Wild Strawberry ( fragaria vesca)

Here’s a surprise. Strimming around An Tempuil yesterday I noticed the Wild Strawbery leaves had traveled well outside and round the ruin. I was very pleased to see berries too and so late in the season, not many but enough to give that fantastic taste that they have. We used to find them on the braes heading down to the main street in Tobermory when I lived there in the 60’s, I wonder if they are still there? I tried to move the plant a few years back (nearer home) but was unsuccessful, maybe we will have better luck this time, L has a plan to collect runners.

I arrived there around mid morning and counted no less than 5 Sea Eagles flying around. Looks like they are far from rare, one of them came off the water and was mobbed by seagulls. I guess it had caught a fish. There were plenty yachts about too, one on the Eilean Tighe shore having a trawl by the look of it. No deer about but no surprise the noise I was making.

Graham Ancestors Grave

I had hoped to get down there earlier in the summer but as usual everything catches us and things are left to last. It is better to get the bracken during the senescence (then the bracken has just stopped growing and if you whack the fronds/stalks then it reduces it’s chance of re-growth). However I have cleared the grass and weeds and hopefully made the chapel more accessible.

This is the only official grave on the Island, the Grahan family. Julia (Whirly Gig Beetles’) has told me that the Grahams were from Lewis and that was why they were buried there as the Rona folk mostly came from Raasay and the remains were returned to the graveyard there. In fact in her time she can remember the cortege coming over from Rona.

I called her last night to ask if she had seen wild strawberries on Eilean Tighe and she told me that on Raasay for sure but not the Island. We were talking about the fruit that grew on Raasay. Her Mother grew blackcurrants and gooseberries very successfully plus brambles growing wild. But fruit bushes needed shelter, maybe next year we will try some.

The subject of ‘Frank Fraser Darling’ came up, her librarian brought her the book ‘Island Years’ and she asked had I read it. By chance it was one of the very first books I read on reaching Rona 11 years ago. Well worth a read and it had a big influence on me, living here. Julia told me her Father had met FFD in Big Harbour on a boat/yacht, she guessed that he was looking for somewhere to pitch up.  But chose Tanera Mhor instead or perhaps North Rona.

Gales to-day but only light rain, so much for the summer it is certainly going out with a bang. One boat in , a Catamaran (Catflap) they do have some strange names. The owner reckons he will be here until Monday.

Correction: Spoke to Julia to-day, if fact the funeral cortege was coming from Torran on Raasay to Rona, An Tempuil. These were Grahams and as it was the family grave that was where their remains went. Julia thinks she would have been about 9 years old which would make it around 1932.