A Sunny Day

 After what seems like weeks of rain yesterday was frosty and bright. Snowfall overnight on the hills meant that he ski slopes were open . In the morning the sunlight caught the steep eastern slope of Aonach Mor; I sketched the above view from our house.
 Later we had a wonderful  run up to the north face of Ben Nevis, which look magnificent with its plastering of  fresh snow.
 Meanwhile in other parts of Britain there was extensive flooding . We are very lucky that despite a  high annual rainfall, flooding rarely affects our area.

Today it was dull and then wet again. We stopped for a coffee on the way to Inverness and I painted this view of Loch Ness..

Glen Etive again

Hills between Glen Etive and Glencoe

I had another trip to Glen Etive on Thursday. It was cold ,windy and  wet. Passing through Glencoe it was very moody with cloud shifting across the hills and intermittent vicious showers of sleety snow. It was dramatic to see but I was quite happy to be in a warm vehicle rather than climbing the mountains.

More paintings

Waterfall in Glencoe

Red deer hind in Glen Etive

 The estates often feed in the winter so some deer loose their fear of people and vehicles. This can make driving hazardous but does mean you can take good photographs. The picture above is from a photo I took on my phone last Friday. Up close the red deer often look quite bedraggled . Their size is impressive and  they have a regal bearing but I think roe deer are sleeker and more beautiful.

Wintry Weather

Winter is drawing on apace.This is a view of Glencoe from a photo taken last Friday. There is just a dusting of snow on the tops. Since then there has been a lot of snow intermingled with slushy sleet; not very nice to be out in. I'm grounded at the moment with a throat infection, so haven't done any running for the last few days. A hot toddy by the fire seems a better option!