"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing." she said. So out we went, suitably dressed, in the howling gale and torrential rain to the nature reserve. Most of the birds and mammals obviously did not have the correct attire as they stayed out of sight.

Undeterred we spent almost three hours walking around and sitting in drafty hides. My camera did not once come out of the bag. The highlight of the day was a flask of hot, strong tea and a Tunnock's caramel wafer.

Or perhaps it was the cup of tea and homemade chocolate cake in front of the fire when we arrived home.