusty Fuji X-T1 camera and headed outside.  Yummie light and color.

Such happy blooms . . . after such a long, cold, and dark winter in Aberdeen.

There was so much new growth to notice, and capture, around the house.

Buds and new growth.

I love the colors of rose bush newly sprouting leaves.

The daffodils had just popped in the yard . . . and all over town too.  Aberdeen is famous for its billions of daffodils.  It was just too nice outside to spend the day inside . . . .

. . . so I stuck my head inside and yelled up the stairs, "Honey, we're going for a walk today!"  "Great," came the reply.  Our choice was to walk the nature trails around Crathes Castle, 20 minutes for our home.  We parked near the castle gate house and headed up the trail (yellow).

The trees were still bare of any foliage.

Although it was April 24th, Spring comes very late at these far northern latitudes (57.1526°N 2.1100°W).

The beauty of the day reflected in an abandoned stone pit.

There were wisps of budding leaves on some species . . . signs of the beauty to come.

We headed deeper into the castle grounds, and the Scottish pine forest.

The pine cones had a wonderful in the heat of the first Spring warmth.

In fact, the whole forest smelled of freshness and the prospect of Spring.

The trail followed a burn through some lovely scenery and quaint arrangements.

Boughs reflected in the pond.

"Crathes sits on land given as a gift to the Burnett of Leys family by King Robert the Bruce in 1323."  As such, a castle of this period had to supply and manufacture everything for its own needs.  This is the Crathes Castle Mill Pond.

The National Trust For Scotland has done an excellent job of marking the trails and, where necessary, protecting any fragile land.

The elevated walkway followed a delightful stream.

The peaceful, slow movement of an amber stream passing through the naked forest . . .

It was fun walking along these elevated paths through the early Spring of a Scottish forest.

We took a lot of iPhotos of ourselves at every opportunity . . . and there were many.

The wide path eventually opened up into some open fields.  We passed 10-15 other walkers on the day, but could see the popularity of these woods for walking by the size of the paths.  Crathes Castle is on the "Castle Trail" for tourists, and is packed in the summer.

Under a bright Spring sky.

From the meadow back into the trees.  The castle grounds offer a wonderful array of beautiful natural scenes.

This Victorian gate post reminded me of the political and economic power the lairds had in old Scotland.  If you were to come across this gate post in a forest, you would steer clear of the castle.  The gate post was a symbol of the power of whom lived within.