Extreme autumn

I was under the impression that this was to have been a rainy day, when I would have every excuse reason to stay indoors and maybe do some more painting on the right paper - but the rain, such as it was, vanished quite early on and the day brightened just a weensie bit and I'm not complaining but I didn't do any painting. In fact, I felt so draggy after breakfast that I fell asleep doing the Italian exercises and resorted instead to reading the first two chapters of the Gospel according to Matthew in Italian - which will earn me no Duolingo points but was fascinating. Coffee propped me up a bit, but I'm fed up having an aching, blurry eye and am eager to get to the hospital (Thursday, too early for convenience but hey ho...). 

Having sat for too long reading last Sunday's paper - which had some very interesting pieces in it - and having text conversations with #2 son who had a night at home and is now heading across the world again in the other direction, and another with a friend whose church has been in a vacancy for a horribly long time but who is now seeing an end to it, I realised my knees were seizing up and needed a walk. The wind was in the south, so we headed north to Loch Eck and walked along the west bank, a tree-shaded walk rendered golden by the autumn leaves and totally sheltered and peaceful. A lone red squirrel darted across the track in front of us (I really ought to report a sighting) and someone waved from the belay on the top of the quarry where, almost 30 years ago, I learned to abseil and where today a young woman or teenager (helmeted and facing the cliff face) was having what was clearly her first ever descent. 

By the time we came back and returned to the road via part of Benmore Gardens, there wasn't a soul in sight - it'd been quite busy earlier - and the silence was palpable. That's where the photo above came from - a sort of chaotic shot of the ornamental lake. I took far too many photos as usual; I'll probably stick another - perhaps of Loch Eck - in the extras. And I'll add a dismembered gunnera fruit (?) for your delectation ...

And now I'm off to check if son has made his connection in Doha ...