messin' about on the river

THURSDAY - Six soak up the sun

Sorry to be rubbing this in but today my journal started with 'Another gloriously hot day'. . .

Us girls visited the lovely little book shop in Fionnphort then fetched sandwiches from Teresa in the ferry cafe to take on our picnic, before we all dashed over to the top secret RSPB Mull Eagle Watch site deep in Forestry Commission land overlooking the magnificent volcanic Ben More - Mull's only Munroe.

It was like a secret mission as we were ushered into the camouflaged hide, whispering in hushed voices, but the reward was the sight, just 300m away, of one of the pair of White Tailed eagles (Iona or Fingal) sitting on the huge nest tending gently to her just hatched chick.  To see such a wild gigantic bird tenderly passing food to her young and gently stepping around it was amazing.  And apparently the nest is the size of a double bed!!  So hard to imagine.

Didn't take photos much today, eagles too far away for my lens.  After a couple of hours we went back down into the woodland and found a perfect spot by a stream to picnic on a grassy bank just like the real Secret Seven (or Six!!).  And not a soul in sight.

Teresa's butties hit the spot and the sun shone lazily.  

Water clear as anything and lovely ripple patterns

Time stood still for an hour or so

Cuckoo's calling every day of this holiday reminded me of Simon and Garfunkel's lovely April Come She Will - one of my first chord masterings on the guitar! 

Listen, shut your eyes and imagine the grassy bank, babbling stream, old bridge and the mysterious footprints in the woods leading down to the water's edge.  A proper Wind in the Willows experience!

Finally forced ourselves to move for a bit of upstream adventuring and wet feet then a drive back to the loch where we'd seen the otters with Bryan on Monday.  Loads of curlews, herons and eider ducks at close range along the edges.

Final glimpse of Ben More

Stunning dinner back at Gillian's - incredible tender lamb from her brother's farm - prune trifle, lots of craic

and swirly soup

Tomorrow is our last proper day - boo hooooo.  But you'll find it's a cracker - so tune in for the final episode -  click here for Treasure Island.