Planning ...

The unplanned bit of today was sleeping later than usual - though the worst bit was waking early, about 6.30am, and staring blearily at the alarm clock only to find that what I was looking at made no sense to me. I lay down again, sadly reflecting that I was probably losing it, though in fact I think it was the two hands plus the alarm hand all pointing down around the number 6 on the dial that confused at the time and left me with unhelpful knowledge that analogue clock faces are a sort of benchmark ...

Enough. I sat in bed drinking tea and dealing with messages on my phone. We're planning an outing, three women friends and I, and needed to clarify dates, find out ferry times, work out when we'd need to leave Dunoon in order to fit in with the restricted ferry service offered by CalMac in its hour of need. So I was late down to breakfast, and had to put a loaf in the bread machine for lunch before I made my porridge. (In the event I did it while said porridge was bubbling.)

A phone call from a friend on PS Waverley kept me back after breakfast - I'd taken a photo of the paddler passing The Cloch on her way south and then on to Oban. That call ended in confusion because this friend will insist on phoning the now rather hopeless house phone which suddenly gave out the most dire noise and then went silent. For all I know he's gone overboard ... But after coffee I managed to get on with planning a Cursillo meeting of local members, the first in far too many years, involving a set order of events and a bring and share supper. That's tomorrow - I think I'm sort of sorted. 

After lunch I took my Italian practice outside and sat in the sun speaking to the phone until I fell irresistibly asleep and almost dropped the phone on the concrete - not a good idea. So I gave up and - quite late in the afternoon - we went down to Loch Striven and had the most glorious walk along the shore road. There was an alarming moment when an enormous truck came round the corner and bore down on us, taking up the whole width of the single-track road - but then he stopped, began reversing, reversed to a lay-by and waited for us there so's we could have space to pass. I blew him an exaggerated kiss and he laughed, so all was well, though I'm not sure the car behind him was so pleased. No kisses for him - he didn't smile. 

Today's photo is of the standing stone, Creag na Cailleach, surrounded by purple rhododendron flowers with the declining sun lighting its little grove as if it were a stage. It became very peaceful, with only the sound of the odd sea-bird and a heron wailing every so often from among the trees. We didn't get home till almost 7pm, and I had dinner on the table by 7.45pm. Smug? Moi??

Never.