It's been a while since my last blog. My dog, Poppy, had her eye operation which, thankfully, was very successful and analysis of the eye fortunately revealed there was no sign of any tumor or cancer. She has fully recovered and is back to her usual energetic self, albeit with only one eye. A worrying time and a difficult decision proved to be unfounded as she shows no signs whatsoever of any behaviour changes. She can even still catch a ball at fifty feet better than I can catch one at five feet. If there is anyone reading this blog who has a dog that needs an eye enucleation, please do not worry, they get over it very quickly and just get on with life.

Heading to the south of Scotland I decided to explore Dumfries and Galloway a bit more than I have done in the past. Staying at Garlieston, south of Newton Stewart, I intially thought there would not be much to photograph in the area but I was pleasantly surprised. Being on the east side of the peninsular, sunrise shots are a dfinite possibility. An early start at 4:30 am was a challenge but a fifteen minute walk to a spot I had found the previous day made it worthwhile. The morning light was beatiful. I set up my camera ready for the right light to appear and waited. The faint glimmer of sunlight gradually strengthened turning the low cloud into deep blue tinged with crimson. On the horizon the light developed a bluish yellow, almost green, light. The experience of witnessing this transition of light was well worth the fight to get out of bed.

Waiting a while longer at the same point, the sun eventually broke the horizon and changed the light completely producing the shot on the right. Sunrise shooting is probably the most satisfying of all landscape photography and one area of this genre that is so enjoyable for the experience alone.

Initially I didn't think that Garliston itself had any photographic potential. That was until I saw the town at night across a very calm sea reflecting the lights from the seafront.

I think Wigtown Bay has a lot more to offer but I was only here for a few days and so could not exploit the area to its full potential. Definitely a place worthy of a return visit.

Update on Poppy:

Poppy has had her operation and it was very successful. The surgeon had the eye analysed and happily there was no sign of any tumor or cancer in the eye, so excellent news. The cause of the condition was put down to a blunt trauma that caused the retina to detach. She's over the worst of it now and it doesn't seem to have affected her in any way, still wanting to do nothing but play. Amazingly she can still catch a ball with just one eye.