Given the cold temperatures and the icy winds that are currently blasting Assynt, there can be no doubt that autumn has passed and winter is here.  There is snow sprinkled on the tops of Quinag, Suilven and Canisp and the biting wind makes walking and talking hard.  On today's walk there was no doubting the fact that we were dressed up against the cold:



We didn't stop long at one of favourite spots, the Old Soldier's, but I wanted to take a photograph of a tree that has managed to grow right up through one of the walls in the byre,



and yet the wall is strong enough to remain standing despite the trunk of the tree growing up right through it:



 

Some of us didn't seem to notice the cold!



Although crossing Lexie's Loch at the crossing spot proved tricky for some:



After our walk it was back home to tea, toasted cinnamon bread and more studying for Stevan.  Exam week this week!

Finally, just a bit of news from the shop.  There is an exciting new yarn club which has opened up for membership.  This club is quite different to any I've run before, and is designed to get your creativity out of hiding.  It is called the Double Up Creativity Yarn Club, and in brief it works as follows.  Each month you will receive two hanks of yarn.  The colours may be similar or completely contrasting - it will be a surprise.  But the twist is that the two yarn bases of the two hanks you receive will also be different.  So ... will you be able to create something with both hanks, or perhaps you'd prefer to make two items with the yarns.  You may even just want to add them to your stash.  The choice is all yours!  The first club will run from January 2012 to March 2012, and you can only join the club from now through to mid-December.  Places for the Q2 club will open sometime in February/March.  So if you think this is the sort of thing that would be of interest, or you would love this as a Christmas gift, then you'll find more details here.  Please note that for planning purposes the numbers allocated for this club are very limited.