I Am The Fly

A Midgie: SEM Image

We spent the weekend with my in-laws in Central Scotland, the beautiful area around Stirling. I love the area, and Stirling itself is beautiful - the flat plain around it from where you can see both the Castle and the Wallace Monument. The history is all around - of course, it's the Bannockburn area, the whole "Braveheart" thang and the 1314 date which is imprinted on all Scots. However, though yesterday was nice, today the weather was dreich all day, and mild, which led to the appearance of my friend above - the dreaded Scottish midgie.

Now, I grew up in coastal town, blissfully unaware of these beasties. I was also, typical of most Scots, a gentle shade of blue and therefore unattractive to most biting creatures. Thus even when camping in Arran I wasn't bothered by the little creatures. However, now I'm older and more succulent they like to bite me. Grrr.

They love still, damp, warm conditions so central areas (remote from the sea) are ideal for them - and the west coast is notorious for midge attacks. It's so bad they've even started a "midge watch" in one of the newspapers, a bit like the pollen count....

Don't go out, there's a midge about! It ruins holidays, it ruins otherwise nice summer evenings. It's a war.