May the road rise to meet you ...

I'm sure the forecast today was terrible. I'm sure I remember the BBC app showing a cloud with lightning and rain all morning. I was prepared for another day of grim resignation, punctuated by a visit to the doctor for light relief. 

But it wasn't like that.

The morning was a bit dithery, mostly catching up on little huvtaes, ordering stuff online, checking on possible hotels for a quick package in the sun for February (I have to sit down with Himself before this will actually happen; I'm appalled at how early things are booked up for the most unlikely times.) And the afternoon did bring an appointment with the GP, though not the one I was expecting. He's off sick. However, we have a decent bunch in the surgery these days, and the chap I saw was empathetic and ... well basically he agreed with all the stuff I'd worked out for myself. It will all hinge on the physio coming up with some helpful ideas ...

That over, the afternoon still relatively young, I decided it was too nice out to waste time in Dunoon. We drove down to Loch Striven and did one of our favourite stretches along the shore road. It was completely lovely, in a windy sort of way: trees and bushes along the road transformed by the sudden change to autumn colours, the sky blue, the loch a darker blue. A row of cormorants posed on the mooring point at the POL depot pier and a small fishing-boat pottered slowly down the loch. We walked just under 3 miles and felt better, despite various aches and pains. 

Himself made the family variant of a brandade for dinner - it must be heading into winter right enough - and we attended online Compline for the first time in three weeks. The prayers for compline are among the most perfect I know.

Blipping the start of our walk along the loch side, where the road did indeed rise to meet us and on into a picture-postcard view.