WE seem to be in the one place that is not baking under unremitting sunshine and where there has been heavy rain and the promise of more. But who is complaining? Well me of course; but is John? Are his fellow fishermen (no women this week)? Of course they aren’t.

With two months of virtually zero fish caught, apart from when we were up here a few weeks ago and John’s fish started the year off in the record of catches, yesterday nine salmon were landed.

Meanwhile I am skivvying, dog walking, cooking and beach combing for driftwood for a friend who flower arranges. Back home my brother-in-law Geoff is keeping an eye things and once more friends John and Joyce are keeping the chickens, sheep, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and dogs fed, watered and entertained.

Moss, our spaniel puppy, has come with us again as she still quite a handful to manage, and also needs feeding several times a day while she is growing so fast. Little and often being what we were told to do. The advice must have been good as she is thriving.

Curious, friendly, active, naughty, disobedient, boisterous and apparently confident. She also seems to consider herself an equal to us. If we are sat on a sofa, well she should be sat on the sofa. But the ghillie’s little dog Aisir is firmly putting Moss in her place. Last year, when Aisir was even smaller, Sophie, the ghillie, could tuck her into her jacket while she was rowing. Now she is just a little too big for that, but her confidence is immense.

This morning I took Moss and Aisir to one of the nearby beaches. Several much bigger dogs, Alsatians, labradors, pointers and a Weimaraner bounded up to Moss and Aisir to check them out.

Aisir was having none of it. Hackles raised and a terrifying growl emitting from her tiny chest she saw them all off. Moss, meanwhile, was grovelling in the sand crying piteously. Quite different to her normal demeanour. As each curious dog backed off, Aisir scratted sand out triumphantly. Moss, already three times Aisir’s size, weed.

When we go home, John has booked a session with a dog trainer for himself and Moss. Although he still intends to shoot as much as he does over autumn and winter in the meantime, he is looking ahead to when he may take Moss to pick up on shoots, rather than always being one of the guns. An obedient, well trained, confident and friendly dog on a shoot is a joy to watch.