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We enjoy finding the fairy houses around Loch Lomond and Trossachs. "What do fairies need money for?" "The tooth fairy brings a coin when she collects a tooth" were interesting questions raised as we discovered more and more cases of coins being left next to or embedded into the tree carvings. Is this the idea of it creating luck. It also seems that once one person puts a coin or hangs a decoration, it is rapidly copied by other people. How do you share the messages that nature is magical without ornaments. That there is less damage putting a coin into a tree that is dead than one which is still alive. Trees are the homes of insects, and metal can speed up decaying process. A decoration may look pretty on the day you left it, how will it look in a few weeks and months after it has been outdoors, will it look pretty or tatty then?

Armed with the wildflower spotter sheet from Plantlife and phone to take pictures. Flowers were spotted, identified and gathered. At home they were displayed in an empty milk bottle. More information was found out on ones that they liked from Woodland Trust website. For example they liked the appearance and smell of Meadowsweet. It was also a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I who used it on her chamber floor. If you are in pain it can be made into a relieving tea. Herb Robert was traditionally carried to bring god luck and the leaves can be crushed and rubbed on the skin as an insect repellent. Handy to remember if you forget the midge repellent!

As part of a woodland walk we collected cones that had fallen from the trees. Back at home and using the internet we have been identifying the trees that they came from and how the cones grow on the pine and spruce trees. Looking at their differences we discovered that you can bend the scales of the spruce cones but not the pine cones. We learnt (from Sensory Trust website) some folklore stories about them. On a visit to the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow we found these huge pine cones.

A couple of pics and collages from the boys of our night time exploration of the Bridestones. We hoped to spot comet Neowise, but the cloud quickly came across. Not before spotting a shooting star and we also had the privilege of seeing 2 badgers, a fox and a barn owl silently hunting. A brilliant couple of hrs exploring one of our favourite wild places.

The waterfall was amazing. We loved having a splash in it, even our dog Charlie got involved.

We visited John Knox's Pulpit in Fife. This was the first time for all of us. It was a lovely walk with beautiful scenery. We took a picnic and enjoyed it down by the stream. We rolled down the hills before heading to the waterfall. Whilst there we looked at the rocks and noticed how smooth they were. This is something we want to explore further, how they came to be this way.