Quiet loch

At last we had some sun today, along with the snow on the hills - although by the time I was free to walk and take some photos the sun was already down behind the hills and I had to be content with the blue sky. Here said sky is reflected in the former reservoir for Dunoon, now a loch in the Bishop's Glen where the water course above the loch has been restored when the old dam was breached and the upper reservoir drained. We used to walk here often: when I had a baby in a buggy I once brought him here while I picked brambles on a precarious embankment and had the sudden thought that if I fell into the loch and drowned no-one would know ...

Now I come less often, because this lower loch is a favourite place for dog-walkers, many of whom let their dogs run free while they wander or chat with other dog-walkers while their beasts run wherever. But today we'd been rehearsing in the church, which lies at the foot of the glen, and it seemed the obvious place to go to restore the circulation. I'm glad we went: I've always loved this view and it didn't disappoint. 

Two extra photos today: one was taken about half an hour later from the far side of the loch and shows the family of swans that you can just make out in the above photo (far side towards the right) swimming in formation through the glassy water; the other taken in the morning as I got out of my car and noticed the sun in the grass that has taken root on top of our garden wall, where a small garden is forming on the stone. 

This felt like a real winter day - cold, but much more enjoyable.