Detox / Retox in Scotland for New Year

No one should ever pass up the chance to visit Scotland at any time of year - whether or not they're photographically inclined. Its a great place to be when the weather gets a little leery - it seems to bring out the best in the colours. A chance to visit my sister wasn't to be passed up either, especially over New Year and the prospect of sympathising with them over their 'Hogmanay Detox 10k run' (they did that bit), followed by a 'Retox' party (we all had a go at that).

The visit was also memorable for an incredible evening photographic session on the banks of the River Dee. The sun was heading rapidly for the floor behind a bank of swiftly moving cloud, the river bank was lit with its last efforts and the only sound was... the ice. The innermost three metres of river had frozen solid - but the iced surface beyond that was moving slowly past it, grinding and creaking with every metre. There was a smooth transition from one to the other and, even though I must have been there for two hours, it didn't stop. It felt as though you could walk out to mid channel to shoot from there, but maybe that wouldn't have been such a great idea... The results of that shoot can be seen on the site soon in a new Gallery page.

In short, in a week that saw thick snow, torrential rain, brilliant sunshine and light to die for - all spread evenly over the kind of terrain that we just don't get in Suffolk, we managed a lot of thoroughly enjoyable photography, a great family visit, and a dram or two of the Good Stuff. I can honestly recommend a good retox...