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