Not Good Weather for Ducks

Ducks can look grumpy. Especially when their pond is frozen.
They don't ice skate - after all, it is pretty tricky with those webbed feet.

And while they might be capeable of displaying very few emotions, 'grumpy' is one they most definitely 'do'.

A 13 hour drive brought us back to Strontian on Saturday. Sunday was spent getting everything dug out or gritted or warmed-up.

It was -10c overnight. Some readers in snowy North America or Scandinavia may scoff at such balmy temperatures. But here, we are simply no longer accustomed to such a long, big freeze.

It hasn't (hardly) snowed since we left. But that dump of snow before Christmas has gone through the destructive metamorphosis cycle of freeze-thaw. The result is as hard as concrete.

For our crofter friends, it means struggling up and down the hill with supplies of water for their cows, pigs, geese and chickens. And, of course, breaking the ice on the duck pond.

Yesterday's Scotland On Sunday forecast this cold spell was set to last for another two weeks. The ducks are going to be grumpy for some time yet.