Came back from Shieldaig last week inspired to get out the chainsaw and retrieve the windblown hardwoods over the Bay in the forest, so no blogging just too busy logging!!!

Old Forestry Technology

Was sharpening Kenny’s (Shieldaig) new powersaw on Friday night last at 10 pm and that got me going, I had a thought to try and retrieve the trees that had been windblown. I had meant to do something about them for years but like a lot of projects on Rona, they get left behind as other ‘more important’ ones come forward.

Brian Flexing His Muscles!!!!

The weather was dryish so our visitors were roped in to volunteer their brawn. That was last week since then Brian and Gill have left us and to-day I got 4 more trunks down to 5 metres from the shore, just three to get and quite a few logs which can be manhandled. The Torfor winch is the best, slow but sure. Could do with a horse though. There is no way of getting the quad into the forest unfortunately but we will tow the trees to the shore in the spring or sooner, depends on MV Aspire’s Captain!

Nearly There

Other jobs last week were,  stopping the continual rain getting into the bothy, the window is leaking but no fault of the window every window is leaking, the air pressure and just days of rain, doors too, in fact everything is just sodden in and out, it is horrible!!!!!!

Leaky Window

Brian’s joiner skills were put into use in the ‘shop’. We can never have enough shelves.

Keep The Staff Working

The one night it wasn’t a gale a rain we managed to recompense our guests with some ‘Hygge’, a fire, a few drams then a film.

‘Hygge’

At the end of the week we did see odd periods of sun but it had been a pretty grey three weeks since Christmas, to-day Thursday and all of this week has not been much better.

There Was a Bit of Blue Sky

Although the temperature to-day was up near ten we did see some snow last week, showers came quickly through but no snow lay on Rona, when the clouds cleared it was plain to see that the mainland and Skye had had plenty.

Snow Over Rona Lodge

With the cold spell the sheep were queuing up early, there is always one out for a free mouth full.

Hungry Sheep

We were providing hours of entertainment for the seals in the Bay, I counted 150 one low tide a couple of weeks ago and there were many more in the outer bay. When we are working in the forest it is not unusual to see thirty or forty heads bobbing about checking us out.

Better Day Over The Bay

The North wind chased the cliff dwelling sheep back into the South facing side, I tried to entice them into the field with a bucket but they did not take too long in taking off, must get a dog!! Seems like we have lost one or two, they get into trouble on the cliffs which are like magnets for them, sweet grass out there too is the problem.

The Missing Sheep

Saturday last was calm, despite a four day Northerly ‘gale’. The swell was well down and the ferry trip was pretty smooth. After the ferry before this one I took a photo with the Panasonic Camera I have used for years (or at least one of them, I have had 6 or 7 bodies and two lenses!!!!, Rona is hard on my cameras!) of the Aspire leaving. Anyway that is the last I have seen of my camera, it has disappeared. Don’t know where but we cannot find it, maybe one day it will turn up. Since then I’ve been using a Fuji Xpro which is too complicated for this work but I am getting used to it, it is too big to cart around but hey ho.

Chucks Away

At the beginning of the week Lorraine mentioned that she had seen the windmill at Dry Harbour wobbling!!! At 6pm, which was good to know and dwell on overnight!

First thing I was over to check it out, it had a bit of a wobble since its erection. But sure enough there was a bit of vibration at base level. Of course I did not take tools, so back to Big Harbour, collected a box of stuff and headed back to Dry Harbour. I took the big bar and socket and the first bolt slackened the one below took a full turn. Next bolt, I sheared the 1/2 inch drive so back to BH for the 3/4 drive, it was a long morning for a simple job.

At Last A Dry Day

Yesterday was dry, the road actually dried out, amazing. The hens took advantage of the unseasonally warm breeze and spent a lot of time sorting out their feathers.

Overdue Repairs

Always a pest to have decided to start work on the old quad on a good day. The brakes had seized and the footrest right hand side needed welding. So in the afternoon that took all the daylight hours. Just heard from my neighbour Paul, Life at the end of the Road,  that the Rona quad I left at Arinish 12 years ago had finally bit the dust, amazing the punishment these quad bikes will stand. We have a new one and have had a few since that one which was the my one I took to Rona 15 years ago!!! But we try our best to keep the old one going as long as, so that the new one will last. Of course it is always good to have back up too.

Ear Ear!

Late yesterday afternoon, I was heading out to see how Lorraine was getting on with the painting in the ‘shop’, here was Julie at the back door scrounging food. I spotted her pal the Great Tit underneath her looking for insects I guess. She freezes when this happens and lets the bird spend as long as it wants to feed. It was pretty grey and not light so I grabbed the Nikon and fired away.

Underbelly

I guess the bird is getting Keds and with it being so warm they will still be on the go.

Tomorrow we are getting a visit from the Department, looks like a busy day, no Logging.