Seaside resort of Nairn.

 Drove a pleasant 30 miles to the seaside resort of Nairn. Parked the car near to the beach, wrapped up warm and enjoyed a walk along the footpath to the harbour where most of the boating craft are now safely moored for the winter. Cut through the sand dunes and had a more exhilarating stroll back along the beach listening to the seagulls and the waves crashing on the shore, an ideal place for dog lovers. Strange to see so many colourful autumn leaves amongst the seaweed on the sands.

Sit back, enjoy the movie and pretend you are on your holiday.

Trip to Pitlochry.

 Went for a day trip to Pitlochry-about 100 miles down the A9-to MacDonald the Butcher's to fill up the freezer for winter. As we drove through the edge of the Cairngorm National Park the snow became more prominent on the mountain tops. The Cairngorm ski season has opened one month earlier this year because of the heavy snowfall on the mountains during late October.
After a stroll down the high street and a look in most of the shop windows,several of which were adorned with christmas decorations,we left our order with the butcher and went away to have lunch. Drove to our secret location up the hill behind Pitlochry village along the colourful autumn lanes.

 Enjoyed a picnic on the bench by the pond gazing at the wonderful reflections and watching the ducks and cygnets which have grown since we last saw them in May.

After collecting our meat order from the butcher we had a leisurely drive back home and looked forward to Aberdeen Angus roast beef.

Chill out at Chanonry Point.

Went with great expectations and a packed lunch to Chanonry Point on The Black Isle in the hope of seeing the Moray Firth dolphins. Checked the time of the high tide and got in position on the beach about one hour beforehand and waited excitedly.The crowd gathered and we all froze together..it must have only been about 2 or 3 degrees with a biting cold wind blowing in along the Moray Firth from the North Sea. A few sightings of the odd fin and nose but not enough for any photos. We did get talking to a fellow watcher who had come all the way from Edinburgh in the hope of seeing them, as her son sponsers one called Sundance. Fortunately for us we can easily come to Chanonry Point any time we fancy a break with the chance of seeing the dolphins.
On the drive back home we spotted a red kite gliding above us. These have recently been reintroduced onto the Isle and have been breeding successfully. Stopped at Dores for a view down the Great Glen....beautiful with the snow still on tops. Back at home we found five female pheasants on the rockery, a cheeky red squirrel on the bird table and later in the dusk of the evening we were visited by a young stag and hind...what a lovely place to live whatever the weather.

Tourist group meeting

Drove over to The Whitebridge Hotel for a meeting of the South Loch Ness Tourist Group. A very good turnout of members at the meeting with a lively discussion covering various topics followed by a warming lunch. The snow is still laying quite thickly amongst the autumn colours and clearly silhouetting the stag and his hinds in the nearby fields. The scenery was spectacular and we all agreed that this is an amazing place to live and, more importantly, for people to visit.
Enjoy the slideshow...........

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

After a very cold night and a sky full of stars we woke to clear blue skies and snow laying all around the house. Went up to Aspenwood and found the guests had ventured out to enjoy the picturesque scenery. The cottage always seems to sit cosily in Farigaig Forest overlooked by the dramatic mountains opposite.
The numerous red squirrels are still regular visitors to all the nut feeders and hopefully they will continue to appear throughout the winter as they do not hibernate. Last Saturday we saw some squirrels digging in the grass behind the cottage and realised they had buried some nuts to enjoy later.The Nut Fund is going very well thanks to all guests who have 'bookmarked a squirrel'.
As I look down the loch towards Inverness a wall of white is heading this way and Urquhart Castle is disappearing in the approaching snow - beautiful.

Snow on tops.

The first heavy snowfall of the year fell overnight on ground above 1000 feet. We woke up to see the mountains opposite covered in snow. The forecast for tomorrow is for a chilly northerly wind with snow showers during the day laying at lower levels.......watch this space.

Tufty

 The characteristic ear tufts of the native red squirrels are becoming more prominent as winter approaches. They moult their tufts once a year in late summer and grow them again in preparation for the cold weather. Unlike the grey squirrels the reds do not hibernate and so we will be keeping all nut feeders full throughout the cold winter months when the pine cones and hazel nuts have disappeared from the trees in the surrounding forest. The squirrels are still very much in abundance around the cottage and it is very amusing to watch their antics.

River Oich walk

Yesterday was a fine crisp dry day so we decided to make the most of it and have a walk in Jenkins Park on the outskirts of Fort Augustus. We drove over the Struie and then downhill passing Loch Tarff on our right. On the TV the other evening there was a replay of the film 'Local Hero' set in Scotland. In one of the early scenes the two American oil guys had to park up because of the dense mist. In the morning the mist cleared and Loch Tarff was in front of them. The stroll in the Jenkins Park forest at Fort Augustus was very refreshing, peaceful and colourful, about 4 miles at a very leisurely pace. Part of the walk is beside the River Oich which is always beautiful and relaxing. Just before we reached home we noticed two cormorants on the small boat jetty parallel with Inverfarigaig Pier no doubt stopping for a well earned breather.