isleofronalog

This was the scene in between the snow showers to-day, this is for JB at Nikon, Dublin who, most of yesterday had to put up with my questions!! Yesterday the weather was foul and the day was not fit for anything other than inside work. A bit of a storm, I heard 90 mph somewhere? What happened to storm names? It blew all day and absolutely chucked it down. But the weather has been a bit better lately.

Snow Showers over The Sound of Raasay

Yesterday fter much emailing we got the Nikon D300 firmware upgrade done and I can report better focusing. Normally I use the wee Panasonic which is handier but the Nikon certainly is the better camera. That was part of yesterday’s long overdue in house jobs.

To-day, Hinds enjoying the sun.

The sun has been out most of to-day in between the showers which gives us all a lift.

Snow Showers over the Storr

I see the fishing boats are managing to get a run up and down the Sound.

Back to the week past and I found this guy on the shore I think a week last Tuesday.

Otter?

It looks like it has quite a fierce set of teeth, possibly an Otter maybe a young seal? I’ll leave it on the window and wait for comments this coming year.

Otter 2?

That was the day I went to photograph the 200 or so seals in the harbour. Now, I have been almost every where on Rona, there are not many corners I have not been into. I keep thinking one day I’ll stumble on the old Rona whisky still, I live in hope. But last Tuesday I came across this ruin, SE of the house across the harbour. In it as you can see was a very good old cooking pot. So I thought I would take it back to the museum up at Dry Harbour.

The Curse of the Black Pot

The bottom of it was rusted away but it was almost whole. To get a good picture of the many seals I decided to climb up higher, I took a wrong turning and had to double back. When I turned to go back again I slipped and shot off this rock face and luckily landed 20 ft later in the heather, thankfully there were no rocks to fall on. I got away with it but the Poit Dhubh was in a thousand pieces. I wish I had left it where I found it now.

The Fall

So I was a wee bit stiff the rest of the week but I did call Julia yesterday and was asking her about the black pot. Her story is at the end of to-days blog.

Weekly Delivery

Wednesday despite the stiffness the excitement of a ferry got me going and we went down to meet Kevin and Pam mid morning. We had some fuel and building material coming out as we try to maintain a weekly boat just now. We had 900 litres of Kerosene and some flooring for the shed. Plus the goodies, always good to get a daily paper.

Improving Picture

The day was calm after a stormy Tuesday but it improved as the day progressed and there were reports of a calm sail home and even Dolphins.

We Hope This Will Work

Kevin had brought some connections and chain to try to stop the gangway wandering. So that was the first job after we had read the mail.

Hungry

I had not fed the sheep in the morning but did later on, Julie our pet hind was mooching about as usual, at this time of the year she likes her share of the sheep pencils.

Fish Farm Boat Heading West

The showers had been all around us but it generally was a good (cold) Wednesday.

After The Storm

I was over at Dry Harbour Thursday morning and spotted something on the beach but it turned out to be an old packing case, fish farm debris by the look of the other bits and pieces of plastic pump that came in on the same tide and were lying beside it. No mink though.

Clear as a Bell

I had said to L that the light was good and the sun out so we went back to DH this time to take some photos. With the D300 which is why I was trying to get the new firmware uploaded.

Clear Blue Day

It was a really fine day and very cold, there was a promise of minus temperatures that night

cumulonimbus

On the way back from DH the clouds were really interesting, lots going on up there.

Tanya’s Bed!!!

Friday dawned cold and frosty, very dry which meant outside work. We have new tenants coming to the bunkhouse for a few weeks in the season so there is a bit of a change around going on in there. Myself and L had a site meeting and discussed the way it would lay out, then I set too. First thing to dump was the old single bed, finally ending up as kindlers like most of the wooden furniture, eventually.

Safer Steps

Then although it was a sunny day I decided to make the new stairs for the cabin, the Ramsay style ladder does not feel too robust, especially after a beer or two.

Fits Like It Was Made For It.

Finally on Saturday late I got it down to the cabin but I needed to do a bit more to support the steps (or stringers as L has just told me). but it is a hundred times better.

De frosting

Sunday morning, Valentines day, a long lie then a nice breakfast, not!!! I went to the bathroom and the first thing I found was that we had no water, a look out the window and it was not hard to see what the problem was, the ground was rock solid. As we are 90% rock it is always hard to bury the pipes but over the years we have hardly had frosts so you get that wee bit complacent. I quickly discounted various things and was delighted to find the water solid in the valve behind the genny shed. Out of the sun it must have been pretty cool.

Back Together Now Buried

I had always been meaning to put a tap back at the bothy and here was my chance. As I waited for the sun to come round I put in a new valve and tap. Then I buried the bits of pipe that had been showing. By the time I did that there was a dribble coming out of the pipe, with a bit of persuasion the flow increased and I was able to re-connect and carry on business as usual.

It is always good to have a sunny day and there is so much to do it gives us a chance to catch up with the outside work. There is no one about but there is plenty going on. Julie was on the other side of the fence when I went up to the garage, I stopped the car and she was over the fence and straight up to me looking for food.

Julie Looking For Food

The SAR helicopter is often about too, (spot the helo’) especially at the weekends, their route often takes them over Rona, I can understand how easy it is to slip and fall on the hill paths, it was a first for me sadly at heights it can be some folks last!!!! People ask ‘Do you not get lonely?’ No never, there is always something happening, even if it is just the wind and rain trying to blow us away!!!

It’s the Weekend it Must Be The SAR

Monday this week was not a very inspiring day, grey and cold but at least it was dry. I had a morning at the laptop then tidied up the shed after the pipe and stairs jobs. By the early evening it was vile and all day Tuesday it got windier and windier, with torrential rain to finish the day. I took a wander around 4ish to check up on the sheep but they were posted missing. I cut through the forest to check the water, the wind was pretty fierce. Up at the water tanks there were new broken trees so I did not hang around and headed back pretty quick.

Storm Damage

To-day we were going to have another ferry but after the storm we were unsure how it would be for a trip. It was fine out in the Sound but the showers were pretty wet and by the time we would have been organised it would have been getting late. So just the usual day here instead, feeding sheep and after Dion the fire extinguisher guys phoning, the rest of the day was spent looking for missing fire extinguishers. That is the job tomorrow, the annual service.

Breakfast, Feeding the stock

When I fed the sheep this morning Julie came down for her feed. One of last years lambs made the mistake of coming too close and Julie beat her up, she can lash out quite deftly if she needs too.

Finally, Julie’s tale of the Poit Dhubh  (hope the spelling is correct?):

I had asked why a pot like that would be in a very small ruin, obviously not a house possibly it was built for a boat or maybe it was a shelter.

“Once my Mother’s pots got pretty thin, cracked or just old, they would end up getting used for outside things, one was making seal oil from blubber. The smell was pretty strong. My Father would make the oil by boiling down the blubber, then bottle it. We called it ‘Norman’s Special’. We got it instead of Cod Liver Oil or rubbed onto our chests when we had colds.”

‘What about Cod Liver Oil?”

“We had plenty of that too, it was made with Cod Livers (or other fish livers) a lot stronger than that stuff you get from the chemists.”

I cannot imagine…………….

Did your Father ever fall of the cliffs?

“No, not that I know of, but they did go up the cliffs to rescue sheep. The man who lived in the house which is now the Green Roofed Bothy (MBA bothy) was called Norman MacKenzie, he was the man whom my Father would lower over the cliffs on the end of a rope to rescue any sheep that had got stuck on a ledge, my Father would not do it. I think it was quite dangerous.”

More Soon……….

I never get tired of the view, especially on days like this (below) but they are few and far between at this time of year.

Clear Blue

As I post this the roof is getting a fair bit of a test with the gusts I just phoned Keith up top at the Qinetic Base who tells me that first thing this morning it was 92/120knt spike in the gusts !!!! It was ‘only 60knts’ as we spoke, then a grey bank of rain arrived and it cranked up another gear

This time last week I was in the larder butchering the two hinds I shot the previous week, a good job for this time of the year, out of the way and the radio on. Not too warm though.

2 Days in the Larder

Been a poor week of weather though with everything thrown at us but Gertrude was not as mad (here) as the predictions, (although I was just told there were gusts up in the high 90’s) no damage but it was out of the ‘right’ direction that helped. We even had a ferry in the middle of it on the only calm day.

Spot the Heron

Stuck my head out the door one day last week and thought I’m being watched, obviously living alone for the last couple of weeks on Rona I’m getting a bit freaky. But sure enough here was one of our many herons on look out, a real odd place to sit, not much fish up there.

Fuel Delivery

Wednesday it was calm at last and we got a ferry, MV Aspire arrived with new crew for the day Mickey (hiding behind the IBC!). The fuel that we thought we had loads of has been getting used up pretty quick this winter, it has not been that cold but it has been very damp with so much rain. One day I will get it right but in the meantime we sent the IBC over to Portree for Kevin to get some DERV and kerosene. There was a load of mail which is always exciting plus two weeks papers, joy.

A Week and a Half’s Post

Kevin mentioned that the forecast was for a lot of rain so I thought I would head down the South path on the only dry day of the week and see if I could divert some of the water that is washing away all of Hugh’s work before the path got any worse.

Rain Forecast

I put a ditch across the path in preparation for an Irish Drain to go in but it has not been dry enough since. Looking ahead it will be a few days before it will happen. Back to the pontoon to pick some of the delivery up and the tide was right for the 100 plus seals that have taken up winter residence in the harbour. It was a sure sign that there was bad weather coming when so many seals are filling up every perch

One or Two Seals

On the way back I spotted the first Oyster Catcher of the year,  they arrive I see around the 19th from my diary, usually after leaving I think in the end of September. I do not know where they go but they are pretty successful (noisy) breeders when they take up Summer residence.

Dropping In

The sheep are looking a bit miserable and always hungry so I let them in for a wee bite of the grass, they did not need much encouragement to mow down the inch or so poking out of the moss.

Grasscutting

Back to the house and I had a net of Oranges that turned out to be Seville oranges, they were in danger of going rotten, I’d opened one of the Sunday magazines and here was a recipe for traditional marmalade. Nothing to loose, so I had a go at making it, first time ever and it worked. Pretty sticky job though, maybe I prefer digging drains!!!!!!!!

Marmalade Days

Of course next day, Thursday  the storm came through, pretty horrible it was for a while, lots of lightening, but the wind was more Westerly so not so much of a problem as we are pretty sheltered from that direction.

Start of the Day

Later on in the day it brightened up but it was a different story at Dry Harbour. (Much the same picture to-day but a little brighter in between the gusts).

Gerty

The sea was pretty rough, but not too many big waves.

Gerty 2

When the showers came through it really picked up though, it was a bit of a job to stay on my feet.

Gerty 3

We even saw a bit of sunshine on the day later on.

Gerty 4

On the way back from Dry Harbour the wind was rocking the old jeep. When the rain or hail comes it really has some power.

Grim Up Top.

Yesterday it was back over to Dry Harbour, I have some Mink traps out that need to be checked every day. It is a long way of and I wish I had the ‘Big’ camera but here was one of our older stags sitting up on top of one of the hills surveying.

Still Around

It is very difficult to get the perspective of the storm from photos but it is an incredible power that drives these storms, since they have been given names I think they will quickly go through the alphabet!!!! As we normally get a few big ones over the winter, the only noticeable thing is that the winter now seems to set in early November and end the middle of summer.

Lunch time To-day

Lunch Time to-day 2

Just Passing

We have a Pal, he was passing the other day but had no time to drop in, maybe some other day!!!!! It was clear pretty much most of that day to the North of us but a bit of cloud came up from the South in the afternoon, which made for some stunning light.

I can’t believe it is ten days since the last blog, where does the time go? Well, we did not get off on that Monday 11th, the forecast was very wrong and it was Wednesday before Dan could get over in Stardust to take us back to Portree, even then there was a big sea. But it almost went flat as we left Rona by the time we got to a few miles North of Portree harbour it was pretty calm, then it was into the car for 5 hours and on route to Edinburgh.

Flat Calm Ferry, last Wednesday.

Of course the ferries we have to-day are much bigger and more sea worthy compared to the old days. But the wind has been difficult this last while.

Good Return Trip

After a good three days enjoying Edinburgh hospitality and not really doing anything (drinking and eating) it was back to Rona and straight out onto the hill to try and complete the deer cull. I saw plenty deer but not the right ones until I was almost back to Dry Harbour, I had walked up the West side then cut back into the wind. With the two deer in the chill it was time to concentrate in catching up on outside work. The East wind had made the Island dryish so it was a good chance to get some JCB work done.

A New Route, Up The West Side, Looking Back.

The road got washed away a few weeks ago so there was work there plus ditching. I was working away until the JCB mysteriously slowed down, I was perplexed and was thinking it was all sorts of problems, I even phoned Hugh. He diagnosed dirty hydraulic filters. But in the morning as I switched on the engine I spotted a switch with a tortoise on it, DOH. I had switched it onto slow running and did not even know that I had such a switch.

A Couple of Stags

In a good way it was probably better to be doing the ditching slowly, the JCB jerks a lot (user error perhaps). At this time of year everything very quickly turns into a mess when working outside so it is knowing when to stop and move on, but I was pleased to get this job done. An added bonus was the three stags looking down on me less than one hundred yards away with the Sea Eagle circling above their heads. The Sea Eagle has taken to roosting in the forest across the harbour occasionally. Must keep an eye on him.

The Turtle Ditch

I was only back a few hours and the power failed, Calum had been here and I wondered if he had been working on the generator, but no it was the age old problem of the Modex controller which is getting a bit of vibration off the genny and every so often the contacts get dirty and it fails. Just a thump to the box usually does it but we could do with a new one. L would not have found this fault for sure if I was away. Anyone got one…………

Genny Woes

I was writing this yesterday (Wednesday) but other issues arose. But yesterday afternoon there was the most beautiful light. I had to check the mink traps at Dry Harbour so I grabbed the big camera and headed up the hill, this was the view.

The Sunset Tonight

It just got better and better and makes living here all the more enjoyable when you get a view like this.

Close Up

It was a good end to the day and looking over to Torridon it was throwing a lovely light onto the snow topped mountains.

On The Way Over

The Old Man of Storr was peaking out of the clouds and the sun started to paint the hills red.

The Old Man Of Storr Sticking Up Through The Cloud

On the way back over every corner there was another completely different scene.

On The Way Back

And finally the Sound had changed completely in a matter of minutes.

Last Gasp Sun, Disappearing Fast

I got home and got a bit of computer stuff up to date, one job was to order up three of these books. We have hundreds of books and quite a few cook books but this is the best one I have seen. Worth a look, I bought it for my Christmas and read it very quickly, the recipes are pretty good, a good selection. (More on the Deer Page). Then I went upstairs, round about tennish…………

The Best Venison Book Yet

I think it is a common thing for folk who live out in the remoter areas, to have a wee look outside, does it tell you what the day is going to do tomorrow? is it curiosity on a dark night? I do not know but it is something I have done for a long time. Last night when I looked out the window the moon was very bright out the South window, out the North there was a tell tale glow. So I decided to take a run up to the top of the hill to see if the Northern Lights were making an appearance. After our New Year experience we are keen to see more and where better to see it than Rona.

Looking North

I took a picture from Dry Harbour, it was much more colourful and shafts of green light but I was only trying the camera out and it was hand held. So, it was pretty blurred but it was much better image than above (honest) I should have stayed where I was. I fancied that from the top of the hill it would be a better sight and it was still worth heading up there at ten thirty  the moon was so bright behind me and the snow on the hills was quite bright with it.

Looking North East from Meal.

Next Time, I’ll pay a bit more attention!!

To-day the wind has gone right round to the South West, it is grey, wet and breezy, gales coming. Same old but plenty to do inside.

Our sympathy lies with the folk around the country suffering the floods of the past few weeks. We are well used to it for sure out here and on Skye, however, it is strange to see so much rain falling in parts of the country which do not normally get that amount. Out here and in the West in general, anything that has been flooded already had been so it does not affect us so much, but in conditions like the East has had we can suffer to. (the road behind the house, the sheep, deer) But, it is good to get a wee break from it for sure.

The View To The East Saturday Last.

I cannot remember when the weather went into the East, I think just after the New Year.

Work goes on and with a full admin’ tray to sort it was a bit of a juggle to stay inside and think about what we should be doing outside. We had planned for rain, but it was dry. So I thought I would carry on and finish re-building the track behind the house.

Another Sunset On The Way.

That is when the problems started. I had just finished the clear up of where the rain had washed away the track when I had a rear puncture on the digger. Facing uphill with a flat rear was no fun as I had to use the buckets to get back down and off the road. No spare so nothing for it but to get it off and my first inclination was to send it off via MV Aspire.

Too Tight To Move

I do not know how they put on these wheel nuts but after trying to break the wrench I got the blow torch and gave it some heat, it moved the wheel nuts then. First mountain out of the way. Next I thought I would give it a wee push with the bucket and lo and behold the tyre came off the rim. I called MacRaes and asked for two tubes, last time I did this it was a disaster, I burst the first new tube putting it on (the tyre rim came in too tight and sliced the valve off, £54 a pop!!!) so I wanted to have a spare just in case.

Back to The Rake

With good dry days we decided to do a bit of ‘Calum the Road’ and get the rake, wheelbarrow and shovels out. We made quite a good job, probably better than the digger but every time I work on the road like this I think of Calum the road down at Arinish. Putting in the hours, it is a hard enough day but a job like this has a lot of self satisfaction about it. A lot of people did not get Calum the Road, but I get him every time I pick up the pick, shovel and wheelbarrow on Rona’s road. Let us hope the rain gives it some time to settle.

MV Aspire On Route to London

MV Aspire was out Friday with stores and the new tubes. Some Christmas mail too which was welcome. They were off next day to London and will be back next weekend, sounds like fun.

Tube Delivered

With a we bit of help from the digger I got the wheel organised and the tube in. A call to Hugh for advice which was followed not too the letter, but I was lucky.  I nearly did exactly the same as last time and sheared the valve. Luckily this tyre is softer than the one on the last JCB. In fact I think it is too soft for Rona work.

Now There’s The Cut

I did not see the cut in the tyre until I blew it up (it is less than three months old, with no work on it, so now I have to take it off again and put a patch inside. That will happen next week after a visit to see Alistair in Dingwall Tyres for some patches.

Finished at Last

At last light I finally got it all back to normal and moved the digger from the ornament it was in front of the house to the new road.

Left The Dashed Door open, Again!!!

In the rush to get everything done I had left the garage open, when I arrived up top at the shed the sheep with their sheep nut sensory noses did not take long to find the open bag and trash the shed as a thank you, second time this week.

It Seems to Be Holding

Next day I flattened the pile of ground and boulders on the new road to the house site, then since it was such a sunny (frosty) day I decided to do a bit on the outboards.

It Seemed Like A Good Idea

It seemed like a good idea but it was Baltic. I got the new thermostat fitted and ran up the other engine, so not too bad an afternoon. My feet were like lumps of lead though.

On Route To Dry Harbour

Saturday it was over to Dry Harbour to check the traps, put a washing on in Escape cottage and check the generator. On the way over the sun was up, it was warm and the hinds were certainly enjoying a bit of vitamin D.

The Torridon Mountains

The views at this time with clear air are fantastic on days like this. We could see right up to the North of Scotland.

More Deer At The Side of the Track

Even the deer were taking a bath, we passed another family group beside the track and the two young stags had been wallowing, they were dripping peat.

Down South

I took a wander down South for a look around, just to check the trap and to get a look at deer numbers. I was disappointed to see few hinds but there were quite a party of stags right at the South end, good to see and we hope they stick around for the season. This young Royal will make a good stag next year for sure.

Ancient Tree Trunk

On the back of the John Muir Trust debacle, I was passing this trunk in the bog and thought “here is a part of the ‘ancient’ forest”, they say it is Scots Pine, a fair guess. There are quite a few in this area and some ‘bogwood’ too which can be lifted out. I always wanted to send a piece of this away for analysis just to see how old it is. Never got round to it. But in the present debate about regeneration of Scotland’s forests I often wonder what the forest zealots want. These tree  stumps are hundreds if not thousands of years old, different climate, different land use and like it or not, the world has moved on from dense forests of Scots pine with wolves and bears roaming about. Oh, the other thing, trees take a long time to grow, so do not expect a quick fix Mr John Muir Trust, think about it!!

The Dry Harbour Robin

To-day, the highlight was the huge swell coming down from Iceland, the noise at Dry Harbour was quite deafening, the Old Man of Storr was shrouded in mist and I wished I had the ‘big’ camera for this Robin. But it turned out good enough. This fellow is quite cheeky and like the rest of the Robin’s at Dry Harbour, he has no fear.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow, Monday! We are hoping to get off, L’s first time off since the 24th November me the second week in December. So despite thinking we should have Cabin Fever, we are actually quite happy to be missing all the colds and plagues that were  doing the rounds locally!!!!!! I’m sure we will get something next week.