Claire our castaway is surprisingly upbeat despite the weather trying it’s best to spoil the show. The weather is now out of the East (SE). Battering the front of the tent. To give her ‘Vango 600’ tent a bit of support I went out Saturday to give her some bits and pieces, more on her page Castaway Claire.
Fay and the boys who were in Escape last week left early Saturday morning, Dan was doing the run, Pam and Kevin were attending their son Callum and daughter in law Rachael’s wedding in Portree. What a day for a wedding but a marquee was up and well tested so I guess their day would have been very good regardless, we will hear no doubt to-day the story. It was a wet morning (Saturday) though and a heavy shower soaked our stores in seconds before I could get them to the house. The jeep had failed to start (I’d left the lights on!!!!!!!) after a whole day Friday ‘trying’ to fix the exhaust which had sheared off. I was grateful to still have the bike working but on cue it started to splutter and lost power, I have since then found water in the petrol!!
Now there’s the problem.
You have to be inventive here on Rona, so in this instance car jacks are no use. But the saw horses did the health and safety bit.
Of course when I went to start the repair the JCB would not start, the battery was a wee bit flat. Then the rain started, it was all good but 6 welds to the exhaust later and it is back together. I can’t say it is sorted but at least it is not roaring away. So although the end of the week was a return to February weather the first part had been good although windy for Claire. Fay had even caught some sun. But it is depressing looking out the window in the morning to this, the only ones that are enjoying it all are the geese.
Every morning I get up we have a garden full of geese and their goslings, leaving plenty evidence of their nights visit.
Yacht visits are well down too. This is probably the busiest week of the year and on Friday night we Had no yachts in, no surprise. With wall to wall low cloud, rain and cold. There is not much pleasure in sitting it out on a yacht waiting for a sunny day.
We heard all about it last night from Laurie and Alasdair on Yacht Run Rig, they have been cruising for three weeks and report only a handful of warm sunny days with hardly any boats about. They had been holed up in Portree for a couple of days with no desire to sail in force 4+ wind and rain, to Rona. Last year which was an exceptional year for visitors we had 80 more yacht visits by this time, what a difference the weather makes to it all.
You will just have to soldier on Bill,good luck from the McKenzie clan ,Scotland and Australia.
Withersjames