odd things

 Some more pictures of our little break, this time those of a more random nature.

 This one is a view of the Castle Sands from the castle itself. I was hoping to take the kids down there because it's a great beach - plenty of rock-pooling opportunity, a mixture of sand and stones so the chance to find 'treasures' (sea-glass, shells, interesting stones) and a tidal saltwater swimming-pool which I've never actually swum in, not being one of the loonies brave souls who participated in the May dip (swimming at dawn on the 1st of May).  Unfortunately in 2011 there was a landslide by the steep path down to the beach and it's still closed off, awaiting shoring up and the May dip has moved.  It made me notice how much the shoreline and cliffs near the castle are reinforced. There's a reason half the castle is missing after all!

Also from the castle, somebody has decorated the top of a bit of railing with the very distinctive Tunnock's Caramel Wafer wrapper:

 Another blue-sky at the East Sands picture, just because I can:

Sallies Quad (St. Salvator's Quad) - specifically the bit that used to house the anthropology department:

 
Messing with the kite  on the West Sands:

 Climbing around on the rocks on the beach by the Golf Museum:

Seagull at the St. Andrews Aquarium glaring at the aquarium seals who were being fed:

We left at around lunchtime on Thursday, stopping at the supermarket for some picnic things, parked in Crail just down the coast and ate our picnic in the car. Crail has a very picturesque harbour (by which I mean it's been painted and photographed a gazillion times - try typing 'Crail' into Google images and you'll see what I mean) but we didn't think the kids would be that interested so we skipped that and just ate our lunch. I was very taken with the parasol opposite where we were parked (click on the pic if you can't see it):

It turns out that's a shop called The Old House Interiors and the parasol is there come rain or shine (or, if you follow the link, snow). While were watching, a very dignified grey and white cat stalked out of the garden and sat by the parasol for a bit before wandering off on a sedate adventure up the street.

Something I noticed all over Fife was the number of poppies on the verges - wild flowers generally but the poppies especially, masses of them.   I tried to photograph them but it's not easy when you're moving - honestly there are some in the picture above! After we crossed the bridge (Forth) on the way home I only saw one lonely poppy by the side of the road. In the olden days when I'd get the bus down from St. Andrews to Glasgow every second or third weekend in the summer to go and visit my Beloved who'd gone home for the summer, I'd sometimes see poppies on the way, especially in one field between Cupar and Glenrothes, so I suppose it's a flower I associate with the summer in Fife anyway.  Nice :-).

When we got home I discovered one poppy flowering in our garden - yay!