Over the sea

 Looking towards Arran and the Heads of Ayr from Prestwick promenade...Monday afternoon, time out for a gelato and a walk on the prom.

Showers

 All day...

Walk

we had an evening walk, watching showers scud across the sky.

A certain amount of rain has fallen today, but mostly it has just been damp air!

I am not sure what this plant is... usually the sheep graze this field down, but they have returned to the hills by now.

 The Clyde was shining..if you haven't spotted in the centre of the top picture...

You could see a little of Arran on the other side, briefly!

New Year's Eve in North Tolsta

 a dry start to the day, thankfully

 Stornoway harbour

 Stornoway castle. When Lord Leverhulme offered the Island of Lewis to the people who lived here, in 1923, only Stornoway accepted...hence the Trust which cares for the castle and grounds.
 He had tried to regenerate the herring industry on the lines of his Port Sunlight project on the Wirrall, but tried to bring the crofting system to an end.  When the government brought in crofts for returning servicemen after 1919, he decided to leave.

 looking towards the town across the harbour

 through the gates for a walk

 rhodedendron ponticum being cleared in the castle grounds so that the trees will regenerate

 a walk around the back streets of the town

 and watching the boat coming in...10 out of 10 for parking!!

 Then we had rain and sun and wind

 and sunlight on the clouds as we awaited the bus home

 now this, miss Hetty shows us, is the most sensible place to be on a day like this!

 but we just thought, one more walk....

 down towards the beach again...

 and a reward of another beautiful sunset

walkies!!

The Pirate is planning to run a cyclo cross in about a year's time, near our village.
Unfortunately one can no longer include running water, so a crossing of the Dyrock Burn is out of the question!

But there is plenty of choice, and two willing farmers....it will be his Birthday Cyclo Cross...ok, I know his birthday is in July, but you don't ride these in the Summer!!

we walked a few possible routes before lunch, then afterwards walked to the village shop for coffee and a paper. 

There were still patches of driven slush on the road as we walked home and above us a stunt plane practised lazy loops. 
The clouds gradually came over, giving us a warmer night than we had feared..just decidedly chilly instead of below freezing.

visit to the South Island

East Mole, Whanganui rivermouth