O enjoying the forest around Loch of Blairs

The brilliant weather of yesterday disappeared under a layer of dense cloud accompanied by a keen breeze.

This didn’t faze O as he walked, trotted and chattered his way around the Loch interested in all manner of things which caught his attention.

Volunteers are doing a great job transforming the loch and surrounding forest into a valuable habitat and local resource.

From Loch of Blairs we went to the Logie Steading for lunch where in addition to the customary scones and coffee we also had Cullen Skink which we missed yesterday while in Cullen. There was time to look around the Steading shops, second hand bookstore and River Findhorn exhibition.

Still not cold enough we piled into the car to Findhorn beach for a bracing stroll along the sands. What a place the beach is. Over on the other side of the Findhorn estuary there were many grey seals hauled out on the sand. Their baying could be heard, borne on the wind.

As fascinating was the vast number of wonderful sea smoothed pebbles of all different sizes, some set into sand like a mosaic. Some of the oldest metamorphic and igneous rocks in the world. We were the first to touch them. Many were collected for my granddaughter, many were thrown into the water or skimmed.

Eventually we decided enough was enough so went back and ordered a takeaway for our last night in Forres. We travel back to Edinburgh tomorrow via a stop in Pitlochry I think.