Thank you for more comforting messages. I walked yesterday with Archie, and again failed to get around the garden. I did perhaps slightly better than on Thursday. But today, by myself, I completed the circumference, and am much encouraged.

 

It is fun having my old friends here. I cancelled this morning’s Italian lesson in favour of giving them breakfast, and learned that Italian distinguishes between the two English meanings of “old friend” by the position of the adjective – vecchi amici or amici vecchi. The trouble is,  I can’t remember now which is which.

 

Despite the successful walk, I continue in a fairly convalescent state, and have done no knitting. I did find those socks, though.

 

So I will have to entertain you with accounts of my cruise. Here is the message I sent everybody on the first day:

 

“Well, here we are. It has been a long hard but very successful day. We're now sailing out past Ardnamurchan Point and the banging sound from the kitchen is said to be lobsters being prepared for our supper. I don't even think I'm the feeblest person on board.”

 

I was wrong about feebleness – I was the worst. The second message seems to be missing, except for a picture which I will spare you of the lighthouse on Ardnamurchan Point. Here is the third:

 

“Today was a picturesque village called Plockton of which I am not sure I've ever heard. I stayed aboard again, saving myself for Inverewe tomorrow but it turns out that (apparently) it won't be open so we are going on to the Summer Isles not far away which I think are devoted to birds. I will do whatever  is on offer as I am feeling rather confined. The skipper means to take advantage of the extraordinary weather to get us to Cape Wrath so then forever more we can say that we have been from Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath. We hope to catch Inverewe on the way back.”

 

C. took brilliant pictures. Here is one of our lunch in Oban, before embarking:

 Oban goes in for that sort of thing.

And here is Loch Sunart, our first mooring, she says. Since my report is missing I can’t comment:

But you can see how remarkable was the weather.