Swim and sauna

I peaked early today. But it was a high peak.

L picked me up at 8.30am to go to Shandwick, to use the mobile Highland Sauna (which I've had the pleasure of using a time or two at Migdale Loch, most recently in late December). The sea and sauna combo also works extremely well, and L (and L from Invergordon) and I popped backwards and forwards between sea (for a dip) and sauna (for a roast) on numerous occasions through our two hour session. We finished off with a 20 minute swim to the green door and back, but were able to have a final session in the sauna to warm up as there was no one using the 11-12 slot. When we arrived the sea was perfect - completely pancake flat. The wind picked up a tiny bit when I took the picture in the collage, but it was still basically swell-free, although there was a bit of rain from about 10am onwards.

I've been relaxed but relatively idle for the rest of the day. We did pop to a couple of supermarkets for some necessary supplies, and to make a healthy deposit of bottles.... There was also a bit of pottering in the garden, including Mr A making a home made plant support with wire, bamboo and plastic zip ties. Although it would have been nice to sit out, it wasn't really feasible not least because the wind has got up, but now I'm sitting in the sitting room with the sun still coming over the shoulder of the house onto the upper level of the front garden. One of the bits of the garden I'm most proud of, given its state under two years ago. After I had cleared the upper level of the worst of the geraniums and grasses which were rampant, there was still the small matter of a holly stump and various other small stumps the last of which were only finally removed when we had the fence replaced in November 2023. I levered most of those out through July and August 2023, mainly by brute force. This year, with lupins, foxgloves, allium and many other plants the upper level is a biodiverse joy to behold. And despite having done virtually nothing to improve the soil (or to add to the thin soil layer), almost anything seems to grow up there. The Easter Ross earth is very fertile.

The lupins are also looking fine in the back. I've added an extra.