Glorious October

A Kilchoan Diary was started in mid-October 2009 with a photograph almost identical to this one, taken this morning at 7.50am.  The view looks across Kilchoan Bay with Ben Hiant on the left and the mountains of Morvern lying under the sunrise.  The Loch Linnhe, the early morning ferry from Tobermory, is seen coming in towards Mingary Pier.

It was the start to a truly glorious October day.  Too many people think of this part of the world as a summer destination, on the grounds that it's likely to be warmest/driest/calmest at that time of year but, in the humble opinion of this writer, May and October are our best months.  As well as offering stunning colours, crystal-clear air, and sunshine, when it has the chance, strong enough to generate a tan, they are exciting times - last night we had a vicious hailstorm, just to remind us that winter is knocking on the door.

There's plenty of evidence that summer hasn't quite left us.  The bumblebees are still very active between the showers, and this tortoiseshell was in and out of the garden all afternoon...,

....while in the back garden the fruit is still coming - there can't be many places where outdoor strawberries are still being picked at this time of year, and the raspberries continue to produce a bumper crop.

But, as they say, there's a sting in every happy tale.  Kilchoan Early Bird sent in this picture of an adder basking in the sun, photographed between hail showers on Tuesday.

Many thanks to Kilchoan Early Bird for the adder picture.