Clangers Endorse Popularity of Small Furry Things

BBC: Hamster prices triple in China.

"Hamsters have become the must-have pet in China since the Year of the Rat began on 7 February. Pet shop owners say stocks are running low - and prices high - as children clamour for a furry friend."

Out into the Country

After a bit of a difficult morning I finally got around to taking advantage of today's lovely weather to head up to Loch Leven, about 40 minutes north of Edinburgh. It was a beautiful sight, millpond-flat under a clear blue sky, and I was able to get a fair few nice pictures. This is probably my favourite, a panorama made from three shots at the edge of the loch where the lochside path runs past a shallow marshy inlet.



More pictures from the set can be seen here.

On the way back, I drove over the Forth Road Bridge just as the sun was setting. The Forth Rail Bridge was a magnificent sight to my left, so I peeled off the A90 to go to South Queensferry and the shore near the bridge. More photos, of which this one came out best; it's a very long exposure to blur the motion of the water.