Chasing the sun

It was positively chilly this morning - the moment I got up I realised the heating had come on, and it stayed on for about an hour before going off again. It was also forbiddingly grey and miserable; it's amazing how quickly this weather palls. Mind, the pots on the patio have fairly perked up - the fulsome roses have dropped all their petals, and the anemones are looking a bit bashed, but everything else is ... burgeoning. 

Over elevenses this morning we were discussing the possibility of a return visit to Arran over the summer; we seem incapable of much forward planning these days in that we wait for one holiday to be over before we book another, as if we fear we may not survive ... anyway, after a brief trawl through various self-catering options (despite having enjoyed, more or less, three stays at Auchrannie, I really prefer not to stay in a hotel on my favourite island) - after that trawl we realised that just about everything was fully booked for the time we were considering, constrained as we are by having agreed to do a concert in mid-September. There was, however, one vacancy that stood out - a week in mid-August in a cottage we stayed in once before and that I loved. A few mails back and forth ... a wait till we found out the outcome ... and before dinner I paid the deposit and arranged insurance. Hurrah!

The afternoon saw us hurrying down once more to the Burgh Hall to hear our friend Paddy give a fascinating talk on Zimbabwe, where she lived for the first half of her life. Then to the doctor's surgery to find out the results of a blood test I had taken in March; they were poor compared to the previous one and I'm a tad scunnered. In an effort to counteract the negative vibes and to find some respite from the heavy showers that had plagued us all day we drove down to Toward for a late afternoon walk round Toward Point. It was actually lovely - it didn't rain, there was warm sunshine as well as the clouds you can see in the photo, the birds were singing their heads off (a blackbird won) and a heron flapped wearily past on its way to the beach. The photo was taken close to the lighthouse; I love the pools in the red rocks at this bit of coast, especially where a stone has scoured out a circular basin in the soft rock. This view looks north, towards Dunoon and the hills beyond. 

We had no real food for dinner, so I made a mushroom risotto with a cheeky addition of a few rashers of pancetta chopped into it - laborious stirring but extremely easy. I didn't really see much telly - far too dozy. 

And tonight I'm going to copy this text before I try to post - just in case ...