Ladies who ...*

Today felt strangely like a work day, though it was nothing of the sort. I think it was because I was barely in my house between 10am and 5pm, so that when I was contemplating dinner the cereal bowls were still in the dish rack (washed, I have to tell you) and the house bore the signs of a hasty exit on my part.

It began with feeling slightly rushed to get to Pilates because I suddenly realised I had to put on a washing and organise Himself to hang it out, this being what we've not had in ages, a blowy, clear, drouthy day. After class, attended by all the old gang who've been regulars for some time now, a group of us changed in the changing rooms so that we weren't stuck in leggings for hours and went to find coffee in the restaurant where, after the second class of the morning joined us, we had lunch.

The coffee was good ...

Several hours after arriving, we staggered out, hoarse with blethering over rather too-loud background music. (Pilates classes are not really for the real full-on blether that sometimes needs to happen!) Himself and I went home, changed again into something warmer, took in the washing (dry!) and headed once more south for the last of the light. We were blinded by the sun on our way back from the lunch, but fifteen minutes later Dunoon was in the shadow of its surrounding hills, and when we reached the Ardyne the last sun had slipped between a bank of cloud to the south over Arran. We had a chilly walk up the farm road to the top of the hill, to get the circulation going, and then, mesmerised by the changing sky, continued as last time out the shore track as the light grew gold and dramatic.

And that, friends, is why I'm posting yet another photo of this most favourite of places. I love the wet low-tide sand and stones, the inlets and the seabirds, and if you look closely towards the right hand side of the water-line you'll see the tiny silhouettes of a man and his dog. When we turned to come home, the moon had risen, not quite full, and was sailing above the Castle Toward woods. I kept taking photos with frozen fingers, and felt it was all worth it.

We had pasta with truffle sauce and some green beans doused in lemon olive oil for our dinner, and a small but sinful mince pie. All good, really. But it's jolly cold ...

*Do Pilates, lunch, talk, talk some more, go for walks they've done a hundred times, take photos!