Spring at last.....?

The swallows arrived on Saturday 24th April, exactly the same date as last year. I hope they have had a better winter than we have! The banks of the Speyside Way are now carpeted with spring flowers, particularly primroses and wood anemones, and particularly striking between Craigellachie and Aberlour.

Take a careful look at the wood anemone flowers - though appearing to be white, they are often streaked with pink or purple, especially on the outside, and are carried on a reddish stem. Like many other spring flowers, they turn to face the sun as it moves across the sky. The plant is said to be named after the Greek legend in which Anemos, the wind, sends his namesakes the anemones as heralds of his coming: hence its other common name of 'windflower'.

The spring is sprung, the grass is riz,

I wonder where the Speyside Way iz?

"It's fallen in the water!"
Apologies to Ogden Nash and Little Jim (aka Spike Milligan) respectively!!
Anyway, to be serious, the Speyside Way has or is trying to 'fall in the water' in a couple of places. Bank erosion between Spey Bay and Fochabers has resulted in a short diversion, same as two years ago in 2008. The Spey simply wants to go somewhere else......

Elsewhere at Knockando the slippage is a bit more mysterious - or is it? Further slippage has revealed a piece of blue tape sticking out of the bank - a sudden reminder that about 20 years ago a water main was laid along this section of railway - is a leak in the pipe causing a subterranean wash-out? If not, the slip is clearly now threatening the integrity of the pipe. The route is still open for the moment, but Scottish Water is now involved and we will keep you posted as to what will happen next.