Friday Smiles - Week 96

Afternoon Everyone,

It's Friday, and I'm late again, but I just have to join in with Annie, over at A Stitch In Time, and share a couple of things that made me smile this week. There's been some sadness which I won't dwell on here, there's also been a lot to smile about as yet more birthday cards and a couple of birthday presents arrived. It could be said that one of the downsides of having a birthday so close to December is that cards and presents get caught up in the Christmas mail rush - how inappropriate is that term, more apt would be mail slowdown - but the way I see it I get to keep celebrating long after the actual day :) Even Google wished me a Happy Birthday!

This is the nearest I get to birthday cake now that I'm so old I have to eat less sugary goodies, so thank you for that Google :)

Then there's the unseasonably warm weather we've been enjoying. It meant that my birthday treat was a walk in my favourite place, Culzean Country Estate. We walked all the way from the car park to the Swan Pond and back, believe me, that's a very long walk - here's a few photos taken there.

I think this may be mum, dad and youngsters, more correctly cob, pen and cygnets, down on the pond. Don't they look beautiful when the fluff up their wings like that ... Swan Lake for real :)

A duck gathering at what must be their preferred diving off point. As we approached most went off for a swim ...

... except for this little one. He/she was going nowhere no matter who was behind with a camera :)

Nothing says winter better than an evergreen with bright red berries. I was so determined to photo these that ...

... I got soaked on the wet, wet grass underneath that shrub. All in the day's work for an intrepid photographer :)

I didn't expect to be taking these two pics in my garden in winter.

Taken in my garden only this afternoon and proof positive that we've enjoyed the warmest summer/autumn, probably ever, here in Ayrshire this year. This foxglove, digitalis Dalmatian Cream, was only planted out towards the end of summer, and as it is a biennial, and a spring flowering one at that, should not be doing this right now :)

And finally ... 

... for those who haven't seen this already. Says it all really :)

If you have something to smile about too and you'd like to share it, do pop over to A Stitch In Time and link your post there. I'm sure Annie will be delighted to see you.

Wishing you a week with plenty to make you smile :)