Tobermory Tales - February 2004

Justa quick entry tonight, as it's late and I'm tatered.

There's a Broadband Workshop thing on this coming Wednesday (4 Feb) above MacGochon's pub in Tobermory from 4pm to 8pm.

It's being run by Hi-Wide who are bringing broadband internet to the areas that BT fears to tread!

Well worth dropping by and spending fifteen minutes looking at what the internet is really like.

And remember, subscribing your interest in Broadband costs you nothing, even if you decide you don't want it when available, but does help your neighbours who might want to use it.

Tobermory exchange was standing at 122 out of a required 150 subscribers last time I looked...

Gary

Cheers
Gary

It's a wild and windy day in Tobermory today. Up here on top of the hill it feels like the roof is going to blow away!

The babies are both away at their respective nurseries and the older kids at school.

Our eldest daughter goes swimming in Oban each week with the school and I don't envy her the ferry crossing today.

Cheers
Gary

It's certainly been a windy week here in Tobermory. My eldest son went off to school having left his (Velux) window open the other day and the wind had nearly torn it out of its hinges by the time I found it.

Much brutality ensued before I could get it almost closed and lashed down. Once the winds blow over I'll have to open it up again and assess the damage but the sliding hinges are history for sure. I just hope it's repairable else it'll be an in-sewer-ants job.

We've been busy looking at building plots this week. It's surprising how much people are asking for a boggy bit of field.

We dearly want to stay on Mull (although somewhere a bit quieter than Tob) but are having to look at the other islands and nearby mainland simply due to lack of availability.

Cheers
Gary & Steph

The new Local Plan was released last week - I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive but it's on the web too.

This is supposed to detail what land, amongst other things, the council is going to approve for development. But is open to amendment for the next six weeks.

This is very important to Steph and I as we're looking hard for somewhere to build our next house and plots on Mull are about as common as rocking-horse manure, and the few plots that are available are priced out of our reach.

Unless we can find somewhere local we're going to have to leave the island which will be a shame as we do love it here, but we've started looking on the mainland, at the other islands, and further north too.

My Landrover is playing up too - it's getting difficult to find gears. This is probably because all of the gearbox oil has leaked out so I've bought a couple of bottles of the same to squirt in when it stops raining.

Cheers
Gary

It was quite nice weather on Mull today so we bundled the kids into my tatty old Landrover and set off for the beach at Calgary Bay.

Calgary is probably the best beach on Mull and has a huge area of fine white sand and the sea is often blue.

Anyway, today was no exception and despite the cool wind much fun was had by all, paddling and beack combing and getting wet. We had a picnic before setting off for home via Torloisk and Dervaig.

It was whilst driving back across a part of the island called Treshnish that we spotted a Golden Eagle. It was quite high up but I had my binoculars with me. What a bird! A juvenile I'd say as it had the white patches on the underside of its wings. Still an awesome sight.

Coming round a bend near to Torloisk we were assaulted by an incredibly strong rotting/cheesy smell. Looking over to the beach we could see about 100 yds away the remains of a whale.

This was the Cuvier's beaked whale that Tom from the HWDT was telling me about. They're quite rare and this had been washed-up dead. What a stink - we didn't stop or get out for a closer look though.

We drove back across Torloisk to Dervaig then back to Tobermory where Rosie. Everyone was tired but agreed it had been a fun day.

It certainly made up for being stuck in the office all week!

Cheers
Gary

We're not usually a superstitious family and so yesterday arrived without much in the way of breakfast table comment.

I set to work replacing the glass in one fo the doors of Steph's Landrover Discovery while she got the kids ready to take out.

The job went smoothly enough and I was just putting the door back together when our eldest son, Lawrence, called me inside. Apparently Steph had fallen down the stairs.

There she was at the bottom of our top stairs (we have two staircases in our house), a crumpled heap. She'd slipped on the top step and slid down on her right side, banging her head on each step.

As she was barely conscious I called the doctor who arrived within a few minutes. He felt confident she hadn't done any permanent damage but called an ambulance to take her to the hospital at Salen for some X-rays of her shoulder. These confirmed she hadn't broken any bones but had badly bruised both her hip and ripped her shoulder.

So, the invalid is back home with a dose of anti-inflammatories and some pain killers and the Landrover still needs re-assembling, but I'll get round to that later.

Cheers
Gary

Wahey! Tobermory has now reached its trigger level of 150 interested subscribers and so BT must now take it to the next stage and plan the upgrading of the exchange.

It's been less than two months that the trigger level was announced so well done everyone concerned. I gather Fionnphort and Iona is well on the way towards their trigger level of 100 too.

Cheers
Gary

Well, not so manic as it turns out... I'm enjoyed a few easy days after the hectic business life of the last couple of months.

Took the kids over to Aros Park on Sunday for a bit of tramping round the woods. Saw a pair of Buzzards who rapidly 'buzzed-off' when a young Golden Eagle showed up. Got some great views through my bino's.

Sunday afternoon I dusted-off my motorbike and went out for a blast round the island to burn-up the stale petrol and blow the cobwebs out of the exhaust.

Covered around 30 miles from Tobermory to Salen to Gruline, then back to Ulva Ferry, Torloisk and Dervaig before heading back home to Tob.


And here are a few of our 'Shaggy Cows'. These Highland cattle are common on the island, often roaming loose by the road. Not only do they look kinda cute but they taste delicious when converted into steaks!


These and other pictures can be viewed at our website at http://www.balamory.org.uk

Cheers for now,
Gary & Steph

Well, almost. It's been a busy few days.

Took the Landrover round to Ulva Ferry on Thursday and spent a happy few hours roaming the idylic Isle of Ulva. What an amazing place! Saw my first Sea Eagle whilst I was there, too.

Managed to blow-out one of the Landrovers tyres on the way back but then I was being a bit 'enthusiastic' with it. Nothing a new inner tube couldn't fix.

Took the kids over to Calgary Bay today (Saturday) to give Steph a few hours peace and quiet in which to work on an assignment.

Snapped a few more pictures for the http://www.balamory.org.uk website as well, including this one featuring Yours Truly...



Cheers
Gary

Well, a bit late maybe...

Heavy snow on the Isle of Mull overnight, as this picture hopefully shows:





From the look of the clouds there's plenty more up there too.

Over the last few days we've been puzzled by the activities of a helicopter to be seen buzzing too and from from a ship in Tobermory harbour. It would fly down and hover over the ship while a large drum was attached to a cable and then fly off away with it, returning a few minutes later for another load. It's been doing this most of the day for the last three or four days now.

My friend Steve solved the mystery and explained that what they're doing is stocking a fish farm with young fish. They load the baby fish in the drum which has an integral oxygen supply. The fish are then flown directly to the fish farm where they're unloaded. The helicopter then returns for another load.

I dread to think of what the helicopter is costing for this but am assured it's worth it as the fish are very valuable and they would lose more trying to transport them in tanks on lorries.

Cheers
Gary

Well, it's started anyway...

After a week of snow and cold weather a warm front has arrived and it's all melting.

Here's a picture of our youngest two children and their pale-faced friend:



Having lots of snow has been something of a novelty, not just for us but for many on the island. Where we used to live, in Northamptonshire, we rarely got more than a thin sprinkling of snow although the weather could be bitterly cold.

Up here we're all having fun sliding around in it and will probably miss it quite a lot when it's gone.

On another subject I spent an hour today getting Steph's car running again. She has a much-abused Landrover Discovery and had managed to run out of not only the LPG it normally runs on but also the six gallons of 'emergency' petrol is carries. This had led to blackening of the spark plugs. A couple of nights soaking in Gunk followed by a brisk brush with a wire brush got them looking okay again and she fired up first time. I have to head south for a conference at the end of March and so want the old banger running properly for that. I doubt my own Landrover would make it.

Cheers for now.
Gary