November 2010: Flaming autumn to the first snows of winter

One of the (many) beauties we have here is lots of different weathers and seasons – often in the one day and this autumn has been no exception.
I’ve driven to Inverness on several occasions during November and going along the side of Loch Ness the road was a warm rust colour from the needles carpeting the ground.
The sky has been slate grey and pink during gales, and I was able to time my journeys that I didn’t get caught up in the trees fallen across the road at Drumnadrochit. On another journey D and I did get delayed at Invergarry with power cables blown down across the road. And watching for flooding was another aspect to keep my concentration sharp.
So often Oban is a wee oasis of calm and we have had many fresh clear crisp golden glorious days when I feel I’m breathing in all the sights and sounds and smells of a vibrant autumn. Kicking a way through the fallen leaves of the Glencruitten woods and the Old Hydro with Meg and D has been bliss.
On Saturday we had our first snow in Oban: a light icing sugar coating compared with the rest of Scotland. Temperatures have plummeted but we’re cosy in Shuna as the multi fuel stove has come into its own.