Well, that little holiday was nice while it lasted. We set off last Saturday in almost monsoon rain. As we got up a little higher, it turned into snow. There was about six inches of it on the ground and more coming down.

The Sunday and Monday were wet but we got out and about OK. My attitude was that if one is looking for fine weather, one wouldn’t go where we go. The rest of the week was fine and sunny so we were able to enjoy the whole thing of driving alongside the lochs with the hills towering above us on the land side.

The new car managed everything we asked of it. Being a bit higher up than the C5 we got a better view of things.

We parked in Inverary overlooking the loch. Guy from car alongside made his way to the waters edge with a car mat in his hand. Threw this onto the beach and then washed it by swishing it about in the water. Went back to his car and returned with three more mats. Threw them down. A little too keen as they went into the water and sank with hardly a gurgle. I had to bend over and examine something on the floor of the car so he would not see my hysterics.

When I first retired, I thought that it would be like one long holiday. This last week away has shown me that this is not so. Don’t know why this is but it feels quite different to be on holiday.

Great over-dosing on fish and seafood. I think we only had one meat meal whilst away and that was venison. We should be so healthy that we will never die.

There is still a lot of exotic bird life over that side of Scotland. We saw a few hawks etc. but they do not seem to be having such an impact as those in Yorkshire where they had decimated song birds and quite a bit of the feathered game.

Seals much in evidence. At one place they were on rocks no more than ten feet from the edge of the beach with some very young cubs (or whatever baby seals are called) They stayed steady as I photographed them but got a bit boogied when the sharp nosed dog focussed on them. She had a great time. I am now confined to walking alongside flat water so most of our trots were alongside the lochs. She found a great game in searching for dead things and then rolling in them.

Off now to catch up on 4Ms and mail. Not too bad – btinternet put 600 in the spam file and I only had some 20 that needed reading.