Free at last ...

Of course we're not. Not free - not yet - of a government that continues to amaze with its bluebottle persistence. Not free of the shadow of Brexit. But this afternoon, walking far too late under the huge sky to the south of Cowal, I felt free from the trials of the gas service and free of the nagging suspicion that there was too little food in the house, and that was enough for one day.

The second gas fire produced none of the trials of its (newer, more complicated, more sophisticated) opposite number in the back room. It was taken out, the smoke bombs let off without incident, returned, working. I shopped in the hideously busy supermarket and had a good chat with a friend I met in mid-aisle. I booked hotels and flights at either end of our next holiday and filed all the paperwork away neatly. The rain stopped.

Hence this walk. We didn't start walking till after 4pm, but the sky was clearing and its vastness seemed to give extra light, even though the sun had gone into the clouds over Bute. The copper beech trees glowed beside the road (extra photo) and overhead a lone jet headed for America. It was cold and we were tired, but as we walked we felt warmer and more energetic. And then the moon rose and I couldn't stop singing "Georgia on my mind". (extra photo -... moonlight through the trees ...)

And when we came home I cooked the most delicious dinner.