Ring of Brightwater...

The seven year itch in reverse. A plan months in the making when you take into account the design and making of the ring - I've been sitting with that finished since my birthday at the very start of the month till now, Mel's birthday at the very end. Sat outside our cottage in the sun; Loch Dunvegan leading the eye to the distant Cuillins; champagne , strawberries, a cooked breakfast and present opening; and then a 'remembered' last present. Plenty of shock - I'm not sure if that was to do with the proposal or the thought of a potential lifetime with a leftie Geordie football fan.

But 'yes' was the answer and the ring was duly donned.

On any other day my blip would have been another wildlife effort. We walked in the sun to the Uamh Oir ('Cave of Gold'), somewhere we discovered on our last trip, finding ourselves falling over seals and seabirds and beautiful views to the Hebrides. Those views were still there, as were the seabirds (especially the gannets). And then a wonderful added treat - a sea otter fishing a short distance out to sea, then coming ashore to eat his catch. With the rocky inlet to ourselves the otter was equally our own personal memory. It was almost as if he came out in joint celebration.

The day wasn't ended there, with an evening meal in the Three Chimneys. Somewhere we've been to a number of times, and tonight we went with the 7-course tasting menu, an outstanding demonstration of the produce available in Skye. Loch Dunvegan Langoustines with tattie scones and Glendale mesclun; Colbost crab risotto with shellfish essence and truckle wafer; selection of Broadford cold and hot smoked fish with Brunigill farm quail egg; huuuuge Sconser king scallop with hazlenut crust, split pea and ham hock puree a claret jus and pickled winkles; Loch Harport oysters with cucumber and mint jelly, homemade crème fraiche and Loch Etive trout caviar; roast fillet and shredded shin of Lochalsh beef with pearl barley and Totaig vegetable broth and horseradish; and hot marmalade souffle. Absolutely superb end to a rather excellent day.

Cormorant
Gannet
Razorbill Line