Along the Tweed

This glorious day started with two turtle doves. Sadly there was no partridge and this wasn't a pear tree. And in fact these are not turtle doves but they did inspire me with the spirit of the season. It was freezing but the sun was out and a beautiful day seemed promised.

We made the most of it with a walk along the banks of the river Tweed near Stobo, along the path of the old railway line. A word of warning, this is best attempted with wellies and on a day when the ground is frozen.

We encountered no other human beings but there were plenty of sheep who mostly scuttled out of our way but this daring one stood her ground (it was after all her field) and stared us down.

The low sun made beautiful long shadows and I was in awe of this endless drystone wall stretching far up the hill and into the distance.

This is Borders country at it's best.

The river was very high and moving at speed!

 Loved these light effects.

And my interest in vapour trails continues. 

Both John and I were riveted by these rivets (sorry, the pun proved irresistible!) , John because this is how ships are put together and I because of the pattern they made. This was an old, probably Victorian bridge that carried the railway line over a side branch of the Tweed, and the sheer amount of rivets was stunning. They made things to last in those days and here it is today still intact and functioning.