Lorraine has just told me that to-day is a bank holiday and in 23 years of working on Rona, I have never taken one. Perhaps unintentionally when we were off on holiday but 100% I have never woken up and said to-day is a Bank Holiday, I am, taking it off!! But to-day I am going to.

So I thought I would have a few posts as I have had a few messages to say, where are your posts? Have you left? I am glad that someone is reading them but when I retire (Shortly) I will have plenty time to plunder my files and be a bit more regular, I look forward to it.

Spring has morphed into summer, the weather has been stunning up until this weekend now raining, heavy showers (It must be a Bank Holiday). But on a grey day it is good to sit here and post a few articles.

We have been away looking at houses and planning our retirement, we will be on Rona for a while yet but all too soon it will be time to leave and hand over to someone new. In the meantime life goes on, maintenance continues, yachts arrive and the last of ‘Our’ cottage guests have their holidays.

The only worry I had during the dry spell was Fire, with widespread coverage of the wildfires around the UK, Rona would have no chance if a spark caused the Island to ignite, it is so dry here and there is so much rank heather. A product of not having the expertise to burn here myself. I wish I had been able to, it would have seen better heather management and more forage for the deer but hey-ho, we cannot do it all.

The calm weather meant more sailings in our own boat but local only and generally in the evening, casting a line.

I had one visit to the Islands at the South of Rona to check on the Stags and collect Antlers, a lovely trip with crisp light meaning good clear photos. The cliff face at Dhu Chamas was never so colourful, amazing.

The only problem was arriving back at the pontoon and realising I had left my binoculars on the highest point of Garbh Eilean, Doh!

Deer Counting and collecting antlers go hand in hand and it is a great opportunity during this good spell of sunny dry weather to do just that. Before the foilage/trees hides the deer it was good to get out and do an Island visit plus a spy from the boat, giving me a good idea of deer numbers and their hideouts. Always beneficial when planning the deer cull.

The photos above show the ‘Deer Baths’ caused by the deer rolling and digging up the peat with their hooves and antlers. A place to roll around, get a cooling bath and rid themselves of their ticks and keds. In the Rut a good place to ‘Black up’ to try to impress the ladies. The Peatland Erosion brigade would be having a heart attack with these wallows/baths. In their minds it is ‘Erosion’. When in fact it is totally natural and if they become wet wallows then eventually peaty ponds with any amount of insect life. Totally natural behaviour between deer, the natural environment. Moving on.

Last weeks time away took in a trip to visit friends in Shieldaig, something very much we look forward to. So the next blog will be about that as I was drawn as ever to Ben Damph to see how the Woodland Trust work was progressing, in the meantime on the way home from that trip it was a lovely surprise to see PS Waverley alongside the pier in Portree early last Thursday morning, a stunning ship and a reminder of my time on Mull in the late 1960s when the MV King George the 5th I think used to visit regularly. In my mind they look similar? It was not a paddle steamer but equally a stunning ship.