Ganseys. Kapitein, Danger Mouse and Gavalus Gavalar...

Goodness me!! Where to begin!!
Poor Kapitein has been a wee bit neglected of late. I have been so busy here at the Homestead, I think I saw him the other day, well, I think it was him busying away in the inner sanctum. His beard and other things are nearly down to his knees it's been so long... 
I decided to check out the sheep shearing equipment, ahead of this years annual clip,  so I dragged him out and set about the task of shearing Kapitein, with very good results apart from the nose hair which is very very difficult given the size of the comb on the shearer. Kapitein isn't like a Hebridean sheep (which fights to it's last breath) he is more compliant, though not entirely. Despite the look of terror in his eyes, a couple of elastoplasts later and the nose hair had been successfully trimmed to an acceptable length, this allows him to appear in public again without frightening any of the tourists that have now descended on the island.

Kapitein has also resumed scraping 'barnacles' off his bottom - it is amazing what he is inspired to do when the sun shines! He needed industrial machinery this time as tentative scratching at his bottom had little effect.  He did change his appearance somewhat whilst he worked, sporting a nice shade of royal blue on his bonce! - this was just in case anyone recognised him, as it isn't every day you see folk scraping their bottom with a sander now is it!! Then to my amazement, he started polishing his sides, buffing so furiously his arms ached, I've never seen someone buff with such vigour. I tempted him in for some sustenance - after his complexion became a deep red, then had the onerous task of encouraging him to remove his hair dye, it took more than a little gentle persuasion, I can tell you as I think he quite liked it. But with the offer of tripping the light fantastic at the Ceilidh later in the evening, thank goodness, he gave in. Kapitein did do some dancing at the Ceilidh.
The Ceilidh raised in excess of £400.00 for the Marie Curie Cancer Care fund. Well done to Hollie for organising things.    

I have been off island to catch up with all things 'mainland'  but, latterly  when I go off, the ferry seems to be cancelled when I am due to return- the occasional high winds of over 50 knots does hamper berthing here on Colonsay. (No! I'm not the jinx - honest!) However, my last trip, I had to make alternative arrangements to get back home - namely flying back on the Saturday morning Scholar flight. I did bring with me a very special person. She informed me she was a nervous flyer, and with winds of over 30 knots, I was a little apprehensive to say the least as to how she would cope with the wee bumps you can experience whilst flying. However, all of her fears - and mine, were allayed as Hebridean Air Services pilot, Alan - the veteran boy racer of the flying world, brought us safely to Colonsay unfettered. A fantastic flying experience, especially as we flew over Balnahard and Kiloran Bay, before a flawless landing. It never ceases to amaze me how our wonderful pilots, Julie, Sebastian and Alan make one feel so safe. Its well worth coming to Colonsay, just to fly here.

Anyway, I digress.
Pretty Miranda came to knit the Colonsay Gansey. And knit she did... She also is just as enthralled with our wonderful wee island as we are, including meeting the sheep (who did the honours of allowing her up close and personal on several occasions) The Big Fella, was extremely taken with Pretty Miranda, I think we could have spent hours preening and stroking the sheep. But, we had knitting to do. 
Pretty Miranda was also introduced to 'May's Sugary Wonders and Gavalus Gavalar's fine coffee - with a wee spot of lunch too. The Pantry is a wonderful place where everyone makes visitors to our island feel SO welcome.
It was a pleasure teaching Pretty Miranda - we mused over tales of 'Call the Midwife' amongst all things 5 needles and motifs. And we munched our way through a veritable profusion of goodies.
Her journey home, to Cumbria was better than expected, as she travelled through tunnels of snow to arrive home safe and well...  We look forward to seeing completed, her traditionally knitted Colonsay Gansey in the near future (no pressure there then!) 

Kapitein and I have been in regular contact with Danger Mouse the Lonely Shepherd, who is currently on a major mission in Kintyre, tending to sheep, cows and all things agricultural. With the recent snow storms, he reported that the drifts were in excess of 60ft! He was without power for 5 days and informed us he was heating his remaining tin of beans on the dying embers of his last log, washed down with the last dregs of his home brew.
As the snow fell, the following morning, Danger Mouse opened his back door to find a huge drift! Not a good sign, and with 420 sheep out on the hill this was a worrying time.
The last we heard, only 71 sheep had been found alive and with lambing due to start, this will have a major impact for the foreseeable future. 
Like everyone else in Kintyre, Arran and the surrounding area, the snow brought havoc to their daily lives. Local stores and even Tesco had run out of food! 
So we do hope that Danger Mouse will be ok. We will keep you posted...


The Pantry had a very, very special, high speed delivery this week.
Gavalus Gavalar has been inspired, and started the 'Fresh Fish Wednesday'. With delightful hand cut chips. But oh dear, there was a misshap!
The fresh fish was delivered to the courier, but someone, somewhere, forgot to put it on the boat! With 36 hungry mouths to feed, what was to do! Well, the courier decided to charter a rib from Coastal Connection and the fresh fish was duly delivered to the Pantry and Gavalus Gavalar was able to deliver his much sought after fresh fish on time. Now that's what I call service. 
Gavalus Gavalar has also 'refined' his menu.  Kapitein and I decided to have a take-away. I was offered battered local Langoustine rather than scampi. I couldn't stop salivating, before, during and after this wonderful meal - topped off with hand cut chips and wonderful home made coleslaw... Mmnn, delicious. Well done Gavalus, this is a 'must have' for all those discerning diners currently here on Colonsay.

'Hold on to your hats boys'!

Kapitein and I were down at Colonsay 'International' Airport this morning to collect our freight, (we have guests arriving at our B & B). When much to our surprise, a rather unusual sight greeted us.
Of late we have had some amazing winds here, westerly and north westerly, directly from the Atlantic, storm force of course, but we didn't expect to see this latest piece of flotsam and jetsam that must have been blown in - its usually fishing floats from the Canadian and American east coast fleets! Because our airstrip is on the west side of our wee island, Colonsay, overlooking the Atlantic and the next stop to the west is Canada, then we thought that 'Mikey' and Buffalo Joe - Buffalo Airways, may be missing someone? Had they sent one of their 'Rampy's' to see how Hebridean Air Services operate here in the Hebrides?

A Rampy arrives in Colonsay

As avid viewers of 'Ice Pilots' we recognised the 'Buffalo' reflective jacket (safety is paramount when out on the Apron), but this 6 foot tall, blonde Rampy was even wearing a Buffalo Airways hat! But, more importantly, can she fly the Islander plane! I'm not so sure...

How on earth did this Rampy end up on Colonsay? Was it the wind, or was it Petit paquet par avion?

We will have to see how this newest recruit works out, else we may have to send them back to Yellowknife! Buffalo Joe and Mikey - you had better 'Hold on to your hats boys' if this Rampy is returned to you, they could be a bit of a handful by all accounts!

Other news...
We have received our latest delivery of wool (via the plane of course) and we are delighted with the quality.
The Blackface wool is a wonderful shade of 'Oatmeal' and is available in DK or Aran weight.
We also have a new line in wool, it is Blackface X Blue Face Leicester, in a fabulous ecru, also available in DK and Aran weight.
And finally, we have some extra special Hebridean wool, available also in DK and Aran weight,
which is very, very soft indeed so is suitable for babies or those who like a 'softer feeling' wool next to their skin! Woolly knickers may be the next design project!
I hope to list the new wool on our website later today, but in the meantime, if you can't wait, contact us.
I was talking to a knitter the other day, who reminded me of the value of woollen clothing in the winter. When wool gets wet, it still keeps you warm, in contrast, man made fabrics and yarn which, when soaked, makes you feel cold. So it is logical to knit with wool!

Snow hunt...
Little Miss No No (now Little Mrs No No) and Gem came to visit. They arrived on the ferry after a snowy journey on the mainland.

Isle of Mull arriving at Colonsay

It was delightful to see Mrs and Gem. We had a super few days together, Kapitein was equally thrilled to see them. With the promise of long hikes to places they had not yet visited here, that was quickly moved to the back burner as Kapitein had happened a catastrophe with his vehicle.
The keys were jammed in the ignition the week before our visitors were due. However, that Friday ferry was cancelled - so the AA & Landrover recovery man couldn't make it. But, he duly arrived the Friday following the arrival of Mrs & Gem. What a lovely guy, (not Kapitein - just in case there's any misapprehension - 'cos Kapitein is by far the loveliest of old salty dogs) 

The likeness to Kapitein is uncanny!

The AA man changed the ignition barrel and hey presto, Kapitein was mobile again. 

When Mrs & Gem arrived,  I did spot snow on Jura, so that was it, no snow (as forecast) on Colonsay, I had to go off to find some!

We flew off on the Saturday flight with Hebridean Air to seek out the snow. 

Little Mrs No No & Gem aboard the Islander plane

We had a wonderful flight, cruising at around 5,000 feet, even flying over the Saturday morning ferry.
Our train journey was fantastic, and yes, I saw some snow!

But, Little Mrs No No & Gem had other plans. A 'shop till you drop' visit to Glasgow!!
I think we visited every shopping centre in the vicinity of our hotel (which by the way was fantastic) I think Little Mrs No No should be a 'personal shopper'! Gem and I were exhausted.

We said our goodbye's but, getting home for me was a problem to say the least. Storm force winds (which may have blown in the Rampy from Yellowknife) were engulfing Colonsay. Cancelled and turned back ferries were causing havoc with travel plans (not just here on Colonsay but all over the Western Isles). I thankfully arrived home on the following Friday.

We had extra special visitors last year to the Homestead, who sought me out to do a knitting course. Cate and Benj were visiting Colonsay as part of a 'round the UK' sailing trip. A delightful couple (I hope Cate has finished her project).
Here is a link to their blog, happy reading...

So far this year, we already have bookings for residential knitting courses here on Colonsay from as far afield as Canada, New Zealand, America and Australia. We are very excited to meet our International visitors. Will keep you posted...


Our company Hebridean Isles Trading Company is going from strength to strength!
We had a four page write up in Coast Magazine last year in the October edition, all about our knitting courses.
Then issue 56 of Yarnwise Magazine a great read for all you fellow knitters out there.
Then we got a mention in the Touchdown Newsletter issue 3.Touchdown issue 3

For all of you interested in all things aeronautical (and more) from Oban Airport, here is the latest edition of Touchdown issue 4

Christmas on Colonsay...

Christmas on Colonsay was wonderful this year, sadly no snow, but we did glimpse a wee covering on the Paps of Jura.
The ferry came in on Christmas Eve.

I think most folk who were expected on our wee island had already arrived and those from our island had already headed off to the mainland to celebrate with their family and friends as there were few vehicles on this boat, but still wonderful to see.

Christmas morning up with the larks and out to feed the boys and girls. 

Tups - Ewan-san, Big Fella, Wee Man and their mates

All the Girlies

The weather has since closed in and yesterday's ferry (Friday) didn't even leave Oban! But we are used to the wind and rain here. It's quite comforting to sit all warm and cosy, looking out over the Atlantic and watching the weather fronts come in. We can even guess now how far away the front is!!

We all had a very relaxing time here at the Homestead, pure bliss if the truth be known. 

All packages sent off for our customers were received, so we can heave a sigh of relief.

We have a wee sale of some of our items, 20% off until the 5th January, so knitting has commenced once again. But, if you are here, or coming here to our wonderful wee island during Hogmanay, you can come and see for yourself. I will be around at the Homestead and all our island wares are on display in my Studio. You are more than welcome...

For those of you out there who can't make it to Colonsay, you can see the sale items on our website: www.island-at-the-edge.co.uk 
Preparations are in full flow for Hogmanay here on Colonsay. So it goes without saying...
Have a wonderful and Happy New Year everyone, we wish you all health, wealth and happiness for 2013. Its going to be a fantastic year.

New freight handling system for Colonsay International Airport

The Big Green Bogey has made it's début at Colonsay International Airport.
We have utilised every type of transportation since starting the Air Freight just over a year ago here on Colonsay. We have had the Pilots, Fire Crew, Airport Managers, Passengers and even local dignitaries, help us to carry freight to and from the plane. Occasionally, we had to utilise a rather inappropriate mode of transport when time was of the essence. 

Picture courtesy of Alan Reid MP 

But we have moved on, we found this wonderful 'Green' Bogey, just perfect for moving freight, passenger luggage and anything else for that matter (no, I wasn't allowed a ride in the bogey onto the Apron - but seriously wanted to). Julie was just delighted when it appeared this week!

Passenger luggage loaded onto the plane

So, Colonsay International Airport now has it's own freight handling system!! Onward transportation is courtesy of Hebridean Air Services. Perfect...

The sun is shining here and not a breath of wind today as the Mainland is once again bearing the brunt of the weather. We could see the snow on the peaks as we looked towards the mainland from Balnahard beach.
But there is so much to see at Balnahard, the snow is less of a distraction - especially as we are wishing and hoping to see at least a good covering here, rather than the odd shower.
The wild goats are just spectacular, they are less shy than of late - obviously getting used to us going there on a regular basis. The Billy Goats have the most amazing horns and stand proud amongst their Harem. It is reputed that these goats arrived on Colonsay around the time of the Armada! 

Wild Goats - South side of Balnahard Bay

Then, to our utter amazement, the Golden Eagle circled overhead. We hid behind the dunes and watched as it headed towards a small outcrop in the bay. It was harrying an Otter!
The Otter obviously had something rather delicious for lunch! The Eagle landed within a couple of feet of the Otter and then made off with a carrion lunch - this puts a completely different slant on 'Carry out'. We were around 4-5 metres away and could make out the fantastic detail of both the Otter and the Eagle, absolutely delightful.
The Otter stayed a wee while, then off back into the sea to replenish the larder, as the Eagle headed towards the Eerie. 
As we sat a while, we watched about half a dozen Choughs doing their aerobatics, they could give the Red Arrows a run for their money.
When we decided to head back to the Homestead we crossed the dunes. We saw the Buzzard and then the Hen Harrier quartering over the high ground. Colonsay is paradise for budding and devoted wildlife watchers even in the depths of winter, there is so much to see and do. Well worth a visit!  

The beast has been captured, in more ways than one...

It's official!! The beast has been caught!
Wavey Davey noticed there was a 'black sheep' amidst his flock the other day and without further ado beckoned the beast over to him - he was duly recognised by the beast as he was there when it slipped out from beneath Reginald Sigmund Peacock Brodie. As it sidled up beside him, he reached out, grabbed it and duly marched back it to its normal domicile. Well done Wavey Davey, there is a medal out there with your name on it... Our prize begonias are safe, well at least from the munching of a beast at least, I am not sure about the winds though.
However, it has come to my attention that the beast has been captured by another medium - no not someone who reads a crystal ball, but our very own Lady Penelope. She has completed a wonderful picture of said beast, the likeness is astonishing, I'm sure you will agree.

Courtesy of Lady Penelope - original water colour 

So what else has been happening of late?
We have had some very, very special visitors to the Homestead, namely Agent Nuno and his very, very Secret Agent counterpart. 
Under the cover of nearly darkness, they arrived on LOTI having driven for several hundred miles from their current base, at Lancaster University - which acts as an appropriate front as they didn't want to pay the congestion charges to access their main office in Millbank London, plus very, very Secret Agent is renowned for diverting to the Tait Gallery amongst other 'haunts' down in the smoke. Their task, was to unearth the Heath Robinson Wind Machine. After several attempts to locate the device (which isn't small) it was found in a residents garden at Scalasaig, camouflaged by several meters of undergrowth, so under the cover of even nearer darkness, they hacked and chopped away to free the device.
But what to do with it? They tried to communicate with S (M has retired) only to find S had gone out for a curry. Kapitein and I were more than happy to help, so after a jaunt up to Balnahard - yes, in the dark so as the 'Agents' wouldn't be spotted, we hatched a plan.
The following morning the 'wind machine' was brought here to the Homestead and duly erected  in the garden. We wait with bated breath to see if it will survive our wonderful winter winds.
S decided to communicate with me - all top secret and very, very undercover, and I was informed that there are several of these machines dotted about the landscape from as far afield as South Devon, right up to the Arctic! In actual fact, they are for recording Air quality - these are for looking at air quality and airborne debris that can find it's way to the four corners of the world. Interesting stuff... If you wish to track this information, you can find out more information on the Stockholm Convention page. 

Agent Nuno and very, very Secret Agent, left our island, as secretly as they had arrived (with moments to spare) on LOTI. All I know is they were heading even further North to check out more wind! Good luck to both of them and we hope to see them again very soon. Mind you, I suspect they will use a different mode of transport the next time, we don't want them to blow their cover. Parachute folding was discussed, so if you see flares near the homestead, no it mightn't be a Meteor shower as was seen a couple of weeks ago, it may be S's team arriving again.

Ceol Cholasa was a massive, huge success this year, by all accounts, 'family MacNeill' were the highlight of the whole event. Fantastic and well done to everyone who planned and participated in this spectacular event. Here's to next year.

There have been more comings and goings from the Homestead, D, aka Noney Bean, arrived via Hebridean Air Services, by all accounts it had been a wee bit of a bumpy ride, but in the very, very capable hands of Pilot 'Julie' everyone arrived safe and well. D, thought it was brilliant.
Wolfie,was especially delighted to see D, he hasn't seen her for a wee while, Sampster was equally impressed, neither left her side for the duration of her stay. 
D thought our wee island was just wonderful (a compliment indeed, as she is a devout city girl these days). We saw some large  Atlantic bull seals at Ardskenish, Wolfie did behave himself as he has a 'nose' for sniffing out seals, goodness knows what he thinks they are, but he sure would like to get up close and personal with them.
D even got the opportunity to taste some of 'May Sugary Wonders' she was very impressed.
She left on LOTI, but it won't be long till she's back, I think there may be plans afoot! She will be back with Dr. Farnham early next year, we can't wait...
It has been full steam ahead here at the Homestead, we said our goodbye's to some of our sheep as they went to market. This brought back fond memories for me, I used to help my Dad with transporting livestock all around the country. And yes, I can drive a 55' articulated lorry! However, it was interesting watching our 'sheep' driven onto the boat at sunrise.

Kapitein and I have been completing 'works' we began at the start of the season. We now have a very spic and span 'boudoir' and have painted our way through to the lounge. A wee bit more work is needed then we shall be able to retire at the end of our working day, into a very, very nice private space.
Amidst the deluge of everything 'paint' I have been very busy with commissions. Gansey's are hot off the blocking board and with another on the needles. The new 'Kiloran' is also ready.  Inspired by the film, 'I Know where I'm Going' this sweater just oozes everything 'Colonsay'. We are going to get the photo's taken over the next week or two, so you can see for yourself. 

Eskie has taken off - to the mainland for a few days, and has left Mary and I to man the Old Waiting Room Gallery & Information point. As this is the beginning of our 'Connect with Colonsay' fortnight, I have been selling tickets for the 'activities' on offer. There is a huge amount going on, so if you hadn't planned to visit Colonsay, I think a day or two over here would be just the job especially as 'Lovejoy' has succumbed and is making all things rise again during his bread-baking course, a not to be missed opportunity. 
So have a look see and we hope to see you very soon.

You can get here by car or train and boat or plane for travelling to Colonsay see Calmac, Scotrail & Hebridean Air Services.


CONNECT with COLONSAY this AUTUMN
A fortnight of fabulous things with Colonsay’s finest……..
Mon 1st October
Bread baking
10.30 – 1pm £10
Meet Colonsay house garden entrance
Knitting Workshop
1.30 -4.30pm £20
Meet at the Pantry
Tues 2nd October
Island Bus Tour with Kevin 11.30 -1pm £7.50
Meet at the Hotel
Cake Baking
2.30 -4.30pm £10
Meet Colonsay house garden entrance
Cinema Club Film Showing in the Hall
8pm £4
Wed 3rd October
Brewery Tour
12.00 -1pm
Colonsay House Gardens & Café – open for teas & cakes 2- 5pm
BINGO night in the Hotel 8pm
Thurs 4th October
RSPB guided Walk to Oronsay
1 -5pm
£8
Creative Writing Workshop 1.30 -4.30pm £20
Meet at the Pantry
Quiz night in the Hotel
Fri 5th October
Farm Walk
10.30 -12.00
Meet at the Crossing
(no charge)
Colonsay House Gardens Tour
3 - 4pm £5
Pantry Theme night supper
See Pantry for details
Sat 6th October
Balnahard Walk with Kevin Byrne 10.30 - 4.30. £8
Meet at the Crossing.
Knitting Workshop
1.30 -4.30pm £20
Meet at the Pantry
Music in the pub 8pm onwards
Sun 7th October
Bow & Arrow Golf
10.30 -1pm £5
Meet at the Golf Course
Creative Writing Workshop
1.30 -4.30pm £20
Meet at the Pantry
Open Evening in the Old Waiting Room Gallery 6pm onwards
Mon 8th October
Bread baking
10.30 – 1pm £10
Meet Colonsay house garden entrance
Knitting Workshop
1.30 -4.30pm £20
Meet at the Pantry
Pantry Theme night supper
Tues 9th October
Island Bus Tour with Kevin 11.30 -1pm £7.50
Meet at the Hotel
Cake Baking
2.30 -4.30pm £10
Meet Colonsay house garden entrance
Cinema Club Film Showing in the Hall
8pm £4
Wed 10th October
Brewery Tour 12.00
Knitting Workshop
1.30 -4.30pm £20
Meet at the Pantry
Colonsay House Gardens & Café – open for teas & cakes 2- 5pm
BINGO night in the Hotel 8pm
Thur 11th October
Walk to see the baby seals
11 am -1pm £5
Creative Writing Workshop
1.30 - 4.30pm £20
Meet at the Pantry
Quiz night in the Hotel
Fri 12th October
Farm Walk
10.30 -12.00
Meet at the Crossing
(no charge)
Colonsay House Gardens Tour
3 - 4pm £5
Pantry Theme night supper
See Pantry for details
Sat 13th October
Beach clean/comb with local beach litter artist. 2 - 5pm
Meet at the Crossing.
(no charge)
Music in the pub 8pm onwards
Sun 14th October
Bow & Arrow Golf
10.30 -1pm £5
Meet at the Golf Course
Open Evening in the Old Waiting Room Gallery 6pm onwards
A Scavenger Hunt (suitable for both adults & children) will run during both weeks. Entry forms & details available from the Shop & the Old Waiting Room
Further information on all the activities will be available for the old Waiting Room. Bookings & payments can be made there, or alternatively just turn up and pay the course leader. Please note: Knitting, Bread & Cake baking, Creative writing & the Bus tour will be number restricted.

 

Colonsay in the grip of fear…..

It has recently emerged that Colonsay is in the grip of fear. An escapee is on the run and has evaded capture for several weeks now. All visitors and islanders are warned:

DO NOT APPROACH IF SIGHTED AND DO NOT TRY TO APPREHEND THE VILLAIN.

A call came in this morning. It was Miss Biggles all of a fluster. She had encountered a horned apparition, the beast as she called it, at close quarters and had only been saved by the heroic deeds of Diogenes – yes him with the rather unusual habit.

We immediately ran out to the Landrover, gathering some bits and pieces together on the way and we were off, down the road towards Kiloran as fast as we could. Alas, there was no sight of The Beast, none at all, it had vanished into thin air, shrouded in a cloak of mist and mystery.

After talking further at length with Miss Biggles we managed to get a good description and it became clear to us that this dastardly demon was trying to pass itself off as one of our flock.

A quick head count of the sheep and all were present, so it had to be an imposter….but where from we wondered. After detailed analysis there was only possible explanation..... no not the foul air that shrouded the mysterious dead fox incident on our wee fox-less island, no, this time the finger pointed, without doubt, to that even wee-er place of mystery and intrigue, across the shifting sands, past hangman's rock. ORANSAY.

So, on the phone it was to Reginald Sigmund Peacock Brodie on Oransay, who admitted that one of his had slipped out from under him a couple of weeks ago (in the Kiloran yard while he was adjusting his Horner (shears to you and me)) and had proceeded to run at speed towards the farmhouse, jumped the wall and ended up in Lovejoy’s garden – his pride and joy. After lying low until darkness and gorging on his prize begonias and nibbling his tender sprouts, thus endangering Lovejoy's  normally outstanding performance at the Colonsay Root & Produce Show,The Beast  moved on, heading west to the Township, the bright lights of Kilchattan (aka Tinseltown now that the visitors are here and the lights burn bright into the night, so very different from the nights that burn bright when the locals have anything to do with it, details of which can be found elsewhere in this blog).

The Beast – the impostor (courtesy of Mr.R.S.P.Brodie)                 A real Kilchattan Hebridean.

Can EWE tell the difference?

A striking similarity indeed, which just goes to show the fiendishness and lengths to which The Beast will go. Let me reiterate. This is not one of the Kilchattan Hebrideans (right). It is an impostor from Oransay (left) and is very, very dangerous indeed.

We think ewe will recognise the impostor immediately. Yes folks, it’s a her and not a him. Whilst both have dastardly horns and can attack at any moment, unprovoked and without mercy, the him’s tend to have really, really, big horns as can be seen below, and if viewed from the derrière you will notice a protuberance hanging between the back legs, swaying from side to side. This is usually about 16 inches in diameter and may appear to be contained within a fleece sporran of some kind (we did have to censor the picture of course for those of you of delicate  disposition, but I can confirm, first hand, that such proportions are not uncommon in these parts of the Hebrides).

Ewan-san - a Him

Now that we have established that it’s a ewe then we have decided that if all else fails then we shall send in Ewan-san our prize samurai tup who we are sure will be able to sniff her out within our wee 16 square miles and lead us to The Beast. He's a fine lad but we’ll have to keep him on a leash because if he were to get too close, he’ll curl his top lip and goodness knows what would happen next.

But first, there is talk of a posse being assembled to hunt down The Beast. Lovejoy has already volunteered to ride shotgun – at least I think that ‘s who what he said. He assures us he has a trick or three up his sleeve from his days riding the range and kneading his dough around the Jermyn Street camp-fires, that he can deploy from the  back of his trusty steed, Honda. All of the other fit men of the island have been called to arms and are due to assemble at Clearance House tomorrow, where they will be offered sustenance in the form of a slice of Mrs Beeton’s No. 2 home-made chocolate cake, before they head out into the wilderness of the reserve. 

With Danger Mouse the Lonely Shepherd away on a mission overseas on Nopub Island, Diogenes has been appointed guide and will lead from the front as usual. It is not clear at this time who will be following up the rear.

Go forth brave men and capture this Beast before it ravages and nibbles its way through all fine gardens and allotments on this wee island and, heaven forbid, gains access to hallowed ground of GC-HQ (the HQ of Colonsay's very own Gated Community).

Remember: until The Beast is caught and Mr R.S.P. Brodie is reunited with it and has caged it once more in a secure compound, calmed with a rendition of Ode To A Corncrake, then NO ONE is safe, NO ONE.

BE CAREFULL OUT THERE.

Glorious weekend...

What a wonderful weekend off!
Yes, Kapitein finally came out of the inner sanctum and we have had some well deserved time off.
Friday evening was lovely and still,  so we decided to head to Balnahard to have a BBQ supper. Kapitein set out the chairs and lit the BBQ when to our surprise we were joined by several million uninvited guests - Midgies! 
Avon Skin-so-Soft worked for a few moments, but to no avail. Kapitein found the best plan of action was to sit over the smoking BBQ as our sausages and meat cooked to keep the little darlings away! It worked! 
We watched as the Friday evening ferry - LOTI - sailed in and out of Scalasaig Harbour and mused about the 'holidays' beginning and ending with this wonderful journey for folk arriving to and departing from our wonderful island - thankful that we don't need to make these journeys. 

LOTI coming into Scalasaig

LOTI leaving Scalasaig

View towards something called the mainland!

We endured our uninvited 'guests' for a couple of hours but even Sampster and Wolfie were tired of the wee blighters trying to nest in their eyeballs!
Reports on Saturday morning were that the whole island was awash with Midgies, even the Old Waiting Room, at Scalasaig was engulfed with plumes of hungry Midgies.

Saturday was a 'domestics' day, catching up on jobs around the house.

Sunday morning, we were up early, packed some nice things to eat and off we headed to Oransay. What a glorious day. Light winds (and no midgies)  
We crossed the Strand and headed for the East side of Oransay through Poll Gorm towards Rubha Bàn. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

We continued towards Port Dhūn a' Gharaidh as a visiting Yacht arrived.

We were very aware of the tides so we headed off inland beside the Mesolithic Shell Mound to rejoin the track at Eilean Fhionnalaidh.
By this time Sampster and Wolfie were beginning to get a bit tired! A wee rest was in order to eat our snacks and enjoy the views, on second glance, Sampster had fallen asleep!!! Ah bless him...

We arrived back at the car, after a thoroughly enjoyable few hours.

On our way back to the Homestead on the Colonsay ring road, we passed Colonsay International Airport. There appeared to be some activity, unusual for a Sunday. We found out later that the Coast Guard were on exercise. The Coast Guard helicopter was picking up personnel, circling around the Homestead then winching them back down to the Airstrip. What a treat that would have been. I did later suggest if they ever needed a 'victim' (casualty) I would be happy to oblige! Not wanting to tempt fate though, I don't want a real injury!!

If you would like to sample our island delights, come and see us sometime! Especially as our Bed & Breakfast is open all the year round! During the winter months, the Calmac ferry timetable changes, but with the introduction of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) it is reported that there will be a 35% reduction in fares from October. But, you mustn't forget, you can always make a flying visit with Hebridean Air Services, a must for any discerning traveller.
Hope to see you very soon...

166th Islay Jura & Colonsay Show 2012

Wow! What a fabulous, well organised and very, very enjoyable show!

It all started several weeks ago when I contacted Janey – Events manager extraordinaire on the Isle of Islay who organises the Annual Islay, Jura & Colonsay Show. And there I was, sitting in glorious sunshine at my prime pitch at the show. 

It has been several years since a Colonsay resident had a stance at the show albeit up until a couple of years ago, folk from Colonsay did take exhibits for entry into varying catagories. But I was ‘it’ this year.

What I will say is I was treated as a V.I.P from the moment of contacting Janey until my return to Colonsay.

My attendance was only made possible by flying with HebrideanAir Services to Islay. I arrived at Colonsay International Airport laden with all my wares for the show. There was a full plane, but we still managed to get ‘everything into the hold.

A nice young French chap was flying onward to Oban. He had been ‘wild camping’ on Colonsay. Kapitein and I were very impressed when we saw attached to his rucksack a wee bag containing his rubbish! If all wild campers were so attentive, this would be fantastic for our island, especially when we have found, latterly, an old frying pan and several other items – some unmentionable, after a group of campers departed a few weeks ago. So hats off to this young guy.

It was a perfect day for flying inter-island, hardly a breath of wind as Julie flew over the show field on our decent into Islay.

I was collected at the airport by Lamont – a lovely man. We waited a wee while longer to collect one of the show judges who flew in from Glasgow with Flybe. Then off to the show-field.

Lamont dropped me off and I headed for my pitch. I was just down from the Secretaries tent. Janey had two large tables laid out for me – perfect.

I did hope to have a good mooch around the show, but wow!! I was so busy!

I met a wonderful array of people and the show was just superb. I was opposite one of the main show rings so managed to glimpse all things ‘horsey’ including trick riding – outstanding work with horses, and one of the participants had only been in training for 3 weeks! I had all things ‘sheep’ behind me and was very interested to see the quality and calibre of the ‘sheep’ entrants. There were dog classes, vegetable classes, dancing competitions and to top it all off I heard the Islay Pipe Band – truly fantastic.

Here is the Islay Blog with more details and some super photographs.

There was great interest in the Colonsay Gansey - thank you for the commission and especially my knitting courses (I hope to see you very soon!) I had produced some of the new design purses made with Braveheart Tartan from the Islay Woolen Mill, these were very well received too.

Like a breath of fresh air, my matey Christine thankfully came to help me later in the afternoon where we sold even more! She and Tom very kindly helped me to pack up and head to the main gates to meet Lamont at 3.00pm.

Oh dear!! At 3.15, still no Lamont!! With the plane taking off at 3.45pm, I headed to find Janey and to my astonishment she managed to organise another lift to take me to the airport. My most humble thanks go to Julie from Bowmore Distillery who was exceptionally kind and took me back to the airport.

I arrived just as Julie was making her decent onto the runway. As I loaded my now much fewer wares onto the plane, Lamont appeared, bless him, he had a puncture and had collected another car!  He was so worried about me!

So, the upshot was, I will never forget absolutely everyone who made my wonderful trip to the Islay, Jura & Colonsay show possible. I was made to feel so welcome and treated with the most kindness I have seen in ages. Thank you to everyone. And here’s to next year!!! Cheers...
Like what you see?? check out: www.island-at-the-edge.co.uk 

While I was away and since my return...

Whilst I was away, Kapitein looked after all things ‘Homestead’. Although I do have a sneaking suspicion he quite likes the peace and tranquillity my mainland visits afford him. He does assure me that I am quite a quiet soul... I know, all of you out there who know me will be belly laughing right now... Quiet, I don’t think so, I hear you say...

A frantic call had come into the Homestead from GG, which was duly answered by Kapitein. The Pantry had been exceptionally busy with visitors from Islay, not just satisfied with May’s Sugary Wonders, but also gorging themselves on chips. Consequently GG had run out of chips and because no potatoes are grown commercially on the island (nor any other crops due to an unfortunate change in farming practices) he had no choice but to request an urgent shipment to be flown in which consisted of 3 boxes of frozen chips, each containing 8 bags of which just 24 hours later only one and a half bags were remaining.

The Homestead is being spruced up by decorator extraordinaire Basil The Brush, who also goes under the name of Fireman Sam depending on whether he has a brush or a hose in his hand at the time, however, other names have been suggested, as apparently on occasions he does have other implements in his hands – a true multi-tasker.. Unfortunately for Basil, the weather has been very good in recent days; the sunshine has been playing havoc with his exposed areas. He has been forced to wear a pair of Gucci sunglasses and a charming beanie hat as he proceeds along the eves and soffits.

Kapitein has been looking after the vegetable patch and weeding the flower beds and had Sampster and Wolfie on long walks whilst I dealt with the trials and tribulations on the mainland.

Unfortunately for Kapitein the horseflies that had been affecting old Ziggy, in the field over the fence, had decided to launch several attacks on the Kapitein whilst he was gardening. Because Kapitein had omitted to lubricate himself in Skin so Soft, he had little chance in fighting off the onslaught. Consequently, upon my return, I discovered a somewhat swollen and hot Kapitein – and not for the reasons I had expected.

Kapitein was not particularly happy as a result of this. The day after I returned, which was a particularly hot and humid day, we decided to walk the dogs, with Kapitein sweating under his zipped up fleece to keep the beasties at bay. Unfortunately for him another horsefly decided to bite him on the only exposed part of his body, the end of his finger, resulting in an even worse reaction and forcing him the day after, to sit with raised arm and icepack in order to bring down his extremely swollen right hand. Ho Hum, this could have had a major impact on all things ‘male’ however all now seems to be on the mend. Kapitein does so prefer to be out on the high seas on such days, rather that fighting off the world-amous Colonsay beasties.

Another shipment has gone off via air freight, consisting of several cones of wool and a set of sheep shears – which broke down after shearing forty five and a half sheep, however we were able to save the situation with a little help from Danger Mouse, the lonely shepherd.

We have also heard rumours of yet another exodus from one of Clearance House establishments, namely the ‘un local’ Hotel. This time it was the chef, closely following on the heels of D’Arlene who has decided to try life on the mainland after 4 years here.  Prior to her leaving, her bubbly effervescence had been tested to the full, with a leaving party that commenced on the Wednesday and only ended, seemingly, though not confirmed, as she boarded the Sunday evening ferry bound for Oban.

It would appear there is difficulty in retaining good staff for some reason, however we wish them all well...

We had the privilege of watching 72 participants in the Fun Run in aid of the Colonsay Medical fund the other day and they still had energy left to attend the Ceilidh. The fund has surpassed its target... Well done to all who participated. It appears we may soon be able to adopt the examination position in comfort down at the surgery once the new device arrives.  

Gavalus Gavalar has been very busy at the Pantry. He organised a Colonsay Food Night, with offerings such as Colonsay Lamb stew (with our very own Hebridean lamb), Oysters, Colonsay Beef and freshly caught Mackerel plus many more delights. What a resounding success and a big hope that he will repeat this regularly in the very near future.  

And a good night was had by all...

We had visitors to the homestead this afternoon. Mack-the-finger and Pedie popped in for a chat about our air freight project. It was nice to discuss future plans for the project – especially when we can ship outbound and inbound freight consignments of just about anything. Discussed were some of the possible options such as kegs of beer and Chinese and Indian takeaways, amongst others. Pedie Popped-in began to salivate. All good stuff and hopefully we can work together to make this happen.

This evening Kapitein succumbed to the hunter-gather instinct and ordered our dinner from the Pantry. Unfortunately, Kapitein was disappointed as the 2 baked potatoes he had ordered were mysteriously transformed into chips, between picking them up and getting back to the homestead. He does have a penchant for baked potatoes, after years of eating ships biscuits whilst on the high seas. However, he did report that May’s doughnuts looked good enough to eat... apparently he was tempted but decided against it, safe in the knowledge that he would be having his two baked potatoes when he got back to the homestead. No doubt he will be having words with the proprietor, Gavalus Gavalar, for this unusual lapse in service and quality control. This could be due to GG’s lack of concentration following his secret mission to the mainland last weekend. Whatever happened, it appears to have totally confused GG and has left a lasting impression on the young lad. Incidentally I had seen GG on Monday evening at the tourism meeting, wearing his fireman’s uniform. He certainly looked dapper, despite the buttons being a little stretched but that's because GG is unable to resist nibbling at May’s sugary wonders.

Anyway, back to this evening and Kapitein also returned with the news from GG that Clarence  Clearance House had hired the Pantry marquee for a party, a party fit for a laird and certainly not any of the lesser mortals as can be found in these parts. Unfortunately, upon it being returned – just in time for it to be put up again by GG for the shindig last night, it was found to have been badly damaged. GG and pals had to make some hasty and unexpected repairs to accommodate the crowds attending the night of jazz and blues music at the Pantry that evening. All was ultimately sorted and the evening was a resounding success. Well done GG. A good night was had by all...... but I do hope we will see GG again after his visit to Clearance House to seek recompense and not find out that he has been relocated to Canada. Surely not.

The evening sun is still high and the weather is balmy this night but clouds are gathering beyond the horizon and, alas, departure to the mainland awaits me. This unwelcome storm will arrive on Sunday, when I shall have to leave these shores and take a journey into the unknown and to say Adieu and Tot Ziens to a very dear friend. But tonight is calm and beautiful and that is the most important thing right now.