Where did the year go?

It’s becoming all too familiar, and with decreasing cadence, that I start a blog entry by stating how long it is since I last posted. The year has been manic and passed with a blur but I am going to try and take stock by reviewing iPhone photos and sharing a few of them in chronological order.

JANUARY –

Some movement on the house front gave us more confidence we would be living in the Manse this year, but still plenty to do. It was quickly apparent that the weather and ferry service were also going to hold up plans but steady progress none-the-less. Moves were afoot in the new venture of holiday cottages but me securing am IT contract for another year put the burden on Karen to lead on that front. We lived in three of the properties to troubleshoot any bits and bobs that needed an upgrade and set to work finding new bathrooms for the Ferry Crofts.

Ferry Crofts & Steadings @ gigha-holidaylets.co.uk

FEBRUARY –

February saw the installation of radiators and the new boiler to the Manse as a significant step forward. The new air-source heat pump was installed and the bathroom tiled. The bees also returned from the North of the island to a newly prepped site to the rear of the walled garden. The holiday cottages had their wifi upgraded and largely all received new tvs too.

MARCH –

Daffodils were out in prominence along the drive for St David’s day on the first of the month and the weather allowed us to get back into a walking routine. Achamore Gardens is beautiful all year round and the spring colours were starting to appear. The lawns at the steadings and ferry crofts were also sprouting and I was doing my best to keep on top of growth early in the season. The wood burner was a welcome addition to the Manse living room, as much for the joiners who had worked thru the winter with no such warmth!

APRIL –

Sadly this year mum’s health had been failing and she had become more reliant, particularly on Karen, for help with day to day living. The juggling of care, Manse renovation and the new business led us to some need for self-care. Opportunities for a couple of lovely restaurant visits (Stonefield Castle and The Boathouse) were followed up by a week of sun in Port Soller. The return journey from the airport saw us hire and load a transit van with bathroom furniture for the ferry crofts to get them back in action for Easter.

MAY –

Bathroom fitting fully underway at the Ferry Crofts and a huge thankyou to a local tradesman, Stevie, who stepped in to complete works when others were unavailable. New sofas too to improve the comfort of both crofts. My good friend Pete W was one of the first visitors to the Isle and reported the Steadings to be very cosy! At the Manse things were beginning to take real shape and the list of joinery tasks much reduced. Mist coating started with varying result from yours truly.

The tied highlights were, that we were treated with the best show of Northern lights I have witnessed, certainly in Scotland and the weather improved enough for Dan & Anna Rose to visit on his birthday weekend. Later this month we were to meet them both again in Edinburgh as they completed the marathon, both in incredible times for first timers.

JUNE –

If things were to get less hectic in our lives this wasn’t the month for it. The format of hire van, drive to Glasgow, acquire furniture (IKEA, FB Marketplace, Storage) was now in full swing as rooms were being painted at the Manse. IKEA wardrobes were built in the first room to complete decoration, the master bed. TV was secured to the welcoming cutout in the living room and the fight with SONOS equipment began. The joinery tasks were now a snagging list allowing us to think about moving in to the Manse fully after return from holiday. The house and ourselves, featured on an episode of Renovation Nation at the end of this month and we were delighted with an invite to the wedding of Ross & Laura where we enjoyed both their’s and the company of many old ‘rugby friends’.

Beware the font, Andy Pork? They knew how many canapes I ate?

JULY –

Was the definition of highs and lows. The bad news first, we had moved Helen into a care home the week before the trip to Fiji for Heather’s wedding. Sadly, Helen passed away, peacefully, the day before Heather’s wedding day. For those who are spiritually minded we like to think Helen wanted to be there.

Heather’s wedding and the holiday in Fiji were both splendid affairs and memories made by the bucket load. We bookended the wedding itself with a 3 day stopover in LA with two long term friends before, and 4 night cruise of Fiji’s islands, after. As we were about to board the return flight we were greeted with the fabulous news that Dan & Anna Rose had become engaged whilst island hopping the day before.

Scots on tour – very happy John & Kathryn could join us in Fiji

And a few days on a cruise ship to top it off

And more great news from the next generation

AUGUST –

We paid our respects to Helen with a lovely service conducted by her minister and close friend Liz.

Karen found the opportunity at last to use the birthday present of a flying lesson. The day being a bit too windy for microlights, the craft was changed to a gyro-copter, which I am told, was excellent fun. Sadly we cant afford the future training programme for solo flight! More decorating in the Manse sees the master bedroom complete and the kitchen ready for first cook out. The addition of carpets to the top floor allowed beds to be built and inroads to the pile of furniture and boxes that occupied the ground floor. The emptying of storage was complete and the third wedding of the summer, that of Hannah & Jamie rounded the month of in a lovely fashion. Oh and the family grew by two cats, Salem & Sabrina, both black, ideally suited to the mousers we want them to be!

SEPTEMBER –

Our friends Paul and Theresa were the first to try out the guest bedroom at the Manse in exchange for a day of strimming and drive repair. Dinner in Glasgow with Dan was well timed due to an unforseen tooth extraction coming for me the following day. The business of clearing and handing back Helen’s home was complete, creating more boxes for the ground floor to add to that particular task. We welcomed Ally & Archie to Gigha for a lovely weekend of food and walking and the Manse took further shape as we started to really make it a home. The heating remained at that time a bit of a mystery as did the connectivity of my SONOS system.

The drive getting a much needed makeover

A better temperature than the shepherds hut

OCTOBER –

The kitchen’s addition of bar stools to the central island soon became a favourite spot for Karen. It provided an ideal vantage point to watch me cook and is stationed next to the wine rack, good planning methinks. My thanks to Dan for another birthday present now in it’s rightful home – the globe on the first floor now home to a small whisky collection. For the first time in a long while the dining room table surface became visible as the mountain of boxes were emptied. The question of why we kept so much in storage for so long was raised on at least one occasion, the subject of CDs and the daughter’s books vying for shelf space remains a touchy subject.

And the dining table at last could be seen

NOVEMBER –

An overdue birthday present for, primarily Karen, but in reality both of us was a short city break to Prague. A wonderful city and highly recommended as a destination, many sights to see, food to delight and experiences (we sampled both classical and jazz nights). Good fare but perhaps not as cheap as some would have you believe. We arrived straight back to a gathering arranged by Ally and Archie of the rugby parents and have continued to socialise throughout the month. Most notably a weekend of poker and rugby adding warmth to the Manse and seeing the space on the ground floor used, as we intended, for grand socials!!

A string quartet in the most magical setting

A river cruise to be boarder later, although ours was less grand!

DECEMBER –

Still lots to come but I will draw breath here and try to write again at end of year.

New Year

Another lull in me committing to write blog entries. Life has been no less busy or stressful in the time between the last post and now. However, I will try and muster what has happened in the last few months and provide some pictures of current status to bring the blog up to date. On that note a happy and healthy New Year everyone!

Last postings were in October with the rugby World Cup underway. We had held tickets for the QFs in Paris for quite some time hoping Scotland may progress but reality was that they would not overcome Ireland and South Africa ranked above them. What the QFs promised and delivered were matches between 4 of the best sides in the world, New Zealand and France joining the aforementioned Ire & SA in the those matches. Karen and I took the first, and in my opinion, game of the tournament, between NZ & Ire; Dan & Anna Rose opted for the home nation versus SA and were again treated to some brilliant rugby.

Paris was great too. We opted for Disney main park day 1, which took me back to when the kids were young. The young uns spent time on the big thrill rides whilst I waited for Thunder Mountain to come back in to service late in the evening. Day 2 saw a lot of walking and our first taste of onion soup and steak frites, again honouring an old tradition. Eiffel tower on Day 3 and a boat trip towards Notre Dame where we found the best restaurant of the trip. Some good work from Dan & Anna Rose to identify a recommended restaurant from a travel blogger was a lovely birthday treat for me. Day 4 took us to a shopping centre near the Paris Opera house that afforded near 360 degree views of Paris – another good find.

In November it was Karen’s turn for a birthday, which we celebrated with friends at the Stonefield Castle Hotel. Suffice to say we wined and dined well and it was great to see our closest friends from the mainland all in good form. It does seem however, cameras were kept from the main event as there is only a group shot from breakfast the following morning. Karen’s birthday itself was bonfire night and we again welcomed Dan and Anna Rose to the island to sample my cooking.

One of our visions when coming to Gigha was to create for ourselves a lifestyle business, the shepherds hut that has been home for the last few months providing a prototype to that. In November an opportunity presented itself to bid for the management of the holiday cottages that are owned by IGHT and I am pleased to say that our proposal was well received by the IGHT Board. To that end we took over the lease of the holiday cottages on the 1st December. Some work ahead in renovation and redecoration prior to the season truly starting around about Easter , but our first visitors have already stayed.

Before I report on house renovation progress I will tell another secret I have had to keep for some time. Over the past 6 months we have been taking part and filming for a Channel 4 show called Renovation Nation. The footage has been collected and we await a date for it to be shown, but it’s looking like a summer release.

The house has moved forward considerably but at the same time has still much to do. With one exception of the dining room / stair wall the plasterboard & tape and fill is complete. A leak at a first floor window stops me telling you all windows are fitted and correct on first floor; the ground floor still has work on a kitchen and porch window to complete. Internal doors are in and framed with the exception of kitchen into dining room. Bathrooms still need work as does the heating system. The snagging list is longer but not for here.

Bandwidth

To anyone who has been a regular reader of my blog, sincere apologies. For the first time since I started writing I have left a gap of months between posts and no simpler explanation that life got in the way. Since May, juggling work, renovation, holding back the garden, completing the shepherds hut, moving in to said hut & life in general, left no room for much else – all bandwidth was consumed you might say. Right now, I am between contracts so there is a little room to catch up and that’s exactly what I will try to do with the aid of photos from my phone.

Back in May we were concentrating efforts to the completion of the shepherds hut with a desire to transferring living from the caravan to here. Important also to have this finished as a blueprint to our future venture and change of lifestyle to being able to offer this as a holiday let. Steps to the hut have been installed, as per the first picture. In the main, a bathroom, vapour barrier & insulation were installed prior to tongue and groove being fitted. By the beginning of June the kitchen was in and we were ready for electricians and plumbers to return for final fix.

Work to the ground floor of the Manse was also underway in May. The ground floor had no damp course, explaining the reason (in part) for the rising damp we saw when first visiting the property. An excavation of the floor was required before the appropriate damp course followed by a new layer of screed was poured. This started with the area to be the dining room / utility and plant room before moving to the kitchen.

The plan is for underfloor heating across the ground floor so once screed covered all of these areas, insulation would be laid before the plumbers would install the necessary piping. Following that a second pour of screed, then anti-crack matting before the flagstones could be in place. A long and involved process that consumed much of the summer. The photographs below span the start of the process in May to the flag stones being down in the kitchen on the second week of August.

That mostly brings the story up to June and a brief respite from the process of renovations and work to holiday with friends in Portugal. Our friend Graham was celebrating a major milestone birthday and we were delighted to join him and Elaine along with Wendy & James for a week of relaxing sun.

Portugal vibes, a very happy birthday Graham!

Whilst away, work continued at the Old Manse and the shepherds hut respectively. The plumbers were back to install the bathroom at the ‘hut’ and connect sink taps in the kitchen there. Allowing us to set about the install of wet wall for the shower in the bathroom in tandem with plumbers and electricians doing final fix on their respective trades. By the start of July we were able to call the shepherds hut our home and, though it sounds silly, we for the first time in months owned a flushing toilet and working hot shower.

Through June – September (and still now in October) there has been much going on in the garden, specifically effort to get the walled garden in a state we would like. From beginnings of bramble growing to a height of 6 foot across the majority of the garden 2 years ago it is now (for the most) bramble free. Grass has been returned to approximately three-quarters of the area and the orchard is much clearer due to wind felling a couple of trees. The latter are still producing fruit and will be properly cut into firewood and removed once the apples are harvested. Hedges are more under control though faltering equipment has prevented me from completed that pruning job. Of major interest was the re-discovery and clearing of the well that we first tackled over a year ago. It is now protected at the back from a new dead-hedge constructed by our good friends Keith and Marion and takes pride of place in the garden.

July saw the ground floor of the Manse starting to take shape with walls being reinstated. Framing out had started in June but now insulation was being added with plasterboard following to define areas, that happened August through into September. That allowed the kitchen to be delivered and installed at the beginning of September and soon followed painting and electrical work to give us a vision of what to expect in the final design.

and the reality of one wall still to finish

Work continued throughout September and until this day to complete the ground floor and stair to the first floor with flagstones and insulation / boarding out of the remaining walls to be finished. Special mention must go to the fine job of shutters being back and working on the first window to again show what is intended for the rest of the Old Manse.

And closed but requiring a paint job still

We ourselves have made inroads to sanding the attic floor and have begun the restoration there. Until starting I didn’t realise how heavy the sanding machine was to undertake this job or how much sandpaper we would go thru for a good finish. At the moment I would describe the look as rustic.

Not everything was work though I am reminded by pictures on my phone and in roughly chronological order the Sound of Gigha festival; visits and walks with son, Dan, and his partner Anna Rose; a Dark Skies photography workshop followed by milky way and Perseid viewing; a visit from Andy P; rugby lunch with our friends from West Rugby club followed by rugby itself with Ally & Archie; kayaking with Keith & Marion; and now and for the next month watching the rugby world cup on the tellybox.

Great views from the site of the iron fort

Some great shots from @scotlandskies_photography

Best shot of the night courtesy of Greg Grogran

My own efforts of startrails over the Manse

A beautiful still day to be out on the water

Oh, and apples. An amazing yield from the Manse orchard this year has produced far too many to know what to do with. We have given away many, frozen many for future use but still have an abundance to process and deal with. It may be some time again before the next blog!

Home & Garden

With Easter and May yielding a number of holidays from work a proper it has given us lots of opportunity to get out in the garden, well at least when the sun shone. Easter weekend allowed an inventory of tools and a clear down of the shed, with all the bigger mechanical items being rehomed under a tarpaulin in one of the outhouses. As per usual there were mixed results in the restarts for the first time of the year but I can report success with two lawnmowers, the hedge trimmer and the brush cutter. Neither push-along strimmer has yet responded to coaxing back to life.

Easter weekend itself saw a social organised in aid of the Sound of Gigha festival tobe held later this year. A treasure hunt around the island allowed collections of a variety of object and many wrong answer to location questions passed to other teams. A hastily crafted cocktail umbrella proved the difference as our team, Last past the Post, finished…….. first; huzzah!

On the house front, the work has largely been about taping and filling. So no step change in building work but a word of appreciation to our builder who is performing that painstaking task. I guess it is one up from watching paint dry on the boredom scale. The caravan remains very much our home for the moment but moves are afoot to change that.

Karen has been the star of the show when it comes to making the shepherds hut into the fantastic space we want it to be. First the roof has been sanded and varnished, before the same operation was applied to the floor. Several coats of varnish with a sand in between to ensure a good finish have resulted in a great look for the hut in my opinion. Then the practical job of insulation, with sheep’s wool being the chosen material for it’s green credentials. One wall has been finished with a combination of plywood and tongue and groove, as the rest will be once first fix of plumbing and electrics are complete. The kitchen has been (largely) purchased and assembled curtesy of an IKEA delivery, but again cannot be placed before the aforementioned work. It is also keeping the purchase of the bathroom bathroom company in the middle of the hut.

Purchases do seem to be a bit of a theme at the moment with decisions made (and purchased) for ground floor flagstone tiles, first floor flooring (re-engineered oak) and bathroom. We are also ruminating on bathroom tiles and lighting across the house. The bank account knows.

Lastly, for this blog, another glorious show of the Northern Lights. Once again missed by me, but captured by the keen eye of Argyll Aurora group Leader Robert.

Meanwhile, back at The Old Manse

Whilst Karen and I were away in New Zealand the re-build of the Old Manse was gathering pace back in Scotland. We had left the property in the capable hands of our builder and a communication link back to the Island through our neighbours, Viv and Andy. I am very grateful to the latter for a number of photos that appear below.

At the end of January, first fix by plumbers and electricians appeared to be complete. Karen had spent much time in front of PowerPoint planning sockets and lights, hopefully it proved straightforward to the contractors who carried out the work. We were complimented that the house made a change from ripping through plasterboard and excavating, leaving them to do ‘proper electrical work’.

More ripping out was completed in early February but the house saw a major addition of steel also. One of the features of the 1816 build was that rafters spanned the walls front to back. It was difficult to see how they were fully supported without the new addition and the bow of the floor is indeed notable on the first floor. This has been cured to a large degree but still remains the characteristic slant of lesser degree. It is an old house after all.

With support in place for the upper floors a top down approach was taken to the framing out. Our builders mantra seems to be insulate, insulate, insulate. Something that is mirrored in the advice of the local authority who encourage spend on this item, if only grants were so easy to access. Anyway February saw the attic rooms take shape and the wall between the bathroom and bedroom re-instated.

My return to the Island was timed just too late to catch the most amazing display of Northern Lights that has been seen here for many a year. I am both thankful to my neighbour Keith and very jealous that I didn’t take the image myself:

Late February and our return also saw the top floor mostly boarded out. Arriving in time to make decisions that took space from the larger bedroom for a better sized bathroom on the top floor and addition of storage. The rooms already have a better feel in terms of space but decisions to expand the size of Velux facing North will have to wait for a future planning application and more funding.

Early March took work down one floor and we got a clear look at the space with virtually no walls. Decisions were taken to use space that was the old bathroom as a dressing room in the new layout as the walls went back up. The downside of exposing more of the build was a realisation that many of the lintels were rotting and in need of replacement. Another hit to the budget, but I’m still planning for a little luxury and have sized the recess for the TV accordingly!

Almost forgot to mention that mid March also heralded the return to caravan living. Yes back to surviving in a tin box with little more than 8 foot * 12 of floorspace (inclusive of double bed). The caravan has acquired a novel feature over the winter; the back window seal appears to be letting water into the double glazed unit (not the interior fortunately) but a very narrow fish tank it has been created.

March also saw the upper and first floors framed, insulated, plasterboarded, taped & filled. We are starting to get a real impression for the space on these floors now with decisions over stove and bathroom coming to the fore of our minds. Our major commitment this month has been the kitchen and with a programmed delivery date that is very real.

Lastly, and bringing things right up to date there has been a swell of contractors here in the last two days. SSE have brought 3-phase power into the Old Manse and this has allowed us to run power and water out to the shepherds hut. A second team have been cutting the channels required for both ducting and waste pipes to give the shepherds hut the services we have been longing for. Still lots to do but the trajectory feels like we are moving forward now.

A land down under

So we have returned from New Zealand and both temperature and time zones are noticeably different. Last month I enjoyed an average of 25 degrees, falling once to sunburn through my own stupidity; since return to Scotland a digit has been lost with the computer telling me it’s a balmy 2 degrees outside. I was, until yesterday, waking at 4am and being useless after 9pm. No more the night owl, one reason why I haven’t committed thoughts to a blog yet since our return. A warning also that this is largely going to be a translation of my Instagram account with some words added to fill the gap at the start of the year. Another blog post to come to bring you up to speed on all things house later.

Anyway, flew to Auckland via Fraernkfurt and Los Angeles, leaving Glasgow on the 24th January. I recognised this as a ridiculous route when leaving Frankfurt we flew directly back over Glasgow. Two hours there, a two hour turnaround and two hours back that could have been avoided could the flight from Glasgow have been available. The second point I would caution anyone to note is the lengthy and (IMHO) disorganized security process to be endured when visiting the USA even for just 6 hours. A two hour wait in line for photography and fingerprinting, then collection of bags to load onto the connecting flight personally seemed somewhat overkill.

Our arrival on the 26th was met with a surprise airport meet and pick up from our daughter Heather. A lovely day unfolded in Auckland with a visit to the Weta workshop exhibition, but despite excitement, an early night beckoned. Not too difficult the next day for an early breakfast and a walk around the city. And then rain, Auckland experienced devastating consequences from the arrival of a month’s worth of rainfall in a single day. I could joke about it being a typical Wednesday in Glasgow but the next 24 hours saw devastation to homes, roads cut off, and worst of all loss of life. The clean up still continues I assume.

Heather and Devina (a friend in New Zealand) picked us up on the morning of the 28th for a transfer to the Island of Waiheke. The island is most famous for it’s wine production so it would have bee rude not to visit a number to sample their fare. Pick of the bunch for me was lunch at Casita Miro, excellent food and probably the pick of the wines too. This is definitely the place to go if you love wine, but also be aware that those tastings are going to hit you in the pocket! Some lovely memories over the three days there and whilst the weather wasn’t at its best there was no disaster to speak of (although I did receive a text care of NZ Government warning me of such).

Then to Cambridge (now the last day of January) and guests of Hayden’s parents. I should explain also that Hayden is Heather’s partner of 6 years, the two of them meeting as guides at Hobbiton all those years ago. Our lovely 3 day stay included lots of shared family time and traditional father / daughter feuds over board gaming. Both our children have developed a strong competitive streak and Heather (who appears to introduce rules to games as she goes along), like me wears her heart on her sleeve.

Quieter days were spent at Hamilton Gardens & Hobbiton respectively. The latter found a splendid morning at daybreak where H&H used their connections to gain access to Hobbiton as first tour of the day and the village to ourselves. I am not the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) fan that both daughter and wife are, but I still find tremendous pleasure in the joy it brings them both as hopefully comes out in the photos.

On the 3rd of February we travelled to Napier and found a charming B&B via Booking.com – the Bluff Hill Light House. The property stands on the site of an old prison that was home to a lighthouse. It is believed to be the only lighthouse to be run and maintained by the prisoner / guards, whilst it is one of three lighthouses connected to prisons (the most famous being Alcatraz). It served fantastic views and it’s quirky nature had a well stocked kitchen for home cooking that night.

Wellington next and a reunion I was very much looking forward to. Wayne-o, who played host to us on the Lions tour, has become my Southern Hemisphere brother. Our bromance that came about because of a mutual love of rugby continued over much beer, steak (large, rare), a car show, and an early morning alarm to see the Scottish win another Calcutta Cup. The weather was improving rapidly, perfect for BBQ, a stroll around Wellington, some live Jazz/Swing and beer.

The 6th of Feb saw us take a ferry over to the South Island and onward trip to Bleheim, the largest wine region of the South Island. We were introduce to Caro and Hugh, who were our host for the next 3 nights and what a stunning property they own! Our three night stay allowed visits to more vineyards and the Marlborough Sound where we fortunate to see a pod of Orca on our 4 hour mailboat tour (something I would recommend to anyone visiting Picton).

Food was very much on the menu with fabulous cooked breakfasts, a cracking Thai meal and some of the best lamb I’ve tasted at a venue called Frank’s. We had a brilliant night of fun with our host and two friends Aaron & Debbie. Aaron is an oyster farmer and was proud to tell us he supplied the restaurant. Two dozen oysters for the table later I can understand why he is proud of his fare – comparable with what we have here on Gigha – although I’m not giving the crown to NZ yet.

Our journey on to Christchurch was punctuated by a stop at Kaikoura for some sea kayaking. My wife was understandably nervous, after last time in a canoe in France we capsized causing loss of phone and scars on the memory. Whilst I quite enjoyed being out on the water I know now Karen only endured the experience for me, so a thank-you to her for indulging me.

Three nights in Christchurch included highlights of a tram tour of the City, the Botanical Gardens, a toy museum and another early morning victory for Scottish rugby. Perhaps more a town for the young at heart and those seeking high adrenalin thrills but enough to keep us happy for 3 days. Food highlight here was the Riverside Market – multiple stalls producing great food and some lovely local produce. I took away some fantastic prawn for a risotto on the second night that was hugely better than the bars we found for pizza and burger that bookended it.

The 12th saw a long drive to Queenstown and disappointingly a dinner date with Belinda and Pete wasn’t going to happen due to their early return to Cambridge because of (this time) cyclone warnings. However, the booking at Aosta in Arrowtown still stood for Karen and I and produced the most memorable meal of the holiday. A tasting menu of Italian food of very high quality in equally pleasant surroundings, with a paired wine menu for the passenger (reward and apology for sea kayaking) was pure indulgence and delight.

Milford Sound was our destination the next day and the wettest place on the South Island saw blue skies and 28 degrees the day we visited. A lovely destination, but couldn’t help comparing to the Fjords of Norway after our 4 hour drive to get there. I shouldn’t because it is a truly splendid natural and unspoiled region, tremendous narrated by our tour guide Eric. A trip to Queenstown for Valentines day and cruise on a Steamer ship on a beautiful evening; fish and chips did not quite match the earlier mentioned meal but it was with the woman I love so largely inconsequential. Queenstown provided us again with some great memories but again couldn’t help feel it was a town for the youngsters.

Back driving north the following day for 2 nights at Lake Tekapo, stopping at the beautiful Lake Pukaki for a photo stop and the bluest water I have seen. Lake Tekapo is in the middle of the South Island’s dark sky reserve and is a must for any amateur astronomer or stargazer. So to be greeted by cloudy skies on my arrival didnt bode well. I should not have worried though because on the second night, stargazing tour booked, we were rewarded with clear skies. Shooting stars graced the black canvas dutifully explained by our guide, Daniel, as we had access to three scopes pointed at various targets in the night sky. A night I won’t forget, but I must also mention the day excursion. That was to Mount Cook National park and our chosen route of the Hooker valley. A walking route chosen for it’s 3 hour return time and easy gradients. It afforded us beautiful views of Mount Cook and the stunning scenery around. What I didn’t realise were the three suspension bridges crossing the route and after the sixth crossing I felt I had almost conqured vertigo with aversion therapy.

A night back in Picton after a long drive was intended to position us for an early morning ferry. Fate had other ideas as our first ferry was cancelled and the second ferry we found as a substitute was delayed until midday. Logistics meant we didn’t arrive back on the North Island until 4pm and stamina ran out around 10pm on our intended drive back to Cambridge. A comical drive of trying to find a restaurant included a stop at a ‘fried chicken’ restaurant that only served beer by the time we got there and a MacDonald’s visited at 8.10pm that closed precisely at 8. A realisation that we wouldn’t make Cambridge caused us to book a B&B at Lake Taupo, once visited on a previous trip and an interesting stopover once again.

Our 2 nights in Cambridge became one, sadly, and we departed the next morning for our penultimate holiday destination of Papamoa. Very much looking forward to family time with Heather & Hayden we spent four nights at a batch where there was little planned other than relaxing. Hayden had found a cracking property with beach view and hot tub, which he drove us to via supermarket for provisions. Afternoon Martini’s and showering of sun tan lotion before spending extended time in a hot tub proved my first sun burn of the time here. A more painful 4 nights than I had hoped for.

It didn’t spoil the vacation and a mixture of home cooked food, board games and more martinis were a great time spent with the youngsters. Catan and Betrayal at the Haunted Mansion caused arguments as you would expect of us but all shook hands at the end. Some great Ribs at Papa Moas proved to be a good end to the trip.

Finally, back to Cambridge and with big thanks again to Hayden’s parents B & Pete who gave us a bed once again. The last night’s saw a Trivia quiz with kid’s Hobbiton family and a family party where Jack Daniel’s seemed to be the currency of choice! There was one more secret mission that I cannot mention in print yet but hopefully soon. A tearful goodbye at the airport had to be expected and it certainly was that. Almost 5 weeks, countles driving miles, friends and family both old and new met along the way. Bank balance reduced but the experience mattered more , as always.

We are going on an Adventure

This quote is borrowed from Tolkien for two reasons. Firstly, 2023 itself is going to be a big adventure with work starting on the house (by hired help rather than ourselves) and shortly we are about to embark on a trip to New Zealand. The latter is long overdue, our daughter moved to NZ in late 2016 and her round the world excursion never got beyond her first port of call. The dream job secured and boyfriend acquired later in 2017 stuck, and now six years later, she is a NZ citizen.

First, a look back at year so far. A tremendous Christmas break was had, a fantastic Christmas meal that supplies boxing day (and beyond) buffets. Whilst I do say it myself, the process of curing salmon (using Laphroaig whisky) may be long, but very worthwhile. New Year was quiet but very pleasant, enjoyed with a glass of single malt and a large helping Jool’s Hootenanny. Singular mention in the food extravaganza goes to turket-flette. I’ve bastardized a recipe I first found on the ski slopes of France that used leftover ham, onions, cream and as smelly a cheese you can find to top of this calorific consumption. Diets starts soon, as I can feel my arteries screaming in submission.

Onions, cream, turkey oh how I love thee

We did manage to walk off some of the indulgence over the holiday being blessed with good weather for part. But only part as the wind and storms have reeked havoc both with ferry cancellations and tree felling. Achamore Garden, where we often walk saw trees fall across paths which put the one up-rooted apple tree in our walled-garden into perspective. The woods at the rear of the Manse will need further inspection and management this year.

I’ve been very grateful during my time in the contract market to find work on a regular basis, I also hope this says something about the experience and work ethic I’ve learned over the years but most of the time I have been fortunate to work with good people to manage. I am very fortunate o n this occasion to take a long sabbatical with a contract to come back to and, undoubtedly, funds are more important than ever this year.

Having visited both kitchen and bathroom showrooms during the holidays we are moving closer to understanding the look and feel we would like for The Old Manse but equally understanding better the budget for our aspirations. Conversations have progressed with builder and heating engineers and quotes obtained to pursue energy efficiency grants but let us say that retirement is postponed for now.

I’m told Winston Churchill oft worked from his bed

…. And a Happy New Year

2023 here already and this is going to be a short blog entry as I don’t intend to write about the amount of food and drink I have consumed over the festive period. Instead I want to put down a quick marker to set intentions (not resolutions) for the year.

Building work starting on The Old Manse is imminent. I hope to be bringing news of developments to the blog soon but will wait until I have a confirmed date for that work to start. That hopefully will give Karen and I time to concentrate physical exertions to the garden, having completed all we can inside The Old Manse for now. Equally, we need to furnish the shepherds hut as a prospective dwelling whilst the renovation continues.

Travel is very much on the cards. We have been waiting for covid protocols to cease before visiting H in the Southern Hemisphere once again. That trip to New Zealand is already booked and will not be the last of the year. Portugal is the base for a significant birthday celebration for a friend this summer and Paris for a weekend of Rugby World Cup action beckons later again in the year. More of all that later.

And lastly, looking back. I did eat a lot of turkey & these were some of the favourites from Insta last year.

It’s coming on Christmas

Like most men, I think, I’m not very good at present shopping. Truth is I failed miserably come birthday present time this year and Christmas may not be a whole lot better unless I get myself into shape on the next planned trip to the mainland. Island life brings about a whole new dependency on the Amazon parcel service but I still like to hold and feel an item before I buy (old school). So one chance to get this right next visit…..

But before Christmas there is another month to look back upon, including that birthday I didn’t plan well for but others did. A surprise visit from four of our friends to coincide with Karen’s birthday saw some great weather for walking. The picture below is one of us on Liem beach where we stroll to work up an appetite for the lasagna that lay in waiting for us back at the cottage. Elaine’s cooking never disappoints and was happily washed down by copious amounts of red wine to celebrate another year.

The weekend also saw myself and other friends on the island put the finishing touches to the infrastructure that will be the Dark Skies Theatre on Gigha. Benches have been waiting at the Manse for a while and with a plinth and information panel there time had come to be anchored in place. Fortunately, some good weather whilst doing the job allowed everything to complete without a hitch.

The Dark Skies Festival including an opening of the now prepared ‘Theatre would take place the following weekend. A mobile planetarium was deployed at the village hall and exhibits of local photographs, space suits and Virtual Reality kept visitors amused for the evening. A special mention to the troops from Cosmos Planetarium who, in the day, had hosted events for the local primary school before two shows in the planetarium that evening. A formal opening of the the theatre on the Saturday was followed by an evening lecture on robotic telescopes and an informal ‘ask the expert’ session hosted by yours truly. Very proud of what we as a group (take a bow Keith, Kenny, Casey-Jo & Julie) have achieved and my small contribution towards that. Much happens on this small Island to make it punch above it’s weight in terms of population and is evidenced by this and the support received from other groups and individuals. More than a third of all residents (guessing with the kids closer to half) attended events over the course of the weekend and input from Gigha Brewery (Dave & Anna), the Gigha Hotel, local comic book authors (Adam & Lisa), OGAM Project (Maggie) and Bookbug (Hannah) all made for an astronomical success (pun intended). My apologies if I have missed anyone from the list.

December has brought with it some clear skies and cold weather making for some great scenery both around the Island and at the Manse itself. It has also reminded me that whilst the caravan would have continued to provide us with cheap accommodation it would not have been warm accommodation. The log burner at the cottage has been well used.

Our friend Wendy commented, when she visited the island recently, that much of the social life revolves around food. No event can take place without the expectation of at least one of a sandwich platter, bowl of soup or (mostly present) cake. It isn’t helping my waistline but it has been comforting to share in the traditional whist drives with a perfect example of this catering.

Meanwhile, we continue our own traditions of a martini on Sunday afternoon before a traditional roast dinner. The apples that we have in abundance, are being steadily dealt with and cooking remains one of my favourite hobbies. So much so we have already had our first Christmas dinner when our son and his partner visited last weekend. More clear skies and walking on Sunday to walk off the excess of food completes the summary of the month.

Autumn

September has treated us to some great and latterly not so great weather. Today is definitely one for indoor activities and blog writing. Fortunately, when Murdoch visited earlier in August the weather was much kinder and he has recently sent me the fruits of his labours.

The Old Manse looking great externally now..

.. set in a beautiful part of the world. The photo also shows the progress on the walled garden.

A trip to Glasgow next for the wedding of Maria and Euan, a lovely event to be part of. The McGrorry family made us most welcome throughout and the venue for the reception of The Cruin provided a beautiful backdrop to a lovely weekend.

Always making the most of our time back on the mainland we transferred quickly to the East coast and Coupar Angus. Our friend Steve and his family have renovated a farmhouse that has been in their family for approximately 100 years and what an excellent job they have done. We spent the days admiring the workmanship and stealing ideas for our own build,

I particularly liked Steve’s tartan carpet

Back on Gigha and some good weather allowed us to turn our attention to the garden. Our niece, Hannah, had donated a polytunnel to the cause and the 2 days it took to assemble and carefully bury the skin underground seemed worthwhile. Well, until today, when it was undone by wind gusting at 50+ mph. Back to the drawing board and a repair job tomorrow (maybe).

The frame assembled before skinning and de-skinning by the wind today

A more pleasurable pursuit though has been picking the fruits of our labour, quite literally. The brambles have provided a plentiful supply of blackberries and the orchard is heavy with apples. The first picks have been made in pies and around the island apple and chili jam. Cider making is also planned.

A few windfalls from earlier in the month

Completing the social activities for the month we went back to the mainland to see the Book of Mormon. An event placed on hold by covid but lovely to be back in a theatre again and good company provided by Elaine & Graham