Sunshine to snow in a day (Days 326 - 336)

Day 326 Pebbles on the beach

The first of December and I can now start thinking about Christmas.  All the usual lists to make for food, presents and Christmas cards.  Only really noticed how much stamps had gone up when I bought 2 books of 2nd and a book of 1st class and proffered a £20 note, to be told it wasn't enough!

Day 327 - Paws for thought

Today I followed the fresh footprints of an otter along the beach. Easy to spot as the prints have 5 toes and are bunched in these groups of 4 paws.  Despite looking hard, I never saw it today.

Day 328 - Nosey dog

Trying to sort out my kit after another wet day and the dog had other ideas.  He wanted his tea.  So I snapped his nose!

Day 329 - Eat responsibly 

We often hear about drinking responsibly, but what about eating responsibly.  Today I listened to the news as it talked about the NHS crisis and obesity.  Ironically I was cooking a roast chicken and noticed the packaging stated it 'serves 2'.  This small chicken weighted 1.25kg and fed me for 4 meals (+ soup from the carcass).  Why do supermarkets feel the need for this type of labelling, and if they do it why such large portions?

Day 330 - Hardy sailors

In between hail showers the winter sun was bright but I was still surprised to see a couple of hardy young men out on their small sailing boat.  Working hard with the spinnaker they tacked across the bay and provided my students with lots of photo opportunities.

Day 331 - Young swan

The swans around Lamlash and Whiting Bay are easy targets for my camera and this cygnet seemed to enjoy my attention coming right up to the camera for some close up shots (will be posted on facebook at some time).

Day 332 - Wagtail

Another foul weather day with heavy hail showers and it never really got light.  I was helping to do a wetland bird survey so couldn't avoid being out in the rain today but snapped this little male wagtail who has decided to stay put for winter.

Day 333 - Snow

Although I know there has been snow on Goatfell for a couple of days the tops have not been visible due to low cloud and this was my first opportunity of the year to snap the winter scene.

Day 334 - Student dashing for cover

The sea chucked debris up, the rain lashed down and the wind howled but my students this week have been nothing but stoic in their endeavours to take photographs.  I think most have been pleasantly surprised at what can be achieved in the worst or worst conditions.

Day 335 - Road block

Even the swans gave up today and took to the high ground at Whiting Bay as Scotland was 'weather bombed'.  The storms were ferocious and we suffered power cuts but surprisingly little damage.  And of course no ferries for a couple of days.

Day 336 - Sand blasting

Still windy today and I got caught out (again) by one of the nasty hail squalls.  I resist calling them hail stones and it felt more like hail bricks and the sand was lifted to add to the misery of having my skin frozen and sand blasted all at the same time.  Pebbles balanced on little towers of sand and it was blown away around them.  So really the week has been all about the weather but then it is winter so we really can't complain.

Shoot and run (Days 232 - 240)

Day 232 - Scaffold around the old Lamlash Church

The last 10 days have been fairly frantic with weddings, workshops and plenty of commercial jobs to complete. Most of the photo's for the project have really be grabbed along the way - some on my pocket compact as flash cards filled up with jobs and batteries were charged.

The conversion of the old church into residential property seems to be taking a while but with the scaffolding up I'm sure it will suddenly be finished.  Looking forward to seeing them.

Day 233 - Brambles

I love this time of year, so much colour in the berries, the mushrooms are starting to appear in great numbers and there is still plenty of wildlife around.

Day 234 - Cooling swim

Still managing to get some cani-cross training in with Watson despite the busy week.  He enjoys a swim when we're near any water and it's good for him to cool off and see the training as fun.

Day 235 - Graveyard shift

 Monday evening class and a trip to a couple of graveyards for tonight's exercises. I like the old graveyards as the stones tell more of a story giving a feel for the people who have gone before.

Day 236 - The happy couple

Today I had the privilege of  photographing Vivienne and Angus's wedding.  The swans floated by when we were on the bridge and stayed in shot for a short while.  It was a beautiful day.

Day 237 - Bambi

Full day workshops and an island tour taking in the deer at Lochranza, including this little 'bambi'. So cute.

Day 238 - In full sail

More workshops and back to Kildonan. The day was hazy and it gave a mystical feel to the sailing ship.  I wish it had been a little closer as I think it would have looked spectacular.

Day 239 - Nuts

Today it's editing day and I try not to be too distracted by the wildlife outside my window.  But it is good to give the eyes a rest and focus on something a little further away every so often (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it).

Day 240 - Lunch grab

Another quick lunch time job but the upside is I get fed at this one. And what a view from the restaurant at Altachorvie.