It’s got to be minus five out there. And it’s got to be only a degree or two warmer in here, so I’m going to make this a short one before my fingers drop off.

I do miss him. So much.

The lights are flickering occasionally, and the TV ariel has broken - either locally or the main mast on mull, but regardless, no tube. Meanwhile, a repeat viewing of Best in Show with my mum (she snoozed off - but then despite earlier protestations along the lines of “I never get ill, I’m as healthy as you like” she has had the death bug for the last 36 hours) followed dinner of baked potatoes and cheese, which in turn followed a gluttonous viewing of some previously-recorded TV murder mystery drama (Jonathan Creek) with my sister and mum, all three of us sat next to each other like three little maids from school, in a line on my bed - my room is the only one in the cottage with a tv. We sat, legs outstretched in front of a heater, each cradling hot water bottles. It was lovely.

Ah, the humble hot water bottle. Let me sing its praises. What a genius invention. What wonder, what brilliance, what sheer comfort. Happiness, I’m telling you, is a bed nested with hot water bottles, when the wind is whistling outside and down the chimney.

Roll on thursday.

Update, later:
TV working again, but I’m still at a loose end. Beautiful, brilliant sunny winter day, sun gleaming off snow-covered mountains and sparkling off the sea.

Think I’ll go for a walk.

Update, later later:
Bah. Spoke too soon. Mast on Mull is down.

I wonder if I could swim back to London…?

Update, later still:
I don’t want to swim home to London anymore, for two main reasons:

a) it’s too bloody cold and

b) I’ve just watched a few episodes of the BBC’s excellent nature series, The Blue Planet (present to my mum for Christmas) in which billions of vicious beasties with pointy teeth lurk just beneath the waves waiting to pounce on unsuspecting herring/krill/plankton/delete as appropriate, and I’m not putting my tootsies in the water for anything, thankyewverymuch.

Which is odd, because once upon a time I dove (dived?) with Killer Whales, and explored underwater kelp forests, and swam daily in the sea. Funny how things change.

A third, and perhaps more positive reason is that I spent the day in the company of two of the most exceptional people I know - my mother and my sister, going for long cold walks along beaches - we looked out over the crashing ocean and saw snowcapped mountains on Rhum, the Cuillens of Skye, the Treshnish islands and Tiree, hugging the horizon - collecting shells and pebbles, playing gigantic games of noughts-and-crosses and talking, talking talking. About big hearts and big life changes, big decisions and big plans for this year, and next, and beyond.