Winter is really moving in and setting up home now.   We've had a few days on the run where the temperature has barely been above freezing, and the ground is starting to feel like it won't soften until spring time.   Walking in the hills presents you with risks of a different nature to the rest of the year - instead of trying to avoid sinking into bogs you are now constantly trying to stay upright!  Rocks are best avoided at this time of year as you can never be sure there isn't a sheet of ice over them.  But there are some very pretty things to be seen, such as these reeds beside the burn outside our house:



The dogs are not too impressed as they are unable to get their normal swim in Lexie's Loch.  It is completely frozen over at the moment.  This is our normal crossing point:




And while on the subject of lochs, if ever you come across a loch that is frozen, try this (but only if it is safe to do so and DON'T do it if your dog chases stones!): pick up a nice, heavy, round stone and try bouncing it on the loch.  Then listen to the sound.  It is one of the most amazing sounds to be heard in winter.  It is a reverberating Bo...ing, Bo...ing, Boing, boing, boing, boing, boing.


As we made our way (carefully) back home you couldn't help but notice the sky.



As someone on Twitter said, the ripples in this sky look like the pattern you see on a hap shawl:



Just a quick word about the Na Dannsairean Aran which I mentioned in the last post - I'm not discontinuing this yarn.  More stocks will be arriving soon, and I am considering doing jumper pack deals, so if you think you would like a pack of 10 x 100g hanks, please get in touch or leave a comment and I'll get back to you.