Friends along the way...and pic of the week.

Sea gull...just confirming his "coordinates".

We had just pulled into a parking spot at Arbroath Harbour. Before the onboard GPS / SAT NAV had a chance to spool down, a local aviator landed on the hood. Wings neatly folded and feathers back in place, he enquired as to his exact location. We were able to confirm (with the exact coordinates) that he was where he wanted to be - within a few short metres of a local fish and chip place. Lots of tasty treats get dropped there...but hardly a healthy meal for a sea gull! Before we had a chance to share that thought, he lifted off and was enroute to investigate the nearby refuse container.

Whether hillwalking, paddling, or just driving along there are lots of other "folks" around the hills and coastal regions of Scotland.

This fellow, for example, kindly asked us about the possibility of opening the gate. He hadn't visited the local pub in ages and was looking forward to meeting up with some friends! Feeling a little guilty, we declined his request. He was very good about it and gave us a rather philosophical look.

These two wooly ones were whispering about our rather unusual accents (in these parts, anyway)...they were being very discrete and respectful, but we could read their lips. Not baaaaad, eh?

This old bird struck a rather "wooden" pose as we walked by on the trail up Kinnoull Hill. Didn't even move a feather! Come to think of it, he was there last autumn - striking the exact same pose!

This guy had better be careful if he ever visits Texas - they mount those horns on Cadillacs, for heaven's sake! Weird...or what!

Now this little chap was rather fun. He was enjoying making animal shadows on the pavement. This is his version of a bird. Pretty impressive!

With no fence between us and this proud "warrior", we took a quick (and therefore blurry) pic and made a quiet but hasty retreat!

These two had just experienced a rather serious disagreement and were cooling off with a little "silent treatment". The one on the left did not look like he / she was in a very forgiving mood. The one on the right was still sporting ruffled feathers. I'm sure it'll all work out though.

According to his passport, this duck (wearing a clerical collar) was Canadian and chilling on a local pond. Hey, maybe he was in Scotland doing a locum too?!

This little shaggy guy came up behind us and announced that his parents were grizzly bears. We must confess to being slightly startled!

Now this fellow kept looking at us through the "bull's eye" in his horns. Cool move. Here's lookin' at you buddy! :)

Does this lamb's mum and dad know how cute their little one is? Probably. :)

This is a true representation of the actual size of the "famous grouse" in Perthshire hills! (And we hadn't even been inside the distillery yet!) They must eat an incredible amount of Scottish heather to get to that size!

And, well, the "pic of the week"...

(License plate is obscured as MTOPKTV is in classified "stealth" mode.)

...our Moderate Terrain Outdoor Pursuits and Kayak Transport Vehicle (MTOPKTV). This versatile and multi-purpose vehicle, better known by its civilian classification, "Ford Focus", had a small mechanical "issue". Said issue required a lift to the local garage where a team of Land OPS / Tactical Light Mobility specialists quickly determined the cause and initiated a rapid-action repair strategy - billing to follow.

No hillwalking or paddling this week, but got some good work done. This week's a brand new week - a couple of hills await, Highland Games at Glamis Castle, AND there's a sea kayaking "demo evening" at Broughty Ferry. We plan to be there. :)