New Year's Day. A walk to our favourite Scottish island with our favourite dog and friends. We usually do King's Caves by the clockwise route, but this time, anti-clockwise was agreed as we'd get the best of the afternoon sun. And so it proved, in ways we only secretly hoped. From our clifftop vantage point, we noted a creature cavorting in the sea below. Could it be an otter? Indeed it was. We watched, thrilled, as it bobbed in the choppy sea, slipping under the waves and reappearing with an underwater morsel to munch. This was repeated again and again. Finally, he (or was it she?) made landfall and shuffled off up the coast. We made the mistake of mentioning the sighting to a passing couple.
'They're common here these days...', he responded laconically.
It was a joy nonetheless. Happy days.