Fresh woods ...

I feel as if today's been on the go for ever, but I think maybe it was just that I was on the go. It began with a fairly brisk breakfast because we had the plumber paying a visit to check on the kitchen mixer tap, out of which the other day appears about six tiny mesh filters which seem to have had the effect of organising the water flow - without them, the tap gushes inefficiently in a spray that goes everywhere without actually providing much water. I left him and Himself discussing levers and went off to do my Italian before coffee time.

Actually, while the plumber was there I had to reach a decision about the marmalade I was making yesterday. I thought it hadn't set, even though I'd put it in jars, so I opened one of the small ones and discovered it was fine - not as congealed as the earlier lot, but fine all the same, so off it went into the dark cupboard in the hall. This left me with the Amazon parcel to deal with, the one that wasn't delivered last week; I ended up chatting on the phone to one Keegan who turned out to be in Cape Town, organising a delivery in Edinburgh ... but he managed to sort something, asked me if we were having any better weather and wished me a happy walk in the sunshine ...

Which is what we did next. We were heading for our usual winter walk along the Toward shore, but there were threatening clouds to the south of us so we just ... stopped. Parked. And walked along the road out of Innellan, up the steep hill beyond the village, and on southwards on a minor, dead-end road where I don't think I've ever walked in all the 50 years we've lived here. On our left was the view in the photo, on our right up the hillside alternating clumps of forest were interspersed with fields clearly used by horses. We walked the best part of 3 miles before we arrived back at the car after making a circle above the village - all very satisfying. And it was cold, yes, but sunny - the rain only threatened briefly as we set off for home.

Before our next outing - to choir this evening - Himself had a GP appointment and a call for help from our granddaughter needing help with some music homework; I cooked pasta for our dinner; I found the music for tonight.

And afterwards? Well, I can tell you that the marmalade I feared to be runny isn't, but is instead utterly delicious ...