Soon it'll be Christmas!

   Plockton Regatta, 2012.

       “Saranna C” (built by Dolan, 2002) with  Malcolm and Sam MacKenzie. 

Malcolm is cousin Calum’s son and Sam my grandson
Photo by David Skilling, sailing behind Saranna C!

It’s late November, 2012 and time to be thinking over the past year, before looking forward…….

A year ago, Catriona my granddaughter and I were very excited about our trip to Australia.  We left on December 9 and visited my nephew David and family in Melbourne before staying in Toowoomba with Ian and Alison for Christmas and New Year. We flew to Townsville to see the Barrier Reef, a Christmas present from Ian and Alison.  While there we visited Leah and Frank and old friends Jenny and Geoff Duce, who ferried us around the city and treated us to a delicious meal  - we owe you – come and get it, please!  Valerie my niece and her family arrived in Toowoomba from Sydney.  So in the space of two weeks Catriona had met five cousins, two aunts and two uncles!  It was a lovely time – Christmas dinner, in shorts and t shirts (our best!) round the big outdoor table, sunhats and dark glasses at the ready!  Alison had organised many decorations, for the newly finished sunroom, with blinds ordered to help keep the room cool and shady – stark contrast to our necessary extra heating, double thick sweaters and bright lights in Scotland!  Though it was a while ago now, we still think of our lovely holiday and thank you, Ian and Alison.  I’m so glad you are coming over next May – no time at all!  Thank you, Ian, for coming for a holiday in October – that was lovely…….

Before arriving back in Edinburgh, Catriona and I had three days in Singapore, where we visited a friend that Catriona knows from Plockton!  Heather’s home is Singapore but her Mum has a house in the village, so we meet each summer.

 We arrived in Edinburgh in the late evening of the 10^th January and Catriona was off to school the next morning.  Amber and I motored north to collect Ruah, who had been on a long holiday with Dolan’s sister Janet – I know she had a lovely time.

After what seemed a brief hibernation, it was time to get the house and garden tidied up, ready for first guests, in April.  I had a very enjoyable spring, summer and early autumn, meeting people from all parts of the world – and this included many who returned once more.  It was lovely to see you all.  Thank you for coming and leaving me with very happy memories and photographs of your stay at Heron’s Flight.

This year too the grandchildren came and went in various permutations!  Sam was here for a lot of the summer, sailing and relaxing after his second year in medicine at Edinburgh.  He’ll be twenty next month………  Sean did the first course of sailing training and enjoyed it.  Daniel did a” taster” afternoon and was hooked too!  Catriona preferred to row and canoe.  The whole family was here for regatta and Moira spent a lot of time in “Piglet”, with various children perfecting their rowing. 

Countless hours were spent each visit at the pontoon, fishing.  Visiting yachts were tolerated as they came alongside for water or a short stay – they take up a lot of pontoon space, cramping the fishermen, you see!  Sean did net the most enormous jelly fish.

Our weather this year has been very much out of the ordinary.   April was dry and sunny on the whole, May began atrociously, with snow down to the verges in places.  The in mid-May everything changed and the sun blazed out of a cloudless sky.  And this went on and on and on, while eastern and southern Scotland, along with England suffered severe flooding several times.  There was not a break in the bad weather all over – except for our little corner of Britain!  Towards the end of regatta time there were some difficult sailing conditions, as the photo shows, but the wonderful weather lasted well into August – all thanks seemingly to the “Jet Stream”, which had slipped south from above us to the north of France.  Nobody has been able to let me know if it has stayed there or slipped back??

Dolan’s side of the family keeps well on the whole - we are all getting older……  Sandra, Janet’s daughter, has recently moved in to her new house on the Brae, Plockton.  She did so very well, learning the necessary trades as the house progressed!    Don her brother did a lot of the work too – a real team effort.

I hope that you and your families are all well and that we may meet next year.   Meantime,  I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a very Good New Year.

Ann

Saturday, October 20th, 2012

Toby, Ruah's Australian suitor - thanks for the photo, Mal and Gwen.

I’m pleased to say that Ian arrived safely on Wednesday.  I went to Inverness to pick him up from the train.  He had stopped for a few days with our cousin Celia, while he visited more cousins, an aunt and a good friend, in Edinburgh and Glasgow.  Ian’s here till November 5^th – lovely for me!  Alison is at home in Toowoomba, working – I miss her greatly.

Last week Dorothy and a friend visited for a few days.  Dorothy and I go back to age four – not yesterday!  That was great fun.

There is only one more bed and breakfast booking this year – next week Dana and David return from the U.S. – they visited in 2009 and I really am looking forward to meeting them again.

Next Saturday a friend of Ian and Alison, also from Canada, will come for a week or so.  Lori and her late husband John have also stayed here before, so I’m delighted that she is making the long trip here again.

Our weather in the late summer/ early autumn has not been bad, but it is now cold and when it rains, colder!  We have the fire on nightly and I’m very glad the Rayburn heats the kitchen so nicely.

Calum’s seal trips finished abruptly this year as Sula Mhor drifted on to a rock a couple of weeks ago.  She’ll go over to the boatyard at Kishorn shortly and have an overhaul.  All my guests have missed being out on her, Calum.

Some stalwart friends lifted Saranna C on to the bench in the workshop near the house last week.  I’m happier with her there than in the barn as the workshop is corrugated iron while the barn is mostly wood – and quite a distance from the house.  Saranna C has been cleaned thoroughly and will need very little done to her at the start of next sailing/rowing season.

The animals are well and continue to give me great pleasure.  Ruah was five on the tenth of this month.  She’s a good wee soul.  Amber, hopefully, is heading downwards from her mighty size and will be a good, smaller than ever was, soul!  She is on a diet and already I think I see a difference…..  It’ll take quite a time…….

This is autumn school holiday time and Moira, Colin, Catriona, Sean and Daniel are in London, visiting LEGOLAND. As Daniel had never been in an aeroplane there must have been huge excitement prior to the off!  The Edinburgh schools only get a week at this time of year, so I’ll not have the children this holiday.  However, I was lucky during the summer to have them all for long spells, when the weather was wonderful.

Sam started third year in September and he’s in the wards more.  This necessitates more travelling, so he has a sturdy bicycle to get from his flat to lectures or the Royal Infirmary, which is a good long way from the centre of Edinburgh.

 I had a quick visit to Edinburgh a few weeks ago and it was lovely to see everyone.

Since my last letter, Angela and Richard have visited again - once more they were not unlucky with the weather, considering it was the beginning of October.  Cousin Ticia, Ronnie, David, Susie and young Jack came for a long, long weekend – lovely.  Sailing friends Hilary and John with Becky, Amanda and Duncan were back too.  Daphne and Tony from Kent flew south last Friday, having  spent six nights at Heron’s Flight and to have re-met John Field, ex Townsville, was quite special! 

I have long since decided that Ruah, Amber and I much prefer meeting guests so self-catering is not for us at Heron’s Flight.  We shall resort to bed and breakfast, with glad hearts!  But – watch this space for Dolan’s family home, 35 Harbour Street, will be available next year for self-catering holidays!

I do hope to meet you sometime......... Bookings will be accepted during the winter.

Best wishes

Ann

A somewhat put out Ruah, clearly wondering why Amber has the new state- of- the- art bed!

Not quite grapes for sale!

The football mascot

This is a first - for Sean, my grandson and me!  Sean was a mascot at a last week's Scottish division 1 football match when Hibernian (Hibs) played.  He is on the right.
  It is my first success with getting a photo to the blog!
The Edinburgh family and many Plockton people are staunch Hib's supporters.  I am alone in favouring Heart of Mid Lothian (Hearts)!
Ann

Late summer sunshine in Plockton

 August 31^st, 2012.

It is already over two weeks since I met Moira in Inverness and handed over Daniel.  He was the last of my summer holiday family visitors.  In the previous month Sam, Sean, Catriona and her friend Nicola, Moira and Colin had all been up and the weather was consistently wonderful.  I was so very pleased about that as Edinburgh had had an unbelievably wet Spring and Summer.

Moira and the children spent many hours rowing and fishing in “Piglet”, our Pioneer 10 boat.  In the end, Catriona, Sean and Daniel were all proficient with at least one oar!  The best fishing was still from the pontoon, where the crabs must have quaked when they heard the children’s footsteps!  

Sean did level 1 of his sailing training, along with three other would be Ben Ainslies!  Malcolm, their instructor, has the patience of a saint -  and four lovely Pico single sail craft.  Daniel, while here at the end of the holiday, also did half a day in a Pico and his “Dinghy Taster” certificate has nicely whetted his appetite!  I’m hoping that Catriona at least will do level two in October, weather permitting – she, however is leaning towards rowing and canoeing at present.

Sam crewed with Malcolm in all the regatta races, in Saranna C.  We were all delighted when he helmed and won the Youth’s race, for skippers between the ages of 16 -26.  It was the first trophy Saranna C had won!   On Regatta Saturday, the children’s Ragamuffin race was run and Catriona was in charge of a young crew with a tendency towards mutiny, I felt!  But they all did very well and finished a creditable third, out of nine boats.  The front lawn still has signs of the paints used to decorate the sail!

In the two weeks since the family left, Ruah, Amber and I have enjoyed meeting guests from many countries including Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy and Canada.  Thank you Dale, for coming back after many years.  I did enjoy meeting you all and playing Colin’s CD’s! Do not leave it so long before returning……

At present I have visitors from Denmark and Belgium /Mexico. Great fun!   At the weekend I had a Scottish couple (quite rare!).  They were here for a 60th birthday of an ex-colleague of mine, younger by a good few years!  There was a party on Calum’s seal trip boat then a meal at the Shores Restaurant.  The fun continued with a ceilidh in Achmore village hall – stamina needed up here when you reach the age of 60!!!

The nights are drawing in already and it is dark around 9.00pm.  I’ll be busy for several weeks to come and I have the visits of friends to look forward to – and Ian’s arrival in mid-October.  He’ll be here for nearly three weeks, which will be just lovely!  I am sorry that Alison will not be here this time.

The garden has been very easy to manage so far, with the drought keeping weeds at bay!  However, they are growing well now…..  I am delighted to say that one lot of Australian seeds have come up – identified by Ian  and Ros as Agapanthus.  If they grow even nearly as tall as the ones in Blue Hills Drive, I’ll be delighted!  I think I’ll pot them up for the first year anyway and divide them so one lot will enjoy the indoor temperatures and one the outdoors.  Any advice very welcome, please……..

The grapes are ready to eat – about a month earlier than usual.  There are many more bunches too, thanks again to the very hot sunny weather in May, June, July and early August.

I am still struggling with photos and the blog – this is disappointing as it was easy to me, with Windows XP – but not Windows 7.  It must be just as straight forward I know, but……  In the winter months I’ll have time to work it out – perhaps before that, actually perhaps when a computer literate brother is here!

Have you been on holiday yet?  If so, I hope you had a lovely time.  Why not sample the North West of Scotland next?  Pop in to see Plockton, Ruah, Amber and me!

Ann

PS :  Grete and Mai-Britt – thank you for not wanting to leave and extending your stay at Heron’s Flight, taking Ruah for walks and being such very good company!

July 22, 2012

Where has the time gone?  

Everyone’s asking that, around here!  I think it is partly at least due to the fact that good weather arrived here in mid-May and it has stayed with us - till now.  England has been badly hit by floods for many weeks and these travelled north east and have made summer, to date, a non-event in Edinburgh and elsewhere.  Seemingly the Jet Stream has “slipped” south as far as the Continent – it normally sits somewhere very high above our latitude – and this may be the reason for our wonderful very warm, sunny days.  Last month the temperatures at times were in the 30’sC – what a treat! 

It has meant that hoses have never been put away and I think I have had water spraying on the garden most evenings.  Unheard of!!  But, as a result, most plants are doing very well and my new thistles are lovely.  I am gathering as many as I can, while on outings.  It may take some little time to build up a collection, as (most of you know!) I do not go away from home very often - and I did not see a thistle in Australia at Christmas time!!

Our annual regatta fortnight begins on Monday.  Saranna C, the clinker boat Dolan built 10 years ago, will sail in the regatta.  Sam, nephew Malcolm and another friend have spent several days rigging her.  Her original sails are missing and no doubt will turn up at the next clear up in the barn, where masts, booms, etc. are stored.  So Saranna C is decked in red mainsail and white jib.   Reliable rumour has it that even a mouse trap was cannibalised to complete the rigging!!!

I am writing now on Sunday, 22 July and there is a fierce gale blowing, accompanied by horizontal rain.  At least it is mild!  But the gardens are taking a severe battering and chunks of tall flowers in bloom are strewn all over the drive……  The forecast is not too good for tomorrow.

Sam and Sean are here, from Edinburgh.  Sam will be in Saranna C during regatta fortnight, while Sean, 9, is starting his Topper training, a two day course, on Tuesday.  He’ll complete three such courses before being deemed competent to helm solo.  He is very keen.

At the weekend the rest of the family arrives.   I am looking forward to that.  So Heron’s Flight will have seven of us “on board” – hopefully eight if Catriona’s friend Nicola comes for a third year.    After regatta Daniel at least will stay on.  I’ll also pick up the threads and have a busy time with visitors from France, Holland and Italy over the following two weeks. 

I hope you may come to Plockton sometime and look us up – by us I mean the usual residents at Heron’s Flight - Ruah the little dog, Amber the large cat and me.

Ann

PS:  That Jet Stream has, I fear, pushed back up north, as we have had a good going gale with quite a lot of the old familiar rain!  Races cancelled and sailors down in the mouth……..

My late May news

My plant pot holder and the "Waverley" with Kyleakin village behind.

June 9^th, 2012

May beganwell, weather-wise, with Angela and Richard enjoying their usual good walkingconditions.  They were lucky again!  I have, only today, put out the remainder ofthe white freesias– they have been amazing! A fortnight ago I trimmed them to half size and added a few purple convolvulus  and that gave them a new lease of life – byfar my favourite cut flower……..

Then theweather deteriorated and it was so, so cold. I felt we were all shrinking!

On May 15 Ianswered the door to a well wrapt-up lady who was grinning and asking if I knewher.  “Give me a clue” I answered.  Well, after some clues I knew it was BerthaMollison, a very good friend at college. We had last seen each other fifty three years ago, at our graduationfrom “Dunf.” P.E. College in Aberdeen!

Then I hadtwo cards.  One was from Whitstable fromDavid and Pat, the other from Pat and Noel, from Arran.  Thank you. Arran seemed to be as cold as here. One day the snow was down at the roadside on the way from Inverness toKyle – crazy in May.

Suddenly summer arrived and for two glorious weeks we have had temperatures ashigh as 31.3C.  Iain and Pat came back tostay and I thank you for the shortbread and plumbing skills!

Elizabethand Uta came for eleven nights and they walked their boots down to theground!  Each day they had a plan andeach day it worked – two amazing ladies from northern Germany, here without acar – and they did not need one!  Thankyou for coming and leaving behind so many little gifts.  Your begonia is looking healthy.  Thank you too for the two CDs recounting yourvisit and the antics of Ruah and her Collie friend Molly.  Both Mairi and I will have a lot of pleasurereplaying them.

We had agarden open day in the village recently, so everything was spruced up, I admit!  The hardest bit was keeping all the areas ofthe garden thoroughly watered – the boat plant pot holder especially!  The day was a success, with many peoplewandering along the main street, admiring the many different styles in theshore gardens and coming into gardens, such as this one, off the street.

On June 2^ndI ran up to the station to meet the noon train and say a brief hello to Geert,who was passing through en route to another wilderness challenge, having justspent a night above Loch Coruisk on Skye. Geert and his family, from Belgium, stayed here for a week lastyear.  Anna, hello too!

It was backto the station at 2.30 to meet cousins, on a special day’s outing from Perth.  Anne and Sheila and many others chose toalight at Plockton, for a couple of hours, rather than going on the few extramiles to Kyle.  We had lunch and caughtup on all the family news before the train returned at 4.30pm.  I shall daily use the robin hot stand andremember with relish the Blairgowrie strawberries!

I’m nowcontinuing on June 9^th and, believe it or not, our fabulous weatheris still with us!  Lindsay and Ian Dick lefttoday, having had two lovely days out on the “Waverley” – the world’s lastsea-going paddle steamer, usually based in the Clyde near Glasgow, but in thisarea only for this week, for her yearly trip north. 

Our forecastcontinues to be good, so the hose will be in constant use again next week.  This little corner is having the bestweather, while Wales swims after torrential rain storms and the first test didnot begin till day three!  What a funnylittle island we live in!

Plockton is very busy as usual, as is Heron’s Flight.  Ihope you may come to visit me sometime soon……

Ann

It's Tuesday, May 8th and the intrepid four in my picture are all set for a walk to Achnandarach and Achnahenich.  Having had Angela and Richard last week walking all over Skye and elsewhere, I feel my advertising should perhaps stress the fitness aspect of holidaying at Heron's Flight!

While Angela and Richard were here for their eighth holiday, the happy foursome above are actually on holiday here for the first time.  But Chris, sixteen years ago, stayed at Heron's Flight for some time, while working on  "Hamish MacBeth", which certainly publicised our little village of Plockton - or Loch Dubh, as it was in the TV series. 

In those days, most of the cast and crew of the programme arrived by train, or shared a car from Glasgow / Edinburgh.  Look now at the transport!!  The Inventi is surely to goodness giving my little Jazz quite a complex - thank goodness I have no grand children  here at present, or I'd be being advised that "Yes, you would suit it and Yes, we would like to have a drive in it",etc. etc.!

Seriously, Chris, Margaret, David and Pat, it is wonderful to have you here for a few days - and you would be ridiculously crushed  in the Jazz!

Ann

Blossom and steam near Heron's Flight!

I was wandering around with Ruah  yesterday and  took this photo on Cooper Street, near the top of my driveway.  The blossoms are cherry and apple - and the blue sky is real, not a painting. Isn't it a wonderful time of year?

... and took this photo, looking across the loch, last week. The steam train is a tourist train that comes up here from time to time in the 'season'. NOT a frequent sight though! 

April 27th, 2012

April Showers bring May Flowers……

Hello
We have had a very settled month, while a lot of the rest of the country suffered. This is not usual! Today things changed and we have had some sunshine and many short, sharp showers, at least one being of hail. This was bad timing as a friend is finishing painting some exterior wood, having spruced up the interior of the porch – it all looks very good!
 
Windows, painting and floors have been the theme recently. I had several double glazed units, including the large picture window (that cracked when a bird flew into it) replaced and the paintwork refreshed. My painter should have come at Easter to paint the dormer windows facing the drive, but he has been ill. However, I have the windows ready for him – and in so doing, found one original sash and case window needing replaced….. Dolan made all the windows nearly 45 years ago, with Oregon pine. An old village lady always called the wood “organic pine” so that’s what it has been since, to our family!
The new carpet is down, on the hall, stairs, landing and sitting room. I am delighted with it, as it is going to be very easily kept!
 
Daniel was here for a week – a lovely time we had! He’s only seven today , so stayed the course very well! Catriona was to accompany him, but badminton called her away. Then Sam came and spent several days, quite a lot of the time with his head in his study books.
Sean’s hamster died the other day, so his Mum said he could have a budgie…. “Perry” has joined the household and, if there ever was a thought that Amber the cat would return to Edinburgh after her holiday here, that is gone and she’ll keep Ruah and me company for good. I am pleased as Ruah and Amber are good friends and more or less the same size – Amber IS big!
 
I’ve been in the garden quite a bit and the weeds are more or less at bay for the time being. The daffodil leaves are now tied up and the boat “flower pot holder” will be planted up soon (it is a real old clinker built boat, by the way – but quite beyond ever being launched again). As anticipated, the lawns are really enjoying growing, though the Red Barberry hedge is colouring but not yet needing trimmed. I had fun pressure hosing the slabs and the drive, the latter being very satisfying, when the tarmac colour returned, as the moss disappeared!
 
There are several visiting yachts in the bay and “Ocean spirit”, the Gordounston School training yacht, sailed out yesterday. The huge “Hebridean Princess”, Isles ferry turned cruise ship, anchored well out too. The strong north east wind, a very cold one, is keeping everything, including all of us, under wraps, but visiting yachtsmen are not complaining. A long-time friend is bringing his yacht out of her winter mooring and “Jespa” will sail in to the bay on Saturday, having been on a week’s cruise to get from Inverness to here.
 
Angela and Richard Hough return also on Saturday, for a week’s walking. It will be lovely to have them here again, their sixth visit, I think. There are quite a few visitors here from France, Germany, Holland and Spain and Australia too. Two nights ago a couple stopped by and their home is in Dundee, New York State. Tonight a young couple from Marseilles has joined me – they left temperatures of 30C. The temperature tonight is going down to 3C…. They have all been lucky with clear dry days, while further south there has been a lot of flooding.
 
Perhaps you will drive into Plockton this summer? If so, please look for Heron’s Flight and say hello!

Ann