North Uist.

The wind blew. And increased.

The dog is good at spotting opportunities at the table. You need to be wise to her. She still catches us out. A marvellous wee dog.

After breakfast some of us had a walk on the nearest beach. The walk across the machair was a challenge for me because of the wind.

Lunch. Our sons knew this place better than us. They’ve had a pint a few times in recent years. It’s small. Need to book ahead. Our grandson had his feed before us. It was ok; island hospitality was lacking. It was cold - their log fire not lit, fortunately we’d layers in the car. Disappointing though, it was to mark the end of all our time together.

Late afternoon we went to Grenitote beach. It’s often been a late afternoon walk for us. It’s near a Co-op too, handy for fresh, as deliveries arrive late from the South. Today, the wind was up, the temperature down. A significant weather system was brewing, as had been forecast.

We learned tomorrow’s ferry for our younger son and partner was pushed back slightly as excellent CalMac revisited their immediate and weekend timetable.