The Wintry Clyde

My plea for snow was answered overnight - however not low enough down. The surrounding hills were all covered this morning, but it was raining and sleeting at our altitude and all the way to Dunoon and across on the ferry to Gourock.

We had to drop Cailean at the station as he was going back to Edinburgh, and then we visited Cllr Ron Simon who is in hospital in Inverclyde. Finally we called on Kenny and Sheila Gibson, who didn't make it across to the Glen for New Year in their caravan for the first time since we came here 19 years ago.

This was taken from the car park of Gourock Railway Station. The contrast between the grey water flecked with white horses, as they are called, and the snow covered hills (with dark shapes picked out by the various shades of white) was very striking particularly when there was a boat somewhere in the shot. I took several of the ferries from the other side , but this juxtaposition turned out to be the best - a small tanker moored at the mouth of Loch Long , presumably to ride out not just today's storm but the even worse one that is predicted for tomorrow.