Spring Senses

This weekend I had a little bit of spring fever. Friday was absolutely gorgeous here in Aberdeen! I ate lunch outside on campus, and then went back in and attempted to concentrate on my work and NOT look out the window at the lovely day. It worked until about 3:00, and then I couldn't stand it any longer. I went home, grabbed a towel, rolled up my jeans, and sat outside on the lawn reading for about an hour till the wind made me too chilled. Ah, so nice!

My flatmate Anna and I had made plans to go to Fort George this weekend, a military base on the Moray Firth, but it didn't work out. I had invited my friend Amie to go with us, so we decided to go to a castle on our own, but at the last minute she changed her mind too. Seems everyone decided to be scholarly this weekend! Not me! Weekends are my time to explore, not to work, and saturday was too beautiful to stay inside! So I ventured off on my own. The castle Amie and I were going to visit was about 2 hours away by bus (and the bus ride was 24.50 - in pounds!) so I went to Crathes Castle, one I had already visited in the winter but that is closer to home.

The walk from where the bus let me off to the castle itself is about a mile, so I took the woodland trail, enjoying nature as I made the trek through the castle grounds. Crathes Castle is probably best known for its gardens, but when I was there before they weren't in bloom. Not this time! They were lovely! I wandered around for a couple of hours in the gardens and on the grounds, had a picnic lunch, took a short walk up to the lookout point for a view of the hills, and then headed back to the bus stop. Since I got there early, I walked down by the River Dee for a few minutes. Overall, it was a great day outdoors, and I enjoyed it even though I was on my own. Here are a few of my observations:

The smell of woodsy pine and the sweet fragrance of the many flowers...

The sound of birds singing, bees buzzing, and the river rolling by...The vibrant colors of the garden flowers were so pleasing to the eye, especially the largest tulips I've ever in my life seen...

The feel of the warm sun and cool breeze on my face...