Midsummer Walk - Family Photography - Knapps Loch, Kilmacolm, Scotland.

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Summer is just a memory now that the leaves have left the trees and it’s colder, darker, and wetter outside. I met the Sandiland family at Knapps Loch, near Kilmacolm, on the outskirts of Glasgow, on a midsummer’s morning to take some family photographs for them.

Hugging a tree at Knapps Loch, Kilmacolm.

Knapps Loch is only a five minute drive from Bridge of Weir. It’s an ideal place to meet for outdoor family photography. The children ran about, enjoying the fine summer weather and the open space, while I followed with my camera and captured some lovely moments between play.

We walked for an hour or so round the little fishing loch, through the trees, and over the fields that were full of long grasses and wild flowers. It was a real pleasure to photograph the Sandiland family, and in such a beautiful location.

Wildflowers, Knapps Loch, Kilmacolm, Scotland.

The kids had fun, the adults had an enjoyable summers walk, and the Sandilands now have some family photographs to remember that sunny days will return to us again next Spring.

The Sandiland Family, Knapps Loch, Kilmacolm, Scotland.

Autumn Colours - Bridge of Weir - Scotland

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One of the things I loved about Bridge of Weir when we first moved here, were the trees that grew through the village. The village slopes down the hillside above the River Gryfe, then out onto flatter land. There is an abundance of trees of all kinds that grow through people’s gardens and the little parks and along the banks of the River Gryfe.

During spring and summer you can hear birds singing from the trees each day from dawn till dusk. Then, at the end of summer, the birds quieten and the leaves on the trees turn from dark green into beautiful golds, reds and ambers.

An Autumn tree above the waterfall on Glendentan Burn before it flows into Pow Burn in Bridge of Weir, Scotland.

A fallen leaf looking like an old stained map. Horsewood Park, Bridge of Weir, Scotland.

Beech leaves on a hedge in Horsewood Park, Bridge of Weir, Scotland.

Our family loves this time of year. We go for long walks in our wellies and enjoy seeing the changes of colour in the local parks and forests, as the seasonal winds blow away the last of the Autumn leaves.

My wife’s wonderful colourful wellies!

Leaves and pine needles on the metal bridge crossing Pow Burn, on the path to Horsewood Park in Bridge of Weir, Scotland.

Halloween Celebrations - Samhain - Bridge of Weir, Scotland

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Halloween is one of our family’s favourite times of the year. We love dressing up in costumes, decorating our house, carving pumpkins, and celebrating the changing season. We had the first party inside the walls of our house since well, you know, that invisible creepy crawly moved around the world; separating and changing every one’s lives. We invited our son’s friends and their parents and had a lovely afternoon playing party games, dancing, and eating too much.

We have also come to understand Halloween’s roots in the old Celtic festival, Samhain. We appreciate summer has faded with the leaves on the trees. The winds start to blow, and the days get darker. The earth and air become colder. Auld Hallows Eve dawns, and our festivities begin.