xxxxxx

BBC Island blogger arrives in Arinagour Bay, Isle of Coll..... and...



BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.


Well, well, well,

He promised it for long enough, and sure enough he did it !!

Sailing from Sweden to Coll
surviving raging storms
huge seas
and one or two pea soupers,

Finally, unannounced, he arrived on my doorstep
Barney from Swithoid, arrives on Coll.

I was sat at my laptop, reading an email from Carol from France,
In my granny's nightie, hair agog, no makeup, and Immac smeared
under my nose, (you've been there girls, I know you have)

Yikes, crikey moses, who's that walking past the window in a yellow suit.

Too late to hide behind the sofa, has he seen me, No, No, No!

Quick dash into the shower, Immac removed, I poke one eye through the crack in the door.

"Gud morneen Squidgee", says a voice in a strange Scottishy/Nordic twang,

"Ahm in the shower" I cried, the penny dropped who it was.

"I'll be back in 15 meenits" says the voice from the step.

Holy Macaroni, 15 meenits, sorry Minutes...

Shower, right, take nightie off first,
hair, yes shampoo it
Clothes?

Right what fits? Nothing? they've all shrunk in the wash

Tick, tock, tick tock,

Shove all the ironing in the cupboard,

Wash up quickly,

I'm like a scalded cock
a headless chicken,

I should have got dressed
Be prepared, the Scout's Motto
No time to argue with myself
My head is spinning
Oh gawd whot's to do..

Anyways, Barney and his first mate, Henry from South Africa wait in the garden. The weather is miserable. Oh what a shame, I so would have liked to have shown Barney around Coll when the sun was out.

As we drive around in my trusty Warrior, Barney cautiously slips on his seat belt. He thinks I haven't seen him but I have. I become nervous, what if they think I am a bad driver.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Powered by BubbleShare




They speak excellent English, and only rarely break into Swedish, Barney asks if I am from the Midlands, I say, No, Yorkshire, can't you tell.

he can't, but I am.

After a tour of the island, we jump into the dinghy and have tea aboard the sailing vessel. It rolls about, and I feel a bit queasy, Barney and Henry, have soup and cheese, and some Swedish hard bread - Knackebrod

Barney offers me a shot of Whisky, but as you know, I don't drink.

The boat rolls even more, My stomach goes one way, and I go another.
I say that I have to get back to the dogs and ask to be rowed ashore.

Later, I joined the guys in the Hotel for a lovely meal, and we had some really good company. It was a splendid evening.

I wrote a little ditty for Barney to make him laugh (or cry more likely). I asked if I should put it on Island blogging and he said yes,

so here it is.

Based on the Owl and the pussycat nonsense verse...

It is obviously complete and utter nonsense but it gave us a laugh in the pub, after a few drinks that is...

Oh and by the way, it's not cheeky either and if you think it is, then all I can say is .....It's all in YOUR mind.....


Barney and Squidgy went to sea,
In a beautiful PEE green boat
They took some booze on their afternoon cruise
in the hope it would keep them afloat.




Barney looked up
to the black clouds above
as he sang to a small guitar
"Oh Squidgy you're sweet
In fact you're unique
But I'm rather put off by
the sight of webbed feet

Said Squidgy to the sailor
"You're a wrinkly old dish.
and I'm not here for the NOOKIE
I just want to fish".

So Barney whipped out his tackle
and produced a fine Rod
and said to the otter
"Let's go catch some cod.



Now take a firm grip
and wiggle your bait
With this very long rod
You're bound to catch skate"



Said Barney to Squidgy
Shall we hit the high seas
But Squidgy grew nervous
and downed G & T's

The weather was squally,
The sea was quite rough
Said the otter to the sailor
"Sod this Barney,
I've had enough"



"Calm down Squidgeee
Tis only a breeze,
Pass me a Knackebrod
and slice me some cheese"

(Knackbrod my Elbow
I'm below deck with a nutter
He's not getting cheese
I'll slice him some butter)

So they sailed into a bay
and the boat it was moored
Barney drank more whisky
then fell over board.




Alas time went quickly
and Barney sailed home
Squidgy was sad
Left there all alone

As she waved from the pier
the otter forced a tear
'Til Barney yelled out
"Squidgy I'll be back,,
same time next year"

But Squidgy's grief was quite brief
For soon there was joy
With the arrival of twins.
A girl and a boy.



(more grand-kiddies you understand, all mini-me's)


-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-


With weather still poor, the following morning, First Mate Henry arrived once again on my doorstep and asked if he could print off some weather charts on my computer.
Twas the least I could do..

Bon voyage boys and a safe journey home, via Barra, Skye and maybe St. Kilda..

Email me and let me know when you have arrived home safe.
You too Henry from South Africa

It was a pleasure to meet you both, and despite the dire weather, I hope what you saw of Coll, you enjoyed.

Here are a few postcards, to remind you of your visit to Coll, July 2008 !!!

I really must catch up with my book-keeping, A hard day at the office is on the cards.

Excel spread sheet, add, sum, formulae, Totals.

My office is a very happy and healthy office, it's called THE BEACH.


ISLE OF COLL BEACHES

Yes, leaving the laptop and Excel spread sheet behind I pack some A4 paper, a ruler and a few pencils.

My blonde head is left on the shelf today. I am going to do all the SUMS in my sensible, intelligent head. Mental arithmetic. (Read somewhere that this keeps you from going senile, so there's hope for me yet)

So what is the magic formula for a happy office????.....

Well, to sum it all up:-

Take one room with a view...


an infinity pool helps staff morale.



ADD


A vase of fresh flowers



a delicate, natural fragrance



Eat healthily in the open air dining room



Make sure the kids are happy in the Creche


The weather is just so perfect, but my paperwork is piling up. I have to get stuck in.

However, I cannot face a day indoors

not with the sun shining and the sea sparkling,

so I pack my rucksack with basic requirements such as pen, paper and ruler

Boiled egg and tomato sandwiches
Fruit and plenty to drink (soft drinks that is)

Not forgetting company policy on casual dress,


Musn't overdress you understand.


I head to my office.

and find a nice flat slab of rock where I work diligently,
drawing columns with my ruler and entering data with my pencil.

Suddenly I remember how to add up in my head.

Phew, I'm working exceptionally hard.

I mop my brow...

But, the machair is so soft and inviting, I lay down, just for a few minutes to relax,

All around me the sweet fragrance of the meadow

I close my eyes, and drift, drift, drift away....

Suddenly a fly lands on my nose.

I wake with a startle. The sun has moved, the tide has returned.

It's 7 o'clock at night.

time to head home....




Another hard day at the office (tee hee)

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind.

I am forever under-whelmed at my intelligence.

At the divine inspirations which frequently tell me “It’s a good idea (at the time - but rarely is).

And so it was that one of these inspired moments led me to believe that a solitary camping trip to Tiree was a good idea.


TIREE LANDMARK - THE BEAUTIFUL PINK HOUSE.

Fuelled with enthusiasm and a lust for the great wilderness, I packed my tent and the kitchen sink and headed to the island next door.

Undaunted by the gloomy weather forecast of high winds and heavy rain, I boarded the Calmac Ferry with a song in my heart.

“Listen to the sound of the pouring rain
Telling me just what a fool I’ve been

Leaving Coll in warm sunshine and blue skies, I arrived on Tiree to a heavy black cloud, which singled me out and hung menacingly above my head.




WHY PICK ON ME? a black cloud above my head
Horizontal rain and gale force winds quickly followed.

Undeterred by this (foreseen) turn of events I decided against wild camping and opted for the sanctuary of the island’s official camp site, where at least I could have a hot shower.

Two hours later I was still battling to erect my tent, the gale force wind ripped and tore at the flapping canvas of this 2 bed roomed monster.

Eventually, with the help of some kind hearted fellow campers, who took pity on the crazy woman, the tent was up, but the air bed was down. The foreboding “sssssss-ing ” sound of leaking air, which every camper dreads meant I would be sleeping on hard, thistly ground.


THE MAJESTIC THISTLE, (rather prickly on the old bum tho')

There was little protection at the campsite and my carefully pitched tent was rather exposed to the full force of the Atlantic gale, which was now at its zenith. I sat inside shivering and listening to the creaking sounds of tent poles under severe strain. I decided that if the men in white coats arrived, I would go peacefully and not put up a fight.

Happy days !!

Soon a caravan pitched alongside me. Other poor souls seeking refuge I wrongly assumed.. In the window was a sign which read:



“Ah, young newly weds” thought I, “how romantic”

I was horrified to see in the caravan, not newly weds, but a man, 50 going on 19, leering at me from behind his steamed up window. With a tango-ed perm-a-tan, his shirt opened to the waist and a zero carat gold medallion hung about his grizzled grey hairy chest.

As I pegged down my tent for the 100th time, I pretended that I had not seen his leery, toothless grin nor his reptilian eye which winked in a saucy but revolting manner.

Yikes, a mountain man I cringed, all he needs is a banjo.

DELIVERANCE sprang to mind and I decided to sleep with my clothes on in case tangoman came AKNOCKIN’

The hard ground was unforgiving, and my back ached, the two dogs sat atop of me trying to steal what warmth I had. Sleep was elusive, the storm raged on whipping at every tiny chink in my tent. Finally two of the tent poles snapped under pressure and the tent collapsed.



Fearing assistance from Tangoman, I thought beggar this for a game of soldiers and climbed into my car and headed to the hostel.

I returned the next day, gathered up the ripped remnants of my totally wrecked tent and dumped it unceremoniously in the public skip.

I felt strangely liberated. No more tent, no more camping - EVER !! My camping days are well and truly over.

For a further 72 hours the rain and wind continued to lash Tiree. Ignoring the weather forecast had been foolish and had cost me my tent.

The next two nights were spent in a homely B and B where I re-discovered the joys of an electric blanket. I felt so cosy and warm and safe.


Pretty Black House, Tiree.

When I finally ventured out in the car, a bird, fleeing from the storm, flew inside my car. He took up residence beneath the steering column, dried himself off and chirped quite merrily as I taxied him around Tiree. Try as I may to lure him out, he would not budge and became my companion for the remainder of the wet and otherwise miserable day.


Scarinish Bay, Tiree, "Washed up" (a bit like how I felt really)

Thursday, the storm is over and I sit here writing in scorching sunshine. I’m having a picnic overlooking a beautiful bay. Earlier I had walked to a remote rocky outlet and accidentally stumbled upon a rather large, fluffy chick, totally hidden amongst the rocks. The parents watched anxiously as I moved quickly away.

GULL CHICK HIDDEN AMONGST THE ROCKS

Two gulls deep in conversation, whispered as I passed by...


THE WHISPERING SEAGULLS


A snipe posed beautifully for a photograph. All was well with the world.


SNIPE POSING ON FENCE POST, ISLE OF TIREE


The sunshine has made everything better, the storm is a distant memory.


COLOURFUL LOBSTER CREELS, READY FOR WORK

I am catching the boat back to Coll tonight at 6.30 pm .

The sun has finally set on my camping days....




Will I miss Camping?

I will certainly miss the romantic notions of camping which exists inside my head:

The delicious smells of bacon sizzling in the pan

Constant sunshine and warm gentle breezes

Soft ground and the fragrance of crushed thyme.

Barbequing prawns and toasting sticky pink marshmallows on the campfire

Waking to the sound of birdsong and stumbling upon a startled hare as he sleeps in the machair.

Being at one with nature,

Feeling wild and free

Will I miss camping?

Yes, I think I will.


Have a good weekend everyone !!
XX

Regrets? Making the right decision
Making the wrong decision,

Taking the wrong call,

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Is life down to just the Role of the Dice
or does fate really take a hand?

Life, as we know, holds many twists and turns,
happiness and sadness, love and laughter
loss and grief.

Regrets? yes I've had a few, but then again too few to mention.

If only's? Oh yes, my friends, I've had more than my fair share of them..

Fate? Yes, well, okay, fate has intervened in my life on several occasions.

Wrong decisions? eeeerrrrr, enough said about that FOR NOW...

We all have choices to make, decisions to take, but sometimes our life is changed forever and we are left with nothing but soul searching, regrets and the need to turn back the clock....

IF ONLY THIS
IF ONLY THAT
IF, IF, IF, IF

Forever, we will berate ourselves with...

IF ONLY....

In the news recently has been the tragic story of my former tutor, Ian Clayton, a TV presenter, writer and poet. Ian also gave his time to teaching creative writing, which is how I got to know him.

A very talented man, who shared his talents with many people always inspiring and encouraging. A man full of laughter, fun, interesting stories and anecdotes. Ian loved life, he loved music, especially the late, great jazz singer, Billie Holiday.

Ian was immensely proud of his two children, nine year old twins, a boy, Edward and a little girl who he named after his idol, Billie Holiday. They frequently appeared on television with Ian and these two beautiful children were his and his partner Heather's greatest joy.


However, one fateful day....

Ian took his 9 year old twins on an adventure, canoeing on the River Wye in Wales.

The idyllic family outing over the Easter school break turned to tragedy when
they took a wrong turn in the river. Suddenly the water became extremely fast flowing and the canoe collided with a tree and capsized.

Ian and his twins were thrown into the icy waters of the Wye and suddenly found themselves at the mercy of the fast-moving river.

All were wearing life jackets, yet when Bille was thrown from the canoe, she was caught in the rapids and become submerged.

A snap decision had to be taken
An agonising choice
Which child should Ian choose?

Could he save one child, could he save both
or did he run the risk of losing both?

Ian rescued his son who was desperately clinging to the branches of a tree in the river.

Billie was nowhere to be seen.

An horrendous situation for any parent.

A cruel choice....

Edward who was alive and clinging to a tree,

But should he leave Edward and swim for Billie?

Ian could save Edward by dragging him to the bank, the child clung desperately to Ian's neck, almost strangling him, but pleading,

"please save my sister"..


Billie and Edward's mother was waiting on the banks of the river for her children and Ian to return.

Billie never returned.

Ian rescued Edward, went back into the water for Billie, but despite his own frantic search efforts he could find no sign of her.

It was only when rescuers arrived on the scene later that her lifeless body was pulled from the water. She was airlifted to Hereford Hospital and pronounced dead.

At the inquest into Billie's death, Ian wept, grief stricken, saying...

"Did I make the right decision?, I suppose I will never know...
It’s difficult to tell you how much we miss Billie. People tell you that time is a great healer and it’s not"


Life, eh?

Full of choices, decisions,
wrong turns,
right turns
being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

and so many IF ONLY'S



Billie Holiday Clayton.


The school holidays begin this weekend,
All across Britain, from Scottish Lochs to Cumbrian Lakes
East Coast, South Coast, West Coast and the far North
children will be playing on the water, in the water, having fun, the time of their lives.

Building sand castles, jumping into rivers, fishing, sailing

doing the things that children do in the long hot days of summer.

Some will get into mischief, most children do...

but

I hope and pray that this summer, no other parent, including myself, has to visit the hospital and say those words....

IF ONLY...

When I was young....life was SMASHing,


well, sort of... mmmm

No supermarkets, fast food, frozen food, mobile phones or colour television.

We didn't have a telephone
and would walk to the corner of Ramsden Street
to use the red phone box
We put sixpences in and if you were lucky they fell straight back out
into a little coin box at the bottom.

When I was young

Our house cost a thousand pounds, and
my mam had lovely red hair and she had a washing machine which had a wringer at the top. She always ruined our clothes in the wringer. The arms of our home knit jumpers would come out 10 feet long.
She used a soap powder called OMO, or Tide or Daz



Mam was a good dressmaker and made all the kids' clothes. She could wallpaper but when she ran out of paste she would mix some flour and water and make that do.

When I was young
Mam had a baby, I didn't like the baby
Everyone fussed over this new baby so I threw a pencil at him
The baby cried and I got a clout around the earhole.

Mam fed the dogs on boiled lites.
Sometimes my dad came home drunk from the pub
and ate the Lites for his supper. Mam didn't stop him
and he never knew the difference.
Everynight he would walk home from the pub. Once he fell down an embankment and slept in a field with the cows
One night he fell through a pane glass door
and cut all his neck. We didn't find him until the following morning
He came out of St. James's hospital looking like Frankenstein.


When I was young
My dad got up early and lit the fire
then we would all sit round and toast bread on a long pronged fork
Sometimes the bread would fall off
and we would have to cut the piece off which had soot on it.
Dad liked rabbit stew, he made it out of our pets.



When I was young

Winston Churchill died, but I didn't know who he was
When I asked my eldest sister, she couldn't be bothered to
tell me and just said ... "some old bloke"

When I was young
our tele was black and white and the screen was the size of a loaf
We used to watch
Z Cars and Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Take your Pick
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Daktari
and I love Lucy.



My favourite was Gilligan, he made me laugh



We would all sit there laughing at the screen
I didn't like Dr. Who, the Daleks scared me
Advertisements would come on in the interval
telling us which cigarettes to smoke
Embassy, Consulate Menthol, John Player and woodbines
Mam and dad smoked like chimneys.


When I was young

We had a record player and LP's
sometimes the needle would get clogged up with fluff
and the singing would get slurrier and slurrier, until it stopped
My two big sisters loved to Rock and Roll
They used to Bop in the house
Sometimes when mam and dad were out
they sent us little ones to bed
and sneak boys in. We would sit on the top stairs and
peep through the bannister.
When our mam and dad came home from the pub
we would tell, and they would get a clout.



We had day trips to the seaside
the steam train would take us to Scarborough
and a man from the Working Man's Club would come round
with brown envelopes for each of us.
We were given15 shillings and a bottle of pop and crisps free
The crisps had this little blue bag with salt in it.
Sometimes if you didn't shake the crisps properly
you got a mouthful of salt.

When I was young

We didn't have a car
My dad had a motorbike with a side car on it and we would all squash in
Anyone who had a car was rich
and it didn't matter if you drank beer and drove your car

When I was young

Cars didn't have seatbelts
and there were no black people in my village
apart from two boys who went to my school
Being mean to people who were different
didn't happen in my village
and the women all wore curlers and pinnies
and would stand at their gates gossiping
Babies had towelling nappies
and the washing lines would be filled with billowing nappies
Doctors did home visits
and held surgeries in their front rooms

When I was young

Somebody else's mam was allowed to clout you
if you were cheeky,
and the village bobby was too fat to ride his bike.
We had a family of red squirrels in the tree next
door and this bad boy pinched one of the babies
We played kick out can in the street
and we never went in until it was dark.

When I was young

teachers hit you with a ruler or a cane
You had to take the 11 plus.
Clever kids went to Grammar Schools
Other kids went to a rough school in Castleford.

Mam's groceries were delivered by a boy on a push bike
and we had a butchers, a bakers
and a green grocers in the High Street
Things were weighed in pounds and ounces
and you paid with a ten bob note or half a crown


When I was young

Myra Hindley and Ian Brady killed some children
Lesley Ann Downey was a little girl like me.
Her mam was crying on the tele
and police men walked across Saddleworth Moor
looking for the children. The police men kept prodding
the ground with sticks.

When I was young,

Vivian Nicholson won the football pools and
announced to the world that she would SPEND, SPEND, SPEND
and she did
She moved from a pit village to a big new house
She drove a Pink Cadillac around
the pit village and my dad would wolf whistle at her
Viv Nic had bleached white hair and a beehive

When I was young

Cliff Richards sang Summer Holiday
and Elvis Presley was Crying in the Chapel
Billy Furey went Half way to Paradise"
and the Beatles sang Love, Love me do
and I did, especially Paul Macartney




When I was young

I found my aunties crying
They were staring at the tele
Lots of children had been killed
in Aberfan
A landslide had covered their school
My aunties just cried and cried.

When I was young

My dad would watch Cassius Clay boxing
He would float like a butterfly and sting like a bee
My mam took me to the cinema
and we watched Born Free
It was about Elsa the Lioness
I sat on her knee and had an icecream

When I was young

Someone shot an American President
and the boys at school kept
singing songs about the Vietnam War
I didn't understand

When I was young
men wore large, colourful kipper ties, tank tops and bell bottoms
Girls wore mini skirts and false eyelashes
Everybody was groovy and smoked cigarettes!!


When I was young,
I got a Kaleidiscope for Christmas
It was like a tube and when you turned it
all colourful patterns could be seen
It was like magic.
I had a Panda too, she was called Chi Chi
I got a space hopper for my birthday.




+++++++++++++++++++++++++++



This is a typical Saturday's viewing from 1965 (24 July)
BBC1
5.15 Juke Box Jury
5.40 Dr Who: Checkmate
6.05 News, weather
6.15 Cricket
6.35 The 1965 Royal Tournament
7.20 Western
8.50 Summer Comedy Hour
9.55 The Flying Swan
10.40 News
10.50 The Andy Williams Show
11.40 Weather

We liked to watch Westerns, Rawhide, Wagon Train, Rin Tin Tin, and Lassie.

When I was young a gang of robbers stole loads of money from a train
and someone won the World Cup !!

A random, nostalgic look back over...... oh loads and loads of years !!!

Have a good weekend everyone.

xxx

I've been listening to this hauntingly beautiful song and watching the video on YOUTUBE...

This Woman's Work, sung by Kate Bush... (if perhaps you would like to copy and paste into google - Here is the link to the video....)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm901CXujEg


For anyone who's hurting, going through a painful time, losing someone, or struggling with life right now... just take a few minutes' ME TIME and listen to the lyrics of this song.... The video is really quite moving,

It's about birth, and about
death, and about love
and all the things we should have done
when we were alive.

It's about just how fragile life really is...

This weekend has been one of mixed emotions for me, of highs and of lows.



There has been laughter and there has been tears.

And for me personally a reinforced recognition that we, the human species, are not the only ones capable of caring for our offspring and for each other.

When you love someone, why does it have to hurt so much?? Why are we so vulnerable?

You may wonder what has prompted this rather morose blog, well, I have had a sick child home from school this weekend, who, when the time came to getting on the ferry back to school yesterday, he broke down in floods of tears. Quite unusual really, as he is quite a tough wee guy.

Putting a protective arm around him, I led him away from the boarding platform and gave him the option of returning home with me or getting on the ferry and returning to the hostel in Oban.

It was touch and go, we walked back along the pier, dragging the suitcases behind us. With just seconds left, he wiped away the tears and said he would get on the boat and go. "I'm okay mum, really"

How did this leave me? Worried, upset, not knowing quite what to do to make it better.

Helpless, vulnerable, sometimes we cannot make things better
Sometimes we cannot make things go away
some things are simply out of our control.

And it hurts....

Which leads me into the blog.

This morning I was rudely awakened by the most horrendous screeching and cawing under my bedroom window. The noise went on for ages, so in the end I had to leave Mel Gibson behind in my dreams for the moment, and go see what the commotion was.

A baby Hooded Crow, learning to fly had used my car roof as a launch pad, hit the window and sat sorrowfully outside my bedroom window cawing for his parents.


Hooded crow and baby

Love them or loath them, and most people loath them, the hooded crow parents were going frantic with worry, trying to get their baby back.





In the end I went outside, picked the baby up and put him on a gate post. Parents and baby were reunited, and what a fuss they made of their baby. Now as I sit here typing, looking across the sea to Mull, the hooded crows sit just outside on the fence, staring in, watching me type.

On Saturday afternoon we were walking along the shore, scrambling over rocks, when suddenly we were set upon by two screeching Oyster Catchers, diving and swooping at us.



Two Oystercatcher chicks hiding beneath the shelf.


"there must be a nest around here" I said, "we had better move away".

Out of the corner of my eye, I spied the reason for the birds' anger, three tiny fluffy chicks were sat beneath the shelf of a rock. Protected only by camouflage the chicks never flinched, not a blink of an eye, they remained exactly where their parents had left them.


OYSTER CATCHER CHICK

The two Oyster Catcher parents followed us until we were safely away from their babies. At one point the daddy bird had to put his brakes on as he landed near to us in such a great hurry.





Over the rocks we climbed and looking out to sea, there in the bay was a mother Basking Shark with her baby. They swam in circles, feeding on plankton, the mother guiding her baby away from the jagged rocks and shallow waters. Two gentle creatures, a mother and baby, such a wonderful sight.



Baby Basking Shark

So on Sunday afternoon, as I put a protective mother's arm around my own baby, in reality, I was just the same as the Oyster Catchers, the Basking Shark and the Hooded Crows.




In very different worlds, we were all just parents,
All protecting our young in any way we could.

"Is that the paps of Jura" a sailor cried out, his eyeballs on stalks as he gleefully spied upon a huge bra floating towards his yacht.



I hid behind a rock, my modesty covered with two clamshells, (two dozen that is)

The sailors strained over the side of their expensive yacht trying to uplift the bra,

"Someone has made a boob", they laughed..

From my hiding place, I watched with growing dismay as my bra floated away on a straight course towards Rum.

This is no storm in a D cup, oh no, please don't titter at my unfortunate predicament.

The day began so well, scorching sunshine, sugar white beach, and cool blue sea.



Camera, picnic, good book and not a soul around to share this beautiful beach.

Being rather shy and retiring, I hesitated at changing into my swimwear, but hey, no-one was around to laugh and the day was too good to waste.



Placing all my clothes and undergarments on the beach, I settled down to do some serious sunbathing. The tide was going out WASN'T IT??

From my viewpoint on the beach, I spotted some beautiful flowers. Early purple orchids covered the hillside. How could I resist? I decided to take a stroll with my camera and get a few snaps. Did I check the tide?? (Course I did, all islanders check the tide, don't they) mmm

Beautiful early Purple Orchid



Pretty buttercups



In the pink with the Thrift



Beautiful foxgloves




The sweet scent of the wild dogrose..



Seabirds and waders. A ring neck plover.



A mother duck and her ducklings




So, I lost track of time. A few minutes turned to hours, the sun was still hot, but the day was wearing on. I returned to my base on the beach.

Shock, HORROR, the tide had snook back in whilst no-one was watching. Where are my clothes? oh no....

Into the sea I ran, rescuing my sandals and T shirt. My trousers (etc) were folded neatly on a rock together with car keys and camera bag. They were spared a watery demise.

However, the large, foam filled bra, had floated away. Way out, and no, OH NO, two sailors on a yacht suddenly appeared from the Cairns of Coll. Quickly I hid my embarrassment behind a rock and watched the bemused sailors.

The bra bobbed merrily up and down, floating further and further out to sea.

Last seen headings towards Rum.

Gone but not forgotten.

Silly me, I must keep abreast of important things, such as tides.

SO... if anyone should find a rather large, flesh coloured bra, size (no, I'm not telling you that), please put it to good use.

All ideas welcome.

Perhaps you could carry your Bowls in it, I love a bit of crown green bowling don't you?

or cut the straps off and make a nice bird feeder, Blue tits will love it.

Oh the uses of this large lost bra is endless.

Ear muffs for the winter, hump warmer for a camel,


Well, I am so glad that I got that off my chest.


Before I go, may I just say something about the magical sunsets recently, no, on second thoughts, I won't say anything.











Finally, to Carol from France, who misses Scotland, here are a few images, which I hope you will enjoy.





Have a lovely weekend everyone. xxxx

Today I said goodbye to a very dear friend.

She has left the island, she has left the home that she loved
She will never leave my heart.

Many of you will know her, she was a popular Island Blogger.

My life seems to be full of goodbyes right now and I am saddened

I cannot say Haste ye back, for she will not return.

Hermit Life has blogged about friendship and just how valuable a good friend is

A friendship can be for a lifetime
even though distance may keep us apart.

My friend lived at a very remote part of Coll. You had to travel across sand dunes, over rocks and along the bay. Dodgy at the best of times. But when you got there, wow !! there was always a warm welcome, a hot scone or some beautiful home baking and a cuppa tea.

Her home seemed to be on the very edge of the island,
and when the sun set, there was a beauty that no words can describe

The sea sparkles and twinkles
and all around the sound of the corncrake, the drumming of the snipe
and the shrill cry of the oyster catcher.

Heavy Horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, geese, doves, cat, and a growing number of dogs. Life was never quiet !!

Eventually the sad day came when she and her beloved husband had to leave Coll

A huge animal transporter arrived and
the heavy horses of Coll were lead across the bay to the waiting horse box

One of the horses looked around
as if to say "Goodbye" to the home he had loved



(Click arrow to start slideshow)

The animals seemed to know
seemed to sense what was happening
and they behaved so well,

No fuss, no struggle and with great dignity
in they went.

First the sheep,
then the pigs followed
The horses, hens and doves

The geese went last

And so that big boat arrived

hugs, tears, farewells


(Click arrow to start slideshow)

The sun has finally set on their life on Coll
and the island has lost
two good people
I and many of their friends will miss them.


Bon Voyage
I wish you every happiness in your new life.
xxxxxx

Hey, aint it good to know that you've got a friend?
People can be so cold.
They'll hurt you and desert you.
Well they'll take your soul if you let them.
Oh yeah, but dont you let them.
(James Taylor - You Got a Friend)

Saying goodbye to someone you love is so hard for any mum

You say it's just for a while, as you force a smile and hope they understand.



This tiny, forlorn figure is my son going off to school in Oban.
He will stay in the hostel. He will not be here with me.
No more night night hugs or cuddles at bedtime.



Can anything be stronger than a mother's love for her child? From the moment our children are born, they receive the most dedicated, most unconditional, most devoted and special love.

Throughout their lives, we nurture them, educate them, keep them from harm and protect them with our lives. A mother would lay down her life for her child.

Children cost an arm and a leg to raise, often we will do without so that they do not.

Children are so special. They bring us joy and at times they break our hearts.

Untidy, sometimes cheeky, noisy, demanding and clueless about where money comes from... yet..

now my boy is gone, the house is empty, I am lost,

no more can I nag

Have you brushed your teeth?
be back soon, eat all your tea up, turn that tele down,
are you on that computer AGAIN?
Tidy up that Bedroom!!

How I miss him. But soon he will ring, full of the day's events, the football, kayaking, archery and his new friends.

And what will I do. I will nag him over the telephone.

Watch the road, don't go out in the dark, put all your dirty clothes in a bag.
What are you eating? don't eat anything with E numbers in.

Yeah, yeah, yeah mum, he will say.

I have moped about for days.
Not visiting the beach
nor my friends the seals.

But today something came in the post which cheered me up. A new telephoto lens.

I roused myself out of despair and took a few photos of some other mothers and their babies.




The primroses are now peeping through and the beautiful pink thrift is out already ...



The seal pups, sunbathing on the rocks, soft and white and round.

One cheeky character rolled over as if she wanted her tummy tickled.



Photographing birds was more challenging. My new 55 - 200 mm lens, though a vast improvement on my standard 18 - 55mm lens, still does not allow me to take the superb close ups I strive to achieve.

The two dogs don't make it any easier and I have come to the conclusion that dogs and wildlife photography is nigh on impossible.



Shellducks, Skylarks, George Seagull, oyster catcher and high stepping greylag geese.

For a few hours, my mind has been occupied with photography, but now I sit and wait for the phone to ring.

Has he run out of credit, forgotten his phone charger?
Worse still has he forgotten his mum??

At least I derive some comfort knowing that he will be home on Saturday.

For just over 24 hours,
then its back to Oban.

Is he happy??

Oh yes mum, I'm a striker in the football team
I've made millions of new friends.
I need £10.00 not £5.00
£5.00 isn't enough

But have you missed your mum?
The phone goes quiet. He is not alone,

then I hear a hushed whisper....
barely audible

Love you Mum.

I love you too, son.



xxxxx

Oh, it's such a perfect day
I'm glad I spent it with you
Oh, such a perfect day
You just keep me blogging on

Just a perfect day
saw seals in the bay
Then later
an otter, too, and then home




Oh, it's such a perfect day
I'm glad I spent it with you
Oh, such a perfect day
You just keep me blogging on
You just keep me blogging on

Just a perfect day
Housework all left alone
The beach on our own
it's such fun

Oh, it's such a perfect day
I'm glad I spent it with you
Oh, such a perfect day
You just keep me BLOGGING ON
You just keep me BLOGGING ON

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On Wednesday I was taken to a beach I had never been to before. The sun was shining, the sky cloudless, and the sea crystal clear, a sparkling turquoise.

Along the way we saw new born lambs and pretty primroses peeping shyly through the machair.

The children led me over the sand dunes, "We're nearly there" they shouted encouragingly as I dragged behind muttering, "Is it much further, chunter, chunter?"

We're here, came the shout.

Well, I have been known to wax lyrical about the beauty of Coll's beaches, but nothing prepared me for North Shore. The beauty left me breathless. It wasn't just the sparkling waters, the colour of the sea nor the dazzling whiteness of the beach.

The sheer tranquility, It was like being in another world, an era of long ago.

Four seals swam in the bay close to the shore, simply watching us, totally relaxed. Such peacefulness.

Well the children played happily on the sand dunes, making a slide.

The sun shone

The sea sparkled

I went for a walk, and climbed a way up a hillside above a rocky inlet hoping to photograph the seals.

Suddenly, a shiny brown tail caught my eye on the rocks below.

An Otter had appeared out of nowhere.

I had two dogs with me, the children's shrill laughter could be heard at the other side of the bay, and yet here was an otter, as bold as you like.

The wind was in my favour. The otter had not caught my scent, nor the dogs.

I watched him for a while, and took a few shots. I only had a standard lens with me, so close ups were out of the question.




I kept perfectly still, the dogs knew the otter was there, but sat close to my side.

The otter played on the rocks below, blissfully unaware of our presence. In and out of the water he went. Then scampered along the beach to the burn.

I did not want to follow in fear of frightening him.

He reached the burn, and was gone !

But Oh what an amazing day !!

A day I will never forget

An otter - What a perfect way to end a perfect day.

Have a good weekend everyone.

XXX