It is always a happy time returning to Scotland and Christmas gives added pleasure. I am old enough to remember when there was only a Forth Bridge, the railway bridge from 1890, and a ferry service from South to North Queensferry. In the early 60s the Forth Road Bridge replaced the ferries and stimulated a building boom across the Forth for commuters to Edinburgh. Now in this century we have the Queensferry Crossing, a road bridge built to, essentially, replace the Road Bridge which had begun to crumble with the greater than expected traffic volume over a period of about 50 years. The little village of South Queensferry still has character but with the addition of restaurants, knick knack shops and ice cream parlours and is an ideal place to enjoy the marvel of engineering that is the Forth Bridge. The Hawes In is where Robert Louis Stevenson is said to have written “Kidnapped” and is included in the story where the kidnpa of Davi Balfour is planned. On the estuary there are visible curlews and oyster catchers along with little waders that hide on the foreshore. The crows sit waiting for a dropped chip or bit of sandwich or sausage roll and are not concerned about a wandering chap with a camera. Never mind the weather. A little water never hurt anyone and ensures little waterfalls and year round greenery.