A while ago I got an email commenting that on my blog I always seem to be fixing things, that is what went through my head last week when I spotted a very damp wall at the back of the Skyescape holiday cottage.

The Clue

It was a very dry sunny day, so my suspicions were that there was an issue, sure enough.

On Closer Inspection.

On closer inspection it turned out one of the connections, the T on the right had popped. We have no one in the cottage so it was fortunate we were there to spot it. Otherwise it might have been a different story as the cottages are empty for a few weeks. Of course I did not have the bits so had to put that on the list for Portree.

Splinty and Friends

After that I thought I’d better check the other cottages and here in front of the Escape house was one of the missing sheep (splinty  when he was born, had bent feet which we splinted to straighten ) with his new friends a few hinds. I think the deer were a little bemused

Sunny With Showers.

It was a funny week weather wise with beautiful sunny periods warm in the sun but showers of rain and hail never far away.

Trapped, at Last.

We had dosed most of the sheep the previous week but missed two so I set up a trap in the ruin, the first time I tried it the escapees just jumped over the wall, but a barricade did the trick and now all the sheep are up to date. Needless to say the minute I had finished one of the sheep saw a gap and shot over the wall, sometimes I think I have goats!!

Playing Safe.

These lambs must think they are dogs!! I think they enjoy the cold concrete they are often found in the kennel.

Early Morning Start.

We had been catching up all week getting all sorts of jobs done and with no ferry on Saturday I took the opportunity of a calm Friday to head off to Portree, I had banking, rubbish and shopping to do. So it was on a cold frosty Friday morning I found myself enjoying a quick trip over to Skye.

My Favourite Boat

I passed Simon often the first out of Portree heading up to Rona, I really like his fishing boat, maybe one day……….. It used to be a small trawler and Simon has made a cracking job of renovating it to work creels.

The Best Time of the Day.

The boat went well and despite the wee ‘jabble’ the trip was smooth and I was in Portree before it had woken up.

Heading Home

After a mad dash I was heading back, Donald in the Pier Hotel was advising an early return as the weather seemed to be freshening. So after a bit of a rush I got out into the Sound. Certainly it was bumpy for the first mile but the closer I got to Rona the better the sea became in the lee. There were not many boats about, just the ‘Raasay’ heading North to the Qinetic Base with stores.

I was back only for a few minutes and pulled up to the door only to see our biggest lamb standing ‘looking funny’ I got hold of it easily and could see there was something seriously wrong. I thought at first sun or hypothermia? It had been very cold overnight but now it was very warm. The lamb, a ewe lamb of course seemed to be fading away and for the next two hours we were on the phone to the Vet/Charlie Harbro/Anyone but to no avail. Two hours after I picked it up the poor thing was dead, despite penicillin and asprin. The Vet had seen it many times and the thought is it had tetanus, but who knows, the joys of lambing I guess.

In the meantime MV Seaflower had arrived, Kenny and Linda came up to the house and in between the drama of the lamb we had our lunch and a catch up on their wedding. All too soon they were away and we were left with the lamb to deal with and the shopping which had been dropped at the back door.

Lunch Visit

I had picked up fencing materials and had a strainer post, so I was keen to get it into the ground for the Lodge fence which I was going to put up in the morning. I had dug the hole (no big stones this time) so it was just a case of putting it in the hole and concreting it in.

An Easier Strainer

Once we got cleared up it was good to have a seat out front, this year we seem to have quite a few Wheatears around the house. Normally they are alongside the road when heading to Dry Harbour but this year they seem to be favouring the field. They are so tame that this one ‘on the post’ came right up to the table in front of the house. The camera for once was inside, but I still managed to get a pic’. A lovely wee bird, lovely colours. The cuckoo is hanging about too and Linda observed that we had much more birds than in Shieldaig but it is the time when we see lots passing through on route to their summer haunts.

The Friendly Wheatear

Saturday morning first thing I got stuck into the new fence, I had never ‘done’ this type of fence before but a call to my forester friend Bruce who directed me to the SNH website on fencing answered my questions. It is much more challenging to do 7 line wires and droppers but I think it is a much better looking fence than the usual Rylock. MV Aspire, our ferry did arrive as usual but with a private charter, Kevin came up for a walk and to deliver the gloves that I had got the wrong size of the day before. Their guests had a walk and a chat then they were off down by the Raasay shore looking for Dolphins which had been reported in the Sound earlier in the day

Saturday Start

I thought it would take a couple of days to do this fence but with L’s help we got most of it done on the day and now it is only the gates left and to top the strainers. It will be good to shut out our mobile mowers the sheep, for a while. They leave too much evidence of their visits.

Saturday Finish (almost)

Sunday was an in house day, catching up on housework, a bit of painting, paperwork and watching a bit of telly. We did have a walk looking for the missing ewes and lambs, we found one but the other will be in a hollow somewhere out the back. The day was greyish but calmer than the barometer would have you believe. Our visiting yacht never moved until mid afternoon, just when the wind got up. But we think instead of heading North it ended up heading to Portree, another yacht or maybe the same one came out of Portree later that afternoon and was heading East? There are a few about.

Heading Out

I was writing this last night when the power went off, not unusual but it has happened a few times lately, two hours later it did it again, dammit!!! I must have got the reset wrong. So there I was last night sorting out the reset on the computer out in the shed at 10pm. Whilst I was doing that I was thinking about this blog and was counting up what we have to ‘fix’ here. There are 13 working buildings, 5 vehicles, 2 boats, various outboards, 2 generators, 2 mobile generators, various petrol powered small tools, 40 sheep and maybe 100 deer, no wonder things need fixing.