Monarch of all he surveys.....

7’6’09

Ruah often steals the limelight here.

But Sponge can and does enhance the views from Heron’s Flight.

Today has been glorious and we have had a visit from the Huntingdon Family, who have “Alkira” at anchor in the bay for the summer. Yana (3) and Alex (17 months) and Halley the cocker spaniel are as at home on the yacht as they are on land. Halley has been known to chase a cat……

Sponge can always put himself out of reach, on one of the front gate pillars!

Near the longest day......

June 6th, 2009.

After days and days of wonderful sunshine and real heat, we have been plunged into temperatures in the low teens. But it is some consolation to realise that our little part of Britain is not going to be deluged this time!

In the last weeks Noel and Pat, John and Brida, Cid and Di, Ann and Patrick, and Mark (not Paul, as I would call you!) and Barbara have re-visited. It was such a pleasure for me to have you staying again… A week ago Ann McGregor and Sheila jumped off a special train and spent two hours here – it was very good to catch up with news and events from the McGregor side of our family.

Some of you were not so lucky with the weather and I realised how desperate Cid was when the sun shone one evening and he persuaded Di to hop on the big bike at 6.00pm – and off they went to Applecross! Most people breakfast quite early and set off promptly on an Applecross outing!!!

Cid and Di, thanks for starting and finishing a 1000 piece jigsaw. We had fun sticking it together and backing it with paper! I now have found sticky backed hangings and the jigsaw is complete. There is yet another to begin if/when the weather deteriorates again….

The garden has taken off – trees, shrubs, flowers and weeds! The big lawnmower is being mended and the grass is defeating me at present. The May blossom was exceptional all over the village and now the growth is amazing. The potatoes, onions, spring cabbage, lettuce and beetroot are all growing well and there are still leeks to plant.

The older cabbage palms have several flower heads each this year and the eucalyptus is only a foot or two shorter than the tall pine in back garden of Tigh an Fhaing, next door. I suppose it is still a poor specimen compared to Queensland eucalyptus, Alison – but it is my pride and joy.

Ruah and I took Sponge, my cat, to the vet last Friday, as the midges were really making his life miserable. He got a couple of injections and was immediately more at ease. This is very effective in combating his midge allergy. Maybe we all who live and visit here should have the same treatment!!

Ruah is loving meeting all our guests. Excitement is at fever pitch when she hears footsteps on the stairs each morning!

When I next speak to you, I’ll have been on a flying visit to Edinburgh and Sam will probably be in Plockton for a spell. He has now finished his 5th year Higher exams and will have the results in late July. I’m looking forward to Sam coming north for a good part of the summer. The family will be here at Regatta time – that’s from July 27, for a fortnight. I hope John will come after the very busy summer time. He prefers his Plockton quiet!

If you are in our part of the world, please do come in and say hello.

Ann

More May Happenings!

Last May Alan and Jan Walker took a very young Ruah for a little walk – I suspect it was the other way round!

This May Alan and Jan came back to visit and after the walk I was assured that Ruah behaved impeccably.

Alan and Jan – we hope you had a good flight south this afternoon and we hope to see you in the not too distant future.

Angela and Richard Hough, here again and at the same time as the Walkers, have again been lucky with the weather. Despite factor 25 in abundance, they came home this evening, having “marched up and down the mountains” around Sligaghan looking extremely healthy and very pink!

Ruah’s new fleece arrived yesterday and it is a huge success! It is under the hall table, by the kitchen door and I’m determined that she’ll sit/lie there while breakfasts are in progress at least. Already she knows “mat” and goes there with me. Yes, yes, she gets a small treat!!

After the unbelievably bad weather last week, everyone is thoroughly enjoying the best sunshine in the country – and we have more to come!

Ann.

May News

I’ve had a lovely time since we spoke; firstly with Sam, Catriona and Sean in Plockton for a week, then seeing everyone in Edinburgh – a flying overnight visit there last week. And in the last month Catriona, John and Daniel have had birthdays – ages ranging from 4 to 42!

Continuing with the lovely time theme – we’ve had lots of visitors and great fun too. Ruah now has a note in the bedroom folders inviting guests to come for a walk. Thank you Chris and Lindsay, for being her first customers!

Ruah is waiting daily for the postie to deliver a thick fleece for her cage – I’ll photo her with it. She’s always had cast offs to date, so excitement will be at fever pitch when the big box arrives!!

David and Sandra are here again this week and they’ll meet up with John and Sally today. It is so good that they are here at the same time again. Perhaps the very indifferent weather will show a marked improvement!

In the good weather we all got the vegetable gardens dug and planted. I have four drills of two kinds of potatoes, onions, two lettuce varieties, beetroot (for Moira) and leeks growing on, to be planted soon. A solitary courgette will hopefully rampage over the little cold frame at the side of the house! The potatoes are through the ground and I shall put more soil to them as they shoot up. Weekly hoeing of the plot keeps weeds at bay – if there is weather to hoe. If not, the usual summer battle will commence!

Sam’s Higher exams are in a fortnight then he’ll be free for the summer. I expect he’ll come and go and be here for as much sailing as possible. The family come for Regatta – this year the fortnight begins on Monday July 27.

The Plockton Small Boat Sailing Club’s local fleet of clinker built boats will be in the water in a few weeks and Saranna C, Dolan’s boat, will be on the mooring, ready for the annual rowing challenge round the Perch mark and home. Last year’s winning crew, with Kenneth MacRae in charge, had a time of 20m 39s – a challenge for this year’s crews.

Alison has set us up with Google Analytics Dashboard – I hope I’ve got that title correct….. Anyway, it tells, for example, where viewers of our web site live. In the last month we’ve had visits from Britain, United States, France, Australia, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Japan, Romania and Norway – I think that is wonderful!

Thank you all for visiting www.heronsflight.org. If even some of you come in person, I’ll be delighted!

Best wishes
Ann

Look at this!

Tim and Joyce Keeler are coming to stay in late August.
I should love to see Tim's truck negotiating Harbour Street, en route to Heron's Flight!

Tim and Joyce - I'm really looking forward to our meeting..

Early April, 2009

It is 8.30pm and only now beginning to get dark. What a difference the clock change and good weather make! This week has been sunny and warm, while last week, when Joyce and Moira "stuck it out" (and almost completed the 1000 piece jigsaw) was just terrible…..
Ruah and Sponge miss you Joyce, and Moira and I salute you!

The new Jazz is, needless to say, very similar to the last one, except it is sapphire blue. It has only a 1200 engine but I do not notice any difference. I got petrol for the first time today and was not certain how the cap opened – much to the amusement of my friend at the pumps in Kyle! I really must bring in the manual and have a good read.

Our computer Word assessments had us quivering. I think we all passed…. After all the years, sitting "exams" was quite a strange feeling, not enjoyed by any of us!

Swimming, often for four of us, is going well, though the early morning sessions are now not possible, as they of course would clash with breakfast preparations. However, there are two or three other options during the week.

Calum’s new "seal trip" boat is looking so very trim and is nearly ready to go. Sula Mhor, the big Gannet, will be leaving the pontoon regularly from Easter time.

Tomorrow, I’m going to Spean Bridge, north of Fort William, where I'll meet my son-in-law Colin, with Catriona and Sean. The children and I will be in Plockton in time for tea. We'll have a lovely time for several days. Sam is joining us on Monday. Catriona will have a day of pony trekking up near the Five Sister mountains while Sean and I'll do some serious crab catching! Another day we'll go by train to Inverness and visit Auntie Janet. A train journey is a big treat for Catriona and Sean – and Ruah!

All round the house has been getting a good bit of attention and the down garden is ready for planting. Dan came down a couple of evenings ago and did all my bonfires. We have no other way of getting rid of big garden rubbish. Recently however, we moved a step forward with very blue dustbins for paper, cardboard and squashed plastic rubbish.

The lawn mower started first time – it is an amazing machine! But the hedge trimmer gave up the ghost just as I began to deadhead all the heathers and the strimmer is sounding its age!!

So Colin is bringing replacements and I'm taking him the "Mantis", which is a little petrol plough among other things. Dolan made good use of it, but it is far too heavy for me to drag along…..

The children and I will have a lovely time till their return to Edinburgh. Catriona will be nine just after school re-starts and Daniel will be four soon after.

From Easter weekend onwards, Heron’s Flight will have many visitors, I’m pleased to say! I look forward to meeting you all. Some hard work is going in to the training of Ruah and Sponge in preparation!! It was so wet last week that Joyce and Moira did not enjoy a walk, though there were some high jinks on the front lawn, with little Meacha from next door joining in. Ruah did not get a chance to remember her village tour route! She’ll be ready to take you, however…

Best wishes

Ann

PS:
You probably know here is a serious virus warning going round and I have decided that to open some emails, which might be about a booking, cannot be done, as their "Subject" gives no clues! If you contact me, please put dates (e.g. September 7, 8, 9.) in the "Subject" then I shall know to open it. This will be very helpful, thank you.

Eagle's view of Plockton

 

The morning after "the news"!

4/4/09
The country is quite badly affected by snow today.
We have a mere dusting on the Crags...
Ann

We're glad to be back home!

March 3rd, 2009.

Last night Ruah, Sponge and I were wakened by hailstones battering the windows! So when we got up this morning and saw the grass was still green, I at least was delighted! Other places not too far away were not so lucky – the main road through Cluanie from Inverness to Skye was blocked till afternoon, I hear.

Ruah and I came home last Monday, after 10 days away – very glad to see Sponge (well cared for by Ruari next door) again. Sam and I had a week in Dundee, while he had a placement at Ninewells Hospital, in the ENT department. He was very well looked after and enjoyed every minute of it. We stayed in a small, dog friendly hotel, which had been a jute baron’s home. It dates from the mid 1800’s, when Dundee was a very prosperous town, thanks to jute.

Ruah and I toured around a lot – went over the Tay road bridge three times – twice by accident!! We looked in vain for Desperate Dan’s statue. My generation was brought up on the Dandy" and Desperate Dan’s adventures – he’s been in Dundee since 1937 and I could not find him! However, the Discovery, the Castle and Dundee Law were impossible to miss, I’m glad to say, though 70 acres of snowdrops at an estate near St Andrews eluded me too!

When we got back to Edinburgh, we were glad to have a simple home-made meal! It was lovely to see the rest of the family too…

Before coming home, I persuaded Moira to come and help me buy the new Honda Jazz. We chose a sapphire blue model – there is not an ordinary red, same as my present car, available at present in Britain, we were told... However, as long as it keeps going “Brumm brumm” I’ll be delighted! It’ll be ready for collection after next weekend, so I’ll see the family again!

The first guests arrive on March 22nd and I’m looking forward to that. It’ll become busier at Easter and I’m pleased to say that Heron’s Flight will be like that from then on. Sponge, Ruah and I do enjoy company!

Twice this winter I have had a fright with my bonsai of many years. Ian and Alison gave me it on one of their visits. Well, it recovered the first time and actually was quite un-naturally healthy looking.. But, a few weeks ago the leaves again went black in no time at all and I resorted to the drastic pruning that worked the first time. Alas, there is no sign of life, yet. I am not hopeful. The “Serissa” gave me many frights over the years – too moist, too dry, and too top heavy, too many roots and too much pruning needed. In all the years it produced just a handful of dainty little white flowers, probably due to my overzealous pruning! I always vowed never to contemplate a replacement, but - we’ll see!

I’ll let you know next time how the computer class went and how the swimming is going – I hope we can keep up the latter as the year gets busier…..

I hope too that you are well and that you may pop in to see us soon.

Best wishes
Ann