Late autumn, 2008.
Quite often I start with a resume of our weather, so here I go again. Today has been dry and fairly bright and, as the wind has swung round to the east, cold. But yesterday, after many days of gales and torrential rain, we awoke to snow!! I rushed outside and took some photos, as snow in Plockton is very unusual but snow in Plockton in October is almost unheard of!
The wild weather was very tiring, as one just could not walk anywhere easily and any outing ended abruptly in a downpour. Moira, Colin and the family came for a long weekend and we all stayed cheerfully dry indoors after one fishing expedition to the pontoon had Sean clutching the central hand hold while Daniel pirouetted along the edge, unbelievably unconscious of the big waves - his Mum and Lally were ready to “haul him in”! Catriona and Sean stayed on for some days and we did have fun, but fishing, cycling, walking and playing football with Ruah were out of the question. The days passed quickly, however, with us swimming, visiting, taking Ruah on short runs, painting, baking, reading and making paper briquettes then burning them on big coal fires.
We left Plockton last Friday, a day earlier then planned as Saturday's forecast was appalling. The journey south was uneventful and Ruah and I travelled back on Sunday, as again Monday promised to be wild.
Ruari next door and Jane across the road had kept an eye on Sponge, but still he gave us a huge welcome – cats do not like wild weather. I had been unable to leave Sponge's usual window open, as the wind would have ripped it off its hinges, so poor Sponge had a big leap into another room, in our absence. The three of us were happy to be back together!
When I popped in to Ruari and Marie later on Sunday, they told me that the “Argus”, Calum’s seal trip boat, had broken her mooring the day before and had crossed the loch, to be dashed to pieces on the Reraig rocks. The wild seas had drawn many villagers to the main pier, to watch the seas, so they all saw Argus going and nobody could risk putting to sea to board her. It must have been terrible to watch...
Our family has a special interest in Argus, for Calum is Dolan’s youngest first cousin. Our grand children's first question on arrival usually is “Where's Argus?” (her mooring can be seen from the east bedroom and the front garden). Catriona in particular just loves Calum and Argus, possibly not in that order!! She recently sent Calum a scratch-a-doodle picture of dolphins, as we had gone in the summer on Argus to see them. I am heart broken for Calum and Jane who were away with Fiona their younger daughter. She was runner up in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards at the weekend.... Well done Fiona!
Most of our guests enjoyed an hour of fun on Argus with Calum and his crew. By 2009 I know there will be a replacement trip boat and we’ll all get to love her too……
I'm hoping for at least a few days of good weather now, so that the garden can have a decent tidy up. It looks a bit like a battlefield at present, with broken branches, half dead flower heads, leaves everywhere and palm fronds strewn back and front. But there is a use for the palms – one should tie a few together and make kindlings – as this garden has hundreds, I'll have firelighters for months! What with these and the briquettes, I'll hardly need a £16.00 bag of coal!
This news page has been filled with some doom and gloom. It’s just that way sometimes in our small community as we all battle against the elements and suffer with anyone who has had appallingly bad luck. However, we are all resilient - read on next month……
Ann
