Tobermory Tales - December 2003

This is our new Island Blog!

Having only recently come to to live on the Isle of Mull there is much that is new to us, and over the coming months we hope to bring you a taste of what it is like to live and work in an island community such as Tobermory.

We've already begun compiling a photo scrapbook of the island which you can view at the following address:

http://www.balamory.org.uk

Best regards
Gary & Stephanie Sutherland

After several days of unsettled weather this morning has dawned gloriously:

Brilliant sunshine, blue sky, a few clouds.

Mornings like today's make up for all the grey and wet ones.

Gary

Went on my first field trip at the weekend after starting my geology course here on Mull. We must have walked miles and were out all day.

We started out at Salen and finished up around Gruline. Saw lots of interesting rock formations as well as deer, seals, an otter, and a buzzard. Learned that some of the oldest rocks on Earth can be found on Mull.

Steph.

Have been kept pretty busy with work all week. Trying to finish off a few jobs before the Christmas break as well as chasing-up a few people that owe me money.

I have my own business developing computer software to manage accounts, payrolls and stock systems. It's the sort of business you can do anywhere there's electricity and a phone socket to plug the PC into.

It hasn't been so bad being stuck indoors this week as the weather has been lousy - cold, wet, and windy.

Gary

Merry Christmas, everyone! We're currently off-island visiting grandparents in England but we'll be back before New Year.

It's really very weird being back here. So many people - so much traffic! Really not very nice at all, and we're visiting a quite nice part of England too.

Part of the reason for this trip is to bring back some of the things we left in storage when we moved to Mull. It looks like we might end up buying another Landrover too.

Ho hum.

Have a nice time everyone!

Gary & Steph & family

Back home on Mull after our trip south of the border for Christmas.

England felt damned cold after the autumn on Mull. The traffic, the people, the crowds, oh the depressing people! Whatever the elements throw at us this winter there's no way we're going back there.

Spike (our youngest boy) managed to go down with Chicken Pox and it looks like Rosie (youngest daughter) is just succumbing to it. Oh well, at least that's that out of the way...

We did manage to get round quite a few family and friends though (not included in the previous paragraph!) which was nice.

Colin: Don't drink *all* the whisky!
Charles: Remember that Stat.Dec.!
Mervyn: Website.
Pete: Lay off the curry!

You'll know what this means if you're one of the afore-named.

Upon returning home we were immediately mobbed by the three hungry cats (Rossini, Lenin, and Spice) demanding food, despite having been well fed and watered while we were away.

There was also a big pile of post, amongst which I find a nice cheque from the Inland Revenue by way of a tax refund. Wahey! That should go some way to covering the the holiday overdraft!

Anyhow, I'm away to MacGochons now for a couple of cold pints of Guinness and to catch up on the gossip whilst we've been away.

Slainte!
Gary