Shepherds and surfing

We woke to the sound of the shepherds instructing the sheep dogs to herd the next flock of sheepies down off the hills for shearing. It's an amazing sight, hundreds of sheep are being sheared every day on the machair at Stoer, but oh they are noisy when they get separated from their family groups.

Pit stop in Lochinver to pick up some things (code word: Dave to get cooked breakfast in the Mission) then a family pit stop at Flossies for alfresco toasties and bacon rolls. Gorgeously warm and sunny day to wile away the hours in the sea and boogie board the waves into shore at Clashnessie beach....after the annual olympian feat of me squeezing myself into a wet suit (that should be a sport in itself with different leagues for the more rounded of us)....stuffed sausage on the beach alert. Max maxed out on world record breaking splish splash splosh 100mtr dashes in a beachside stream while Beth followed him like a puppy and occasionally ferociously growled at a passer by or dog (still a bit of a scaredy dog).

Sam and Dave headed out at night to a wildlife photography evening event at Lochinver Hall - it's the 30th anniversary of the Assynt field club and there are events on all week - and as well as meeting the guy who'll be taking them off on a wildlife photography workshop the next day they had a great night and stopped for pictures of frogs and badgers on the way home on the winding passing places road from Lochinver to Clachtoll. And late, late into the wee small hours, we were kept awake by the poor separated sheep still calling to each other....and Dave's snoring.....