Hailstones and Wildflowers

We took our first walk of the year in the hills to the west of Ormsaigbeg, on a morning when a strong northwester was bringing in heavy showers from the Atlantic.  As we climbed the first hill we looked back across the Sound of Mull to Bloody Bay, the site of a great naval battle between John if Islay, the Lord of the Isles, and - sadly - his son, Angus Og MacDonald.  The date of the battle is uncertain, but it's placed some time around 1481, and it was, as the name suggests, a very bloody affair..

Soon after, we too were doing battle - with a vicious hail storm which pelted us with super-hailstones, several stones welded together, the better to damage walkers who were already feeling frail after a good night last night.

This is as far as we managed, looking down from the west end of Maol Buidhe to the point called Rubhan a' Chall, and a bay where we've swum on warm summer days.  We would have walked further but had an urgent appointment - at another new year celebration.

Arriving back home we came across this primrose in full flower.  It's tucked under a bank, and sheltered from the weather by part of the house.  It was a cheering sight in the middle of winter and on the first day of a new year.