Pre-sunrise pyjama walk

I should explain that as well as the PJs, I'm wearing a thick dressing-gown, a toscana sheepskin gilet, a fleece headband with a shetland wool hat on top of that, and cashmere fingerless mitts when I do these pre-sunrise PJ walks. And on my feet thick wool hiking socks and neoprene-lined Muck boots.

And I've had some coffee and flapjack (recipe anon) already.

This morning was a typical soft west of Scotland morning, not as chilly as yesterday when the ground frost never melted until after dark because, as you will see, the cloud cover increased overnight. I walk uphill along the south-east side of the garden and down again.

This view, looking down on the loch, is from about half way up the garden that is above the house (literally! at the top of the garden we can see over the top of the house)

One of my baby oak trees, self-seeded but nibbled in its infancy by roe deer, thus the chicken wire

The result of my sticking a pruned flowering currant twig in the ground seven years ago; still in leaf in November

Part of the old, somewhat collapsed, flowering current and some lichen-covered, collapsing bird cherry

A bit higher up the garden and a bit more light

Down nearer the house again. This is to show how our roe deer visitors bite all the ends off the monbretia leaves

Dying bracken – love the colours – just over the fence in the field

The view east above that bracken

And just before walking in the back door, the old ship's companionway steps up from the terrace to the 'lawn', some heather, and so winter leaves of garden bistort (I think that's what it is anyhow; keep forgetting)

While I stood still to take photographs I could hear birds waking up. A few flew overhead from the trees – down to the shore gardens, perhaps – and I particularly enjoyed the sound of splashing eider ducks as they ran across the water to join some friends.