Day trippin’

I learnt some time ago, in conversation, that Gigha has approximately 70 beds for rent across the hotel and various B&B’s. In the last few weeks we have been able to travel and rent cottages under an essential work clause during lockdown, which in a strange way, has been a blessing for us. Now lockdown is easing we are told that those 70 beds are all booked until October. So we need to think of a way to accommodate longer stays for ourselves and any willing work parties going forward, but for now we are resigned to making a day trip to advance works on the property.

That meant a 6.15 alarm call for Karen and I, and likely too our friends, Graham & Elaine, who had volunteered their services for the day. Blessed again with superb weather we arrived in plenty of time for the 10am crossing and set out to make the most of the 5 hours before needing to catch the 3.30 for return.

Not the most exciting task but we needed to clear the last remaining leftover items from the shed such that we could clear the house of tools (displacing said cast offs). Ideally, this would mean that when we are guaranteed good weather we can set up beds in the house for sleepovers amidst frenzied gardening duty. Task done relatively early to allow further cutting and burning in the garden.

First thing to note is how the garden is blossoming in spring. One of the trees we freed from bramble in previous weeks has sprung into life with cherry blossom:

More ivy was stripped from walls, with Graham attempting to cut much of the ivy near the root to suffocate life from the destructive plant still winding its way thru the brickwork of the outhouses. Elaine and Karen did much work in further stripping back the previously christened orangery and I set about burning as much as possible in the time allowed. Graham took on the flax that had defeated us the week before but didn’t fare much better.

And that was about it, we achieved everything we intended and more but the reality is that 5 hours doesn’t allow the amount of time we need to take on the garden with spring now blossoming and plants growing faster than we can pare back. In fairness Graham also managed some good photography and will finish the blog this week with my favourite of his shots.