Snow and Mud

We woke this morning to snow on the hills and sleety showers at sea level.  The mountains of Mull on the opposite side of the Sound were white with snow, while....

....the hills on this side showed no more than a dusting.  This view is of Cruachan croft house with the heights around Meall an Tarmachain in the distance.  This was taken around nine, with blue sky already showing, and during the rest of the morning we had sunny intervals and occasional sleety showers.

The croft fields are in a mess, having been given no chance to drain in the incessant wet weather.  The field below Grianan farmhouse is home to a small herd of Highlanders, but this morning they were sharing it with a blizzard of seagulls who were probably feasting on the worms that have been driven to the surface.  Even some of the top avian predators, like our local buzzards, have been obliged to subsist on worms.

Highlanders are designed for this environment, but spending much of your time almost knee-deep in mud can't be much fun, and the animals' predicament is a constant worry to their owners.  Everyone is praying for a break in the weather.