Muir Dam

A really muddy walk this morning to try to reach Muir Dam near Thornhill. The water itself was all fenced off but the extra shows the glimpse we had of it. The track we followed was ankle deep in mud in places,  thanks mainly to this crew.  They were perfectly docile and moved out of the way. If they'd stood their ground we would have backed off. We were caked in mud by the end but it was a good walk in lovely weather.

Last night's announcements on the new covid restrictions took a bit of digesting. Our modest festive celebrations need to be undone and reorganised. It's far more disruptive for the parents of young children, like our sons, who are now faced with another complex set of childcare arrangements in the New Year.

Yesterday evening we enjoyed a short online gathering with family and friends in Edinburgh (2 separate sets), Bristol and West Wales before what is, for me, the traditional start of Christmas. Musician Phil Cunningham's Christmas Songbook is something we usually attend with friends at either the Albert Halls in Stirling or (to my mind the more atmospheric) Queens Hall in Edinburgh. Of course this year it's all online and a very good job they made of it too. Here's a link to the lineup in 2016. Terrible photo but I love it!