Sun!

Much to the consternation of some residents, who had forgotten what the bright orange object in the sky was, the sun came out yesterday afternoon and gave us a beautiful evening. This is the skating pond which, despite a cold winter, never froze over enough to be used, with brown trout rising to take flies from a recent hatch, flies which will also....

....be welcome food for this, the first damselfly of the year, a large red. Seeing it was a surprise as we didn't find the first dragon- or damselfly last year until 1st June, so this one is early, particularly  considering the recent temperatures.

Also out on the waters was Mrs Mallard. We don't know if it's the same female as we saw last year but she, too, had only two ducklings.

Here's a surprise, a brown-lipped snail at the top of a gorse bush, which must have been a prickly journey. One wonders whether there was a purpose for so much effort or whether, like human mountaineers on Everest, the snail climbed it just because it was there.

Finally, here is a welcome find, the first common lizard we've seen in Sutherland, camouflaged as a root on the side of a ditch. I'm surprised they're so scarce. Perhaps it's a bit cold for them here, although there are plenty of the drystone walls which make such good homes for them.