Whenever we’re in Bridge of Allan we always take a stroll up to and across the road bridge over the Allan Water. There’s nearly always a heron on the weir or on this wooden construction above the sluice gate. It must be a good spot for hunting.

Mount Grace Priory is in North Yorkshire, the best preserved Carthusian monastery in Britain. We popped in there for a look on our way from Northallerton.

Just before the car park there was a pond on the left hand side. I spotted a heron:-

There were some geese too:-

Perched on an overhanging bough just off the island on 2/11/13.

We saw a heron in the park a week or so ago but had no camera on us at the time. It wasn’t there the last time we went round but today….

I took this from across the pond in case it took off.

No worries. This was taken from the boating jetty. Much closer view.

From Menstrie we moved on to an antiques centre just outside Doune in Stirlingshire where both the good lady and myself bought books.

The one I stumbled upon was Recent English Architecture 1920-1940. Published by Country Life, the content was “selected by the English Architecture Club.” Its cover is shown below.

Lots of great Art Deco buildings are pictured inside. The cover illustration is of Woodside Ventilation Station, Mersey Tunnel, Liverpool. It’s one of those brooding, monolithic, Stalinistic edifices.

From Doune we retreated to Bridge of Allan where we dined out (which is to say we dined inside, of course.)

Afterwards we took a stroll through the town and over its eponymous bridge where I spotted this heron in the Allan Water.

This bird is a bit scruffy looking but they’re fascinating creatures. I don’t remember it moving at all while we were watching it.