Congo cockatoo

I hadn't been on a litter pick for a while, so thought I should do so this morning. There was a brief shower then it brightened up so I put on the waterproof and set off. My usual first port of call is McCaig's Tower, but I was surprised to find very little litter up there - maybe someone had already had a clean-up.

Jacob's Ladder, the 144 steps down to the town which is a popular route for visitors to the Tower, was a real mess. I collected a full sack of rubbish, mostly from the two seating areas. There's so much down the bank, but unreachable unless you climb over, which I'm not doing!

I had a long chat with a lady from Stratford, Ontario, talking mostly about community groups and what they can do, and she had some interesting ideas. After she'd carried on up the steps I carried on down and met a man from Clitheroe, Lancashire, the 17th member of a man-group who'd come up for a few days - he was the only one without a motorbike and was travelling by train! 

Having dumped my sackful I collected another half-sack before I got home! Why are people do disgusting filthy! 

I wish I'd taken my camera with me, though I never do when I'm litter-picking because of the weight. I usually take my tiny camera, but couldn't find it today! The sky over the sea was very dark, but the harbour and nearby islands were lit up in the sun - there were many visitors up at the Tower taking photographs. So my Blip today has to be of my old favourite Impatiens niamniamensis, the Congo cockatoo, a tender perennial from tropical East Africa. I've Blipped it before, but it was a bit of an emergency!

I was expecting to pick MrsM up from the Mull ferry later in the afternoon but she phoned to say that the ferries had been cancelled for the rest of the day, due to high winds. It was a bit blowy here, but it must have been worse out to sea!

Did some work on photographs this afternoon, interspersed with some potting in the greenhouse.