December Delights

Sometimes they’re obvious and sometimes you’ve to look for them. Because it’s getting darker and darker.

8am on the 2nd of December. Sipping coffee and eating toast, Ì was enjoying the drama of it. By 9.15am it was low tide on Caol Shore and perfect timing for the dog walk.

4pm evening walks are pushing it a bit with the day light, but I like the dying light and the contrast with artificial light.

Corpach Basin.

Sometimes there’s drama in other places. I got a text demanding a Full Team Call Out. This is not the first time. Last time it was because Ken Bruce had announced he was retiring from Radio 2 and Running Girl was distraught that she wouldn’t be able to enjoy his daily Pop quiz which she loved as a good distraction while removing the stinky boot smells from the mountain Rescue Team Building. I didn’t know what this one was about but clearly it was serious.

Thankfully Ì was able to help. Stinky boots she can deal with, but this she could not.

This week brought the usual flurry of issues wrought by my poor choice making which often result in feelings of disappointment in myself. They stem from the condition of ADD which my husband diagnosed me with 25 years ago. (I am otherwise fully undiagnosed and mostly missing any signs of the H which seems to be the more useful letter of the condition.)

I had swept the floor and gone to get the brush pan to collect the sweepings when I remembered Ì hadn’t opened my advent calendar to remove the small bottle of white wine which I put in the fridge for the evening festive drink. Then I scolded myself for being so easily distracted, gathered up the sweepings and forgot the calendar.

I drank warm white wine that night - very disappointing.

On the same day I’d been fairly occupied with life’s household duties (scrolling, mostly,) and realised I needed to pee. As I went out into the hallway Ì remembered Ì hadn’t hung up the washing which had been waiting for hours, so diverted to complete that task as I knew I’d only forget again, whilst my body would surely remind me to pee. Midway through hanging the washing on the pulley, Ì was afflicted with the dreaded double sneeze which caused the 2nd disappointment of the day and a reminder of my poor choices - although at that point the 1st disappointment hadn’t revealed itself.

There have been bright days and bright moments.

Spook and Running Girl volunteered to time the Scottish Winter Swim Champs in Oban.

The organisers needed another volunteer to ‘be’ the Highland cow. It didn’t take long to find one…..

I find this particularly surprising as she is way more scared of cows than she is of mice.

The MOST delighted person so far this December is Jane the Sausage dog. Her favourite lap returned home, ending a very unsettling and distressing 49 days for her. She’s been fairly vocal about it and everyone is looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet. Not least Billy, who sat down in his favourite chair with the salut of a champion.