On a Saturday afternoon
before coming to live on the Isle of Tiree
we might have headed to the shops in a nearby town
or gone walking in one of the many National Trust Estates close by.

There are no such distractions on the island.
There are no National Trust properties.
There are no grand shopping centres.
But there is a West and an East End.

So on a sunny Saturday afternoon we headed out.
The decision was to walk at the East End.
The drive along Gott Bay was stunning.

The sun was shining on the vast expanse of exposed sand.
The effect of the full moon on the tide has been dramatic.
And it was just as dramatic when we parked at Salum.

Out at sea there was a partial rainbow.
The rainbow was being reflected by the wet sand.
Returning along the beach we were caught in a shower.

Let’s drive to Caolas to escape the rain.
There were no clear views of distant isles or peaks.
But we were rewarded by a visit from some Hebridean sheep.

We stopped the car to observe them.
They left off cropping the grass to visit us.
Did they think we had come with additional feed?
Or are Hebridean sheep just naturally very inquisitive?

The shower had quickly passed over and the sun was out.
So we decided to head for Vaul and walk there.
The view over Ruaig was captivating.

In the summer we introduced our grandchildren to a secret passage at Vaul.
This afternoon with the tide out we saw another cleft in the rocks.
Another exciting place to take them when they next visit.
It is further fuel for our grandson’ imagination.

“We have never seen the tide out so far!”
This remark was made time and time again.
Skerries normally surrounded by water were exposed.

With the sun out the colour of the sea was azure.
There was a slight breeze – a cold breeze.
A sharp reminder that this is February.
Coats and scarves are still needed.
no matter how enticing the sea!

This is one sunny Weekend.
Day two of three consecutive sunny days.
(See yesterday’s post ‘Here Comes The Sun’.)
Tomorrow promises to be the first calm Sunday after three wild Sundays.

This is ‘Life on Tiree’.