Sanna in the Rain

We had yet another gale last night, the barometer again fell off the bottom of its scale, and a further 27mm of pure Kilchoan sunshine were added to 219mm we've already had in December.  Little wonder that, when we drove to Sanna this morning for a brisk walk, water was pouring from every pore in the hills - this little waterfall was just before Achnaha, and it was adding....

....to the already bank-full Allt Uamha na Muice.  This burn becomes the Allt Sanna beyond Achnaha, and....

....it too was running at full flood: a little more, and it would have been across the road.

From the low hill just beyond the bridge there's a view of Plocaig, with the Sanna burn meandering away to its right and, in the distance, more rain obscuring the outline of Eigg.

Unsurprisingly, the car park at Sanna was deserted and, although it wasn't raining, the sky held promise of plenty more to come.

We saw no-one except one resident, who was standing outside her front door in a lull in the weather while her small dog made use of the garden.  At this time of year only four of the houses are occupied, the rest shut for the winter. The place had the feel of a forgotten sponge that had just bobbed up for air.

The Allt Sanna was in flood as it passed below the footbridge.  It's usually a gentle little burn, but today it seemed angry, chewing at its banks until some parts, as on the right of this picture, collapsed into the water.

The tides are at neaps but the persistent westerlies have been pushing high water right up the beach, further damaging the precious machair.  Most of the beaches have been swept clean of flotsam except that Sanna, like so many places, has one section, near the mouth of the burn, where seaweed and rubbish collects - and, as always, most of the rubbish is plastic.

We walked the length of the beach, and then back again, alone except for the sea birds.  It rained, mostly a drizzle but occasionally something heavier, but, in the few moments when it cleared, the air had a crystal clarity, and the muted colours seemed to glow.