Cottage Diary - Aspenwood self catering luxury Holiday Cottage overlooking Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland.

After a rather blustery few days we welcomed a calm sunny Sunday so took full advantage and escaped in the car for a run around. Finally ended up at Holm Mills Shopping Village on the outskirts of Inverness and bought a gift to post down to mum as we can't be with her on Mothers Day this coming Sunday. Found just the thing- a musical teddy bear with a tartan kilt - as I remember her saying that she has never had a teddy bear of her own. Stopped at Dores village on the way home and walked along the beach watching the waves crash on the shingle shore.This small village has an interesting history and included at one time a timber mill and a thriving pottery [where the village hall now stands]. Dwellings used to be close to the church originally but they are now stretched out along the shoreline. The focal point is now The Dores Inn which overlooks one end of Loch Ness with its eye-catching crescent shaped beach.

We have experienced a real variety of weather patterns today. During the night we were woken by gale force winds and rain lashing at the bedroom windows which continued off and on for most of the day. A few trawlers passed by, taking the 'easier' route along Loch Ness rather then face the even rougher Pentland Firth above mainland Scotland. The white water on the surface of Loch Ness was something else. Ray had to drive into Inverness and it was very difficult to actually open the car door safely on the driveway as the wind was soooooo strong. An old tree had blown down in the gales across the top road on the way to Inverness but luckily someone turned up with a chain saw [what every good citizen should carry in their boot !] and saved the day - everybody could now drive pass the tree and on their way. Sometimes the sun appeared briefly and we even had a dramatic snow flurry during the afternoon. Could not go out to take any photos as the wind was sooooo strong so played with Daisy instead with her new 'fish' toy filled with catnip - more fun than braving the elements.

Everything seems to have calmed down lately. The temperature this afternoon is about 9C and the water on the surface of Loch Ness is much calmer than of late with a pleasant westerly breeze drifting along the length of The Great Glen. Over the weekend we saw the first boating craft of 2008 - a rather smart private cruiser and even a yacht out on the waters passing Urquhart Castle and onto Inverness. Most of the snow has melted from the mountain opposite although there will still be thick snow at higher levels. The deer have been visiting frequently quite near the house and kindly mow the grass for us down the bank. Seen 2 red squirrels run across the road.

The birds have been on a feeding frenzy and the 'dawn chorus' has been much earlier than other years. Put up a nut feeder and a hanging fat ball from a branch quite near the back of the house and it is the favourite haunt of the various birds of the tit family. Chaffinches love the sunflower seeds provided and the robins and blackbirds aim for the bread. The blackbirds tend to make a right mess with the bread and flick in over the side. They then grab a large piece and zoom off noisily into the forest. Nothing goes to waste. Wood mice and voles silently appear under the bird table clearing up any remnants of food.

Beautiful weather all this week with a frost on the ground in the morning followed by a clear blue sky throughout the whole day. Decided to have an awayday so drove to Chanonry Point on the Black Isle in the hope of spotting the Moray Firth Dolphins. On the way we took a turn left down to Kessock, for a stroll and admired the snowy mountain views in the distance. Continued on our way towards Fortrose on the Black Isle and parked at the Point. Hadn't been there long before we saw the black dorsal fins of two dolphins slicing through the water quite near the shore. We were hoping some more would come in on the high tide, but, possibly because of the bright day, no more appeared. Several seals popped their heads above water for a short while before diving back to catch their lunch. We used one of the picnic tables, took our coats off as it was quite warm and enjoyed our lunch. Got talking to a couple on the next table who were staying in Fortrose for a holiday and they had seen otters catching fish and playing in the seaweedy shallows. On the way back home we drove towards a beautiful sunset. A great day out and a good excuse to return to see the dolphins again.

We came across something very strange and would welcome any inside knowledge about these weird piles of large stones carefully arranged on tree stumps. We met a forestry worker but even she didn't know what they meant or how they arrived there. The walk was really refreshing and it certainly made a change from last Friday when we had gale force winds making beautiful rainbow patterns dance upon the waters of Loch Ness.

Looking at the weather forecast we saw that Wednesday was going to be a cracking day which would be a real treat after all the winter snow and rain of late. We decided to pack a picnic and journey 2 hours down the A9 to Pitlochry.