Scotland

J is staying in Scotland for a while - house-sitting for our friends Andy and Jo, looking after their little cat Meredith and doing some painting etc. Otis is amusingly suspicious of the cat, and watches her out of the corner of his eye as she roams about the room. He's also very jealous of any attention she gets from J or me, so he sits close and stares at us intently. Very funny and rather sweet.

We drove up to North Connel, just outside Oban near the Western Isles a couple of weeks back, - I stayed a few days then caught the train home. A long journey in both directions - an eleven hour drive there (566 miles - stopped overnight just south of Glasgow, 'cos we were pooped) and then on the way back, boarded a train in Oban at 8.11am and got off in Battle at 7.26pm, I have to say exactly on time. Had to change at Glasgow Central, and through London by underground, but all in all a nice adventure.

Beautiful scenery as well, as the train went down the side of countless lochs

and through the lovely Lake District.

Weather was mixed, but we had a most beautiful day in Port Appin, with a nice walk to see a sea-cut rock arch, now stranded by dropping sea levels

and a pleasant lunch of Mussels in a cream, thyme and smoked salmon sauce, finished off by a dram of the good stuff - 14 year old Oban single malt - on the beach skimming stones.

On the subject of wee drams, was almost seduced into buying a bottle of 16 year old Brora from the place we stayed in earlier this year, on the East coast of the Highlands, where the distillery closed about 10 years back. They're therefore not making any more of it, but at £250, luckily thought better of it.

The house is a really nice, warm and cosy little place with lovely views out across Loch Etive to the Connel Bridge,

originally built to take trains, but what with Beeching and all, now takes cars instead. Because it's where the Loch empties into the sea, below the bridge at times of tide change, there's the most amazing water turbulence, which I think are called the Falls of Lora. Special! There's a nice beach there as well, which the dog is getting to know well.