Caledonian Canal

I had a lovely morning walk with Fred, Heath and the two JRs along the canal. The last time I walked along the towpath, the canal was frozen over. What a difference this Christmas - I almost didn't need gloves today!

After the walk, Fred and I hot-footed it to Ness Castle Lodges (potential wedding venue number 2) for a chat and a nose around the area. It's gorgeous and certainly a lot more up our street than other places we've considered. The River Ness is up so high that it covered some of the estate's grounds and we even spied some canoeists paddling around one of the trees. Back to the wedding chat and we have a bit of work to do to work out numbers and costs. I need to find another few potential venues, too.

The rest of the afternoon was spent completing the Guardian crossword with Heath, drinking tea and catching up with Nicky D and Wes in Johnny Foxes, meeting Wes's kids and staying well clear of a remote-controlled hellicopter that managed to trim a pot plant, and playing games with mum and Rory back at the parents' abode.

A busy and most sociable day.