Fun in the Sun

The last three days here in sunny St Andrews have been sheer bliss.  My three days off have coincided amazingly well with the sunniest, warmest, driest, and calmest days of the winter thus far.  I enjoyed my coffee and meals outside on the patio (wrapped in a blanket!), listening to the birds, soaking up the sun, and generating some much needed vitamin D.  After two months of seemingly endless darkness, sideways rain, and annoying wind, these three days were wonderful, and were made all the more wonderful by me not being in the office from 6:30am-7:30pm Monday through Saturday. 

Spring has definitely come with this weekend, to which even the flowers in the garden testify.  Aren’t these Hellebores lovely?

I didn’t sit in the garden all day, every day, nor did I dig my digits into the dirt, as I had predicted that I might.  Instead, I found myself gallivanting throughout the countryside with Judith, running errands and enjoying the East Neuk of Fife.  On Friday I accompanied her to Pittenweem, where her son owns what has to be one of the most beautiful properties in the entire region.  The building is formerly the Baptist church of the village which has been transformed into a sleek, contemporary house, and it sits on a terrace overlooking the harbour and the sea.  Gorgeous.  While there I took Holly for a quick walk along the coast and enjoyed the sunny view.  Below is the shoreline of Pittenweem.

And here’s a view of the harbour in Ansthruther, the fishing village just north along the coast.

This is also the season of Snow Drops, beautiful and delicate white flowers which appear throughout wooded areas, sometimes so densely that they form a white carpet covering the landscape.  The Cambo Estates just outside of St Andrews is known for their Snow Drops and is a place Judith and I have tried to plan a trip to the last two springs.  We finally made that happen yesterday. 

Here’s a photo of the wooded walk that leads from the estate house down a quarter mile to the sea.  Snow Drops are everywhere.

A burn flows along the meandering path, adding to the natural beauty of the estate grounds.

Once at the seaside, Judith, Holly and I had a wee wander along the coast, taking in the view and the sun.  I’m so blessed by these two and am so grateful God has given me a home with them while here in Scotland. 

It was a lovely weekend and a welcome break.  Tomorrow I’ll return to the books, starting my second to last chapter of the dissertation.  This means that there will probably be another month or so of silence from Scotland, but for very good reason.  That said, though, personal emails and letters are always very welcome!!!  With the sun in the sky, the light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter daily.