It feels as if the year is steadily ebbing away. The sound of the corncrake has long gone. Daylight hours are getting shorter. The Machair has lost its full bloom. The island is quieter with the majority of the summer visitors gone home. As for Summer, it hardly made an appearance, Although we have had sunny intervals since our return to the island, most days have begun with grey clouds and ended with grey clouds, with the winds predominantly coming from the cold north.

Yet even at low tide there can be a beauty.
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The rasp of the corncrake is silent. The small birds that frequented our garden and feeder have disappeared. Others are congregating on the Machair and taking flight in fright.

As the dark clouds gather in the Passage of Tiree the sun shines on the Clansman.

A clump of heather affords a welcome splash of colour

Look out for beauty even when it feels things are at a low ebb.