Summer - Again

After a couple of slightly dismal, wet days, the weather has reverted to high summer, with glorious blue skies and midday temperatures soaring into the mid-teens. This was the view looking southwest from the slipway by the shop around ten this morning, with Maol Buidhe in the right distance, while....

....this view is in the opposite direction, to some of the croft houses in Kilchoan above which can be seen St Comghan's church with the backdrop of Glas Bheinn.

The latest spell of settled weather, which is due to continue for at least a week, is caused by this massive but slow-moving depression in the middle of the North Atlantic, the remains of Hurricane Nicole, now a post-tropical storm - map courtesy Cameron Beccario, here, while the whole 'story' of Nicole, with some impressive satellite photographs, can be followed on the NASA website here.

Light winds have brought out a daily parade of small yachts and other sailing boats moving up and down the Sound, while the weather....

....seems to have affected the mood of the local gulls. A bit like the herons, they're moving round in noisy groups: this one was wheeling over the bay below our house, often a sign that something dead and smelly has been washed up, but it must have been high spirits.

Some of the small birds are confused, thinking this may be an early spring. This male yellowhammer looks as if he's got himself dressed up in his mating plumage at least four months too early.