Very cold and bleak

Probably the shortest day (I get confused as the sunrises are still getting later even while the sunsets will soon start to push back....). I went for what counted as a solstice swim in Loch Migdale. My goodness, it was baltic. The intrepid band are in an extra. My body coped ok, but my tiny hands were utterly frozen, despite wearing gloves.

It was another cold, windy and wet day, and latterly when we came back from the supermarket a while back, it was sleating. This was after a very satisfactory outing to Portmahomack to collect a venison haunch for Christmas, as well as some other venison products, from a man who has a lot of refrigeration in his shed.... And then on to the Tarbat Ness lighthouse and Wilkhaven Point for a short walk, where we were slightly taken aback to see a delivery van for the Sofa Delivery Company out in the middle of nowhere. They are not one of the standard delivery companies that come out from Inverness, so perhaps they were lost....

On the way back to Tain, we popped into the Inver Inn for an excellent lunch, which gave Mr A some culinary ideas.

We've now closed the curtains, ramped up the heating and (in my case) filled a hot water bottle. We have no confidence it will be dry tomorrow or the day after or indeed in the foreseeable future. But none the less, we will make the best of what we have.