Amazing to think that the other afternoon, we spent happy hours down on the boathouse beach in the sun without coats, enjoying spring sunshine warmth on our backs, and listening out for oystercatchers. Tonight, in sharp contrast, the wind is roaring round the chimneys and the wind turbine is doing very well. This time we haven't had any snow - not yet anyway, though other parts of the island have - our neighbour's hill was white this morning. Driving past Calgary beach late this afternoon, the beach was deserted, turquoise waters calmly lapping the sands. Further up the Bay towards Treshnish, foaming waters rippled and grew in to roughly undulating white flowing waves, breaking and pushing and churning, making a line of tidal knots between the two Points (Treshnish and Caliach).
Over the course of the evening, the wind blew up and we made sure doors were shut and large flat items were well secured. (like the sheeting board for the new recycling shed which had been innocently left out in the yard, and would metamorphose into lethal weapons if the wind caught hold of them).
On a night like this, the cows will miss the shelter of the cattle shed. They are on the hill above Toechtamhor. Farmer takes feed up to them twice a day - on the 'good days', this gives them the best of both worlds as they are out in fresh air but also getting the supplementary feeding they still need because the grass hasn't started to grow yet. But tonight, it is wild outside - though there will be areas to shelter and I imagine the calves will be nestling in close to keep warm.
The Recycling Shed? Yes, we are hiding the wheelie bins in a shed. Out of sight but definitely not out of mind. We very much hope that our eco friendly guests will help us to improve on the increasing amounts recycled from the holiday cottages every year.