First wintry day here...

...though I think last night was pretty wintry too. It was certainly stormy.
This morning I was up at 5.15 to go to Stromness and get the ferry to Hoy to volunteer with the RSPB. I thought it would be better to cancel, but the other volunteer (ex-army!) thought it would be fine. The pier at Moaness on Hoy was swamped with water as we jumped from the ferry, and schoolkids went the other way, Some commute! Some 'boat-bobbing sea'.

We were planting trees at White Glen where, at the same time last year, we helped cut down and burn a plantation! The problem was that those trees were planted as an (unsuccesful) experiment in commercial forestry and the species were unhelpful to native insects etc. So they had to come out and be replaced by native species, and that's what we did today. We got 88 downy birch in. Doesn't sound that many, but there was thunder and lightning and incredible hail showers as we worked. It was like volunteering during the apacalypse.

So no chance to get a good photo. This is of the hailstone covered road to Rackwick.