Still Eating

June now, Arne still here and still cooking, the gastronomy excellent.

Grand Finale

Simple but delicious.

Art?

This is my Fathers home made ladder which I’m sure he would not be too happy that I left it out but it must be 40 years old now so it did not too bad. It is resting on the roofed ruin we call the museum (work in progress)

Jetstream

June continued and the jetstream was kind giving us most of the month with glorious sunshine.

Jellyfish

Loved the clouds when the higher winds are creating lovely patterns.

Early Morning Prowl

The month continues with yet more trips to Portree.

Skye Express Loading

This time shifting half a tonne of flooring.

Looks Like My Kind of School

A wee stop into the school in Portree, this is definitely the type of state school that should be supported.

Getting Difficult To Find a Way In.

It doesn’t end with the van, then the boat, then off the boat, then onto the JCB then into the house. Phew.

Yogi Supervising

Back to Portree can’t remember why but The Green Isle our regular fishing boat around Rona is up on the beach the engine kaput. So it is the time to clean up, paint it and get ready for the season ahead with the new engine.

Wedding Party

A wee surprise to hear and then see Ewen and Janice out with a wedding party in Big Harbour Rona, a lovely day with Meg Gillies conducting the ceremony.

Wedding Day

Young Stag

Our deer started to loose their winter coats in late May and the stags were growing their new antlers, now they are all very red and looking sleek.

Daisy Days

The view from Sea/Skyescape in June, the daisies taking over with the deer mowing the grass for us.

Geese

The geese doing the same at Big Harbour but stealing the sheep’s grass in the field which is not so good.

De Brief

And at the end of the day there is always the de-brief where we have a dram and discuss the days building progress, the best part of the day my two companions would say.

Barrel Of Laughs

Say an old whisky barrel in ‘Harbro Portree’, now I’m thinking Rona was famous for its home brew, maybe it is a good time to try some distilling (again: work in progress)

Barbecue Time

Now here’s a thing, we have signs out, asking folk not to light fires. These jokers passed me on the pontoon with various bags, took up their station in front of the house and when the smoke started to rise we panicked. Fire is our worst nightmare and here were a boat load of yachties having their barbecue with no thought to what next! Having fought forest fires I dread to think what might happen if a fire did catch in the arid conditions which was the case on this day. Oh! And they did not even ask can we……..but therein lies the ‘Right To Roam’.

George and His Feather

George our cat, is a typical cat, unfortunately for the birdlife around here, so it was a bit better to see him playing with a feather rather than taking in his next prize.

Blown

We are pretty much up to and over capacity with our power generation. So much so that the generator had not run for two months. That was good saving fuel BUT the problem was that 16 years of damp conditions got the better of the windings on the alternator. When I did switch it on, disaster, the generator alternator had burnt out. So we now have a space where the generator should be. One on order, same again, can’t beat the Lister TS2.

Strim Time

After the de-brief Ian the joiner is away so it is time to catch up on Rona work. Strimming waits for no one and it was a bit late before I started, after a few mechanical issues I managed to get it done at Dry Harbour.

Early Morning Hind

Thought I’d take advantage of Ian being away and took an early morning trip South, nice to see plenty deer enjoying the morning sun.

Early Morning Big Harbour

And the yachties enjoying breakfast.

Hinds

Plenty hinds about but not too many calves which surprised me.

Flattening Bracken

Back to Dry Harbour and I rigged up a bracken basher, but after much bashing it kind of fell apart.

Another Successful Trip

The sun certainly helped make the Seafood lunch trips from Portree a lovely experience but only yesterday we had some on Seaflower who were from Mexico, they were loving the misty day we had!!! So it is not all about the sunshine for sure.

Graveyard

Back to Portree to dump yet another wash machine, no ten or more I guess in 16 years, although they work hard you would think they would last a bit longer. I always blamed Rona Power but looking round the recycling yard at Portree I don’t think so……I guess it does not make for a good business if you make them to last.

Pressie

We had a visit from my son and his family in glorious  July sunshine yet again and they gave us a present, a hot tub. It was something we had toyed with for years but power was always our problem. But this one a blow up, draws only 800watts and in sunshine with only the solar we dump so much power, it was heated water all the way, what a great present.

Glance

It is the time of year and our yachting friends from Ireland arrived, always good to see them and a sociable time.

That’s The Life

Sometimes too sociable!!!

Yachtie Woes

Not all the yachties are good guys, after much to-ing and fro-ing by yachts trying to anchor one night, I woke to see a German flagged yacht wrapped around our mooring, on closer inspection he had his chain wrapped around the mooring chain. You do wonder how these guys get away with it. The result was that I had to go out and check the chain, but no issues, I had suspected that the cable ties may have been knocked off but not so. But not forgiven.

Fuel Delivery

With so many landing crafts last year we had an endless supply of fuel but with no landing crafts since I’ve had to fetch the fuel from Portree, no problem just another trip to add to the fifteen in the last four weeks to Portree. But good to have a system that works.

You Tube Moment

Another job under the belt,. shearing the sheep. Hugh our digger driver usually does it but not this year after a half hour on You Tube I set to. Not quite ‘Should Have gone to Specsavers’. In fact I was quite pleased to have got through it without the very stiff back, electric shears are definitely the way forward.

Anne and Her Daughter

Another day another Seaflower trip, this time with a mixed boat but good to see Anne Gracie on Rona whose Mother was born here, a quick hello to the holiday cottage then after a bit of discussion it tuned out that I knew where the house her Mother had lived in was.

Visiting the family home

A wee walk up the back and there we were, just four walls left and overgrown but a nostalgic visit for sure.

Yoga Man

Yet another day trip to Portree, Calum on the fuel and a yogic yachtie doing his stuff first thing at 6.30am in the morning.

Whatever Turns You On

Not for me, after a day on the strimmer/digger/labouring/Rona work yoga would not do it for me.

Creel Recovery

On the way home Calum remarked there was a fleet of creels clear of the water with the low spring tides North side of Fladda, we discussed the possibility of a recovery and the plan was hatched. Many of them were damaged and the ones that were not were still fishing. Which is not good for the wildlife I guess. So Calum retrieved them, spent an age sorting them out and untangling them, then we went down to pick them up. We only managed half but will be back.

Catching The Wind

Yet another trip to Portree and the old yachts look the best.

Talking About Creels

Portree was awash with creels, out of the water, drying out. I wonder how many are actually in the water from Cape Wrath to Campbeltown?

No Entry

Well that’s us up to date, been a funny year with no interaction with the yachting fraternity, but next year we will be back up and running. Hopefully the sun will return, the welcome rain can go away now we’ve had quite enough this week!!!!!

A year ago this week

This was us this time last year on Rona building a house.

Painting

And here we are to-day!!

Painting 2