Balbirnie to Star

It was fair when we left the church today and we were determined to get our walk in before the r*** which had been forecast for this afternoon. We started off at Balbirnie and walked through the town of Markinch taking a wee detour to look at the Stob Cross and read the plaque which explains it's history. Then off to the countryside taking the gentle incline to Cuinin's Hill (137m) through the woods. Just as we were about pecht, we reached the top and the view opened out to a commanding 3000 view stretching from the East Lomond to the Pentlands across the water. We had to stand for a few minutes and soak up God's artistry. Over the last few weeks the countryside has changed from being a lush patchwork of many shades of green to the beautiful yellows and gold of harvested cropfields today. There was a discussion about the changes of seasons and how we love each one whenever it arrives. It was definitely autumnal today and we were lapping it up. It was at that point also that Irene, Hilda, Rona and Dianne felt rather fortunate to be Fifers and bragged unashamedly about our home county. We reached the wee village of Star and admired the well -kept gardens and the well-fed cows. Yes, there's a farm right in the middle of the village. We didn't actually see any human beings though, until we got to the Plough Inn where we had coffee and a heat by the log burning fire. On our return journey we took a slightly different route past North Lodge, Brunton where the owners have taken great care and effort to create a tree-lined drive and made use of broken down drystane dykes to create lovely flowerbeds. One last look at the stunning view across the Forth - Rona even spotted the dry skislope at Hillend, Midlothian - before we began wending our way downwards, sampling the wild blackberries en route. Back in Markinch again we looked at all the buildings, old and new, and headed for the church spire which all agreed was a comforting sight on the landscape of any town. I thought I felt a spot or two of the wet stuff on my cheeks so picked up the walking pace a little to get back to the car. There's never a lull in the conversation on these walks, and today was no exception. That's the world put to rights once again.

And as we were driving out of Markinch I switched on the wipers. Prayers work.